Writing Exercise Inspired by Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer

I am...

Last year's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Sympathizer, begins with the following paragraph: 

I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. Perhaps not surprisingly, I am a man of two minds. I am not some misunderstood mutant from a comic book or a horror movie, although some may have treated me as such. I am simply able to see any issue from both sides. Sometimes I flatter myself that this is a talent, and although it is admittedly one of a minor nature, it is perhaps also the sole talent I possess. At other times, when I reflect on how I cannot help but observe the world in such a fashion, I wonder if what I have should even be called talent. After all, a talent is something you use, not something that uses you. The talent you cannot not use, the talent that possesses you--that is a hazard, I must confess. But in the month when this confession begins, my way of seeing the world still seemed more of a virtue than a danger, which is how some dangers first appear. 

I love it when a novel begins with a confession about a personal trait in a way that we are forced to re-examine the virtue of the trait and question the narrator from the get-go (think Nick in The Great Gatsby). Today, I think I'm going to write one of these paragraphs for my mc in my WIP. It won't be the first paragraph, and I doubt it'll make it into the novel, but I'm excited to learn what secrets my mc will or will not reveal to me...

Feel free to join me and do the same on this lovely fall Monday. :)

Screenwriting Classic "Save the Cat" Tips for YA Writers

After looking back through the screenwriter's classic text Save the Cat by Blake Snyder, I jotted down some notes on key points that are really relevant for YA writers today.


*"...liking the person we go on a journey with is the single most important element in drawing us into the story" So true for any storytelling.

* A great way to get the reader to like your lead character is to have him/her do something humanizing/kind like saving a cat in the opening scene (think Katniss taking her sister's place in The Hunger Games).

* You need to be able to sum up "what is this about" in a single short logline. Novels are no different since a book often needs to be sold based on a cool title, a picture that can sum up the point, and a paragraph.

* A compelling logline is based around irony.

* You have to have a hero/main character (or two) for us to connect with.

* Protagonist must have a PRIMAL (survival, hunger, love, death, etc.) motivation that is what will make the hero succeed.

* After determining the PRIMAL motivation for your hero, now look to structure. Blake Snyder has created an awesome 15 beat single page document that is well worth checking out. If you're someone like me who loves a great simple worksheet, this one is for you as we know that many great writers use screenwriting technique to get an engaging plot.

* Snyder suggests writing out each scene on a card and that there should be 40 cards total divided up between Act One, Act Two (part one), Act Two (part two), and Act Three. The cards should be placed there. He recommends using them to chart plot and emotional beats. Writers often use similar cards on Scrivener to great success.

* "Pope in the Pool" trick is a nice way to bury backstory. The basic premise is that you make the scene so funny (a Pope in a pool) that the information dump being delivered by a character isn't that boring anymore; the longer backstory piece just serves as a deadpan counterbalance to heighten the comedy occurring in the action.

* Avoid "Double Mumbo Jumbo." In world-building with fantasy/sci-fi you only have so much suspension of disbelief. If you push the line too far or are inconsistent with your imaginary world's rules, your reader won't trust you.

* Avoid too much "laying pipe" which means taking too long to get to the action. If you're 25 pages in with setup, you've gone wayyyyy too long & you've just killed your audience off.

* Avoid "too much marzipan." Marzipan is delicious in small doses, but if you keep adding more and more and more and overdoing the awesomeness of something it overwhelms and ruins it.

For the rest of the
awesome tips, you'll have to get the book (which I highly recommend) and get writing!!! 

YA Book Pick: Not If I See You First

Once a month we choose an outstanding YA book to review. We want to spotlight books of interest to aspiring writers, as well as highlight some of our favorite books and authors.

This month's book is Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The Rules:

Don’t deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public.

Don’t help me unless I ask. Otherwise you're just getting in my way or bothering me.

Don’t be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I’m just like you only smarter.

Parker Grant doesn’t need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That’s why she created the Rules: Don’t treat her any differently just because she’s blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart.

When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there’s only one way to react—shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that’s right, her eyes don’t work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn’t cried since her dad’s death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened—both with Scott, and her dad—the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken.

Combining a fiercely engaging voice with true heart, debut author Eric Lindstrom’s Not If I See You First illuminates those blind spots that we all have in life, whether visually impaired or not.

Highlights: I like that this is a novel whose protagonist is blind, but it's not about her blindness. She's just a normal spunky teenage girl who is navigating friendship and love the way any of us do. Cluelessly!

Diet Coke, a pedicure, and some fun reading

Notes for writers: I noted how much dialogue was used pretty quickly. While I was initially concerned that the novel would suffer due to a lack of imagery and interiority, I quickly came to believe that the heavy use of dialogue enhanced the work. There was enough interiority to keep me connected to the protagonist and the lack of visual imagery made sense in this case as the protagonist is blind (a fact that we mostly forget when so heavily immersed in dialogue and comes back occasionally when grounded in interiority).

A great read for: Anyone who wants to see someone who has been knocked down a bit get back up and fight for love and friendship.

Happy spring & happy reading!

*Note: I received an arc of this and reviewed that copy.

An Essential Question to Ask When Writing Teenage Male Characters

What is his relationship with his dad?


Having taught teenagers for over a decade, I have noticed a deep truth with my male students. Their sense of self is deeply tied to their relationships with their dads. I know it sounds obvious, but I'm still surprised how frequently their fathers come up in them defining who they are. My female students talk more about their moms (often as a "best friend"), but don't seem to be as desperate for a connection to/define themselves through/etc. as much.

Even in the literature I teach, so many of the male characters are haunted (in Hamlet's case it's quite literal) by their fathers' wishes. 

As I've been thinking about this, I think I need to go back through all of my male characters (even minor ones) and really consider the backstory of their relationships with their fathers, and from here on out I want to do a quickwrite on that relationship when I create a character. I probably won't use any of the quickwrite, but I need to consider the question more deeply if I want to flesh out my male characters more. 

Some sub-questions to consider:
*Is his dad in his life?
*How often does he see his dad?
*How many minutes per day (on average) do they talk?
*How does his dad treat his mom?
*How does his dad treat women in general?
*Is his dad in a career he likes?
*Does his dad consider himself "successful"?
*Does he consider his dad "successful"?
*When is his dad most proud of him?
*Does his dad have any unfulfilled dreams he is putting on his son?
*Is his dad happy?
*When does he do his best bonding with his dad? What are they doing at the time?
*If his dad is not in the picture, who is the closest he has to a "father figure" and how do these questions relate to him?
*Is his dad religious? Political? 
*What does he see as the way he is similar to his dad?
*How does he differentiate himself from his father?
*Does he feel loved by his father?
*What does he desperately hope to do differently than his father? 
*What does the family name mean to him?

My dad, brothers, and husband at my wedding

Is Swag Really Worth It? #authorproblems

One of my favorite pieces of author swag: I Read YA tote and button

Yesterday I was walking on the beach with a friend whose debut novel is coming out this summer and we were brainstorming how to help market her book. While chatting, I thought about so many friends who had also pondered the question of swag, and whether or not it's worth it.

In a nutshell, after talking to tons of authors, reading blogs, etc. here are the most common comments I've found on the question:

The beach that inspired this discussion

* Swag doesn't sell books, and it is rarely worth the cost
* Making swag can be a therapeutic way to feel like you're in control of your career when everything feels out of your hands in the very stressful season after last-edits and pub date
* Most authors cut WAYYY back on swag after a debut novel when they realize the cost/benefit ratio is not in its favor
* Bookmarks are the most popular swag item, and many people actually do keep/use them. 
* Bookmarks, bookplates, and postcards are nice to have on hand for school visits because kids who don't have money to buy a book that day can meet you, get it signed, and many do go buy the book later or Instagram a picture with you.
* Many authors feel far more comfortable having swag when they visit places because it's nice to be able to hand a bookseller, school, etc. something
* The second most popular swag item is the button--especially for YA. There are several book people who collect them at conferences, and they're easy to throw out to an audience. cheapbuttons.com is a popular place to have them made.
* Popular buttons generally have a fun/funny short slogan or picture
* Stick to one image because people will want one of each & it gets expensive
* Buttons or any swag that does not have your name or your book's name fails the primary purpose of swag which is to have target audience keep it & REMEMBER YOU.
* Character trading cards, etc. that have no real-life use are quickly thrown out.
* Candy is popular, but gets eaten quickly so you are forgotten quickly
* T-shirts are expensive and often don't fit well
*  Themed-swag can be fun as long as it is cheap, something a person will actually keep/use, and has your name or book title on it.
* My personal favorite swag item I received was a recipe that came with a cookie baked by the author from a cooking-themed novel. She told the story behind the cookie in her panel discussion, and I ended up buying several of her books later because I felt like she connected to me personally.
* Everyone loves a good tote bag at conferences like ALA/BEA, but they are expensive.
* Pens seem to be popular as well, but unsharpened pencils get tossed out easily
* Sometimes you can talk a local indie bookstore into putting your swag into all of their pre-orders when it ships so you don't have to worry about shipping
* Swag is cool for hype/giveaways, but you have to be careful because shipping costs add up really really quickly.
* Bookmarks, stickers, and temporary tattoos ship the most easily. 
* Many teens think temporary tattoos are a little young for them, and they get used up/thrown out so some avoid them as swag.


Some additional reading:

http://sherryficklin.com/swag-what-to-bring-to-your-book-events/

http://www.marissameyer.com/blogtype/blog-highlights-brainstorming-book-swag-10-fun-ideas/

 https://www.pinterest.com/lorikingauthor/author-swag/

http://thehelpfulwriter.com/author-business-cards-book-cards-and-general-author-swag/

 http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/10/some-thoughts-on-swag.html

https://dailydahlia.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/an-unauthorized-guide-to-being-a-debut-author-part-ii-arcs-swag-and-self-promotion/

https://twitter.com/brokeandbookish/status/607179818749317120

Top 10 Writing Resolutions for the New Year

1. Write.
2. Write.
3. Write.
4. Read.
5. Write.
6. Read.
7. Write
8. Revise
9. Revise
10. Submit


It's a silly list, but at the core of the joy of writing is just to write, study craft, revise and let the rest of the demons go. Right? This year I want to focus on the essentials and let the rest of the noise fall away to the purity of sounds of clicking on a keyboard.

What about you?

Book-Lovers' Holiday Shopping List

If you're like me and love giving books as gifts, here are some of my top picks across the age-lines:

YA

 (most of our picks are found here http://thinkingtoinking.blogspot.com/p/ya-book-picks.html, but I added a couple of extra nods to the books that were hot commodities in my classroom with my reluctant readers last year):

Our very own Stacy Stokes' Where the Staircase Ends is a juicy and drama-filled story of friendship while also taking readers on the philosophical quest for what happens after we die/ how that knowledge affects how we live now. My class of reluctant readers nabbed this book right away and passed it around for reading.

Another favorite of my reluctant readers was The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu. This multi-perspective story was honest and haunting about the ways bullying affects a community.


Picture Books

My 5 year old niece is going wild over anything Elephant and Piggy, but really any Mo Willems will do. 

She also can't stop laughing over Josh Funk's Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast

Her sister thinks that The Ghost of Karl Marx is a hoot, delighting her Economics-teaching mother. I'm inclined to agree that it's wonderful. 

Adult Books

While most of us are so deeply entrenched in the YA book world, we may not get outside to see the adult reading offerings so I'm dedicating most of my referrals here. 

For the creative friend you want to get a pick-me-up: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. Jennifer
recommended it to me as read by the author. I agree.

For the cozy down-home literary reader/foodie: Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal. It makes even the unlikable of us more lovable.

For the community-minded: Ta-Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me was thought-provoking and a beautifully nuanced letter to his son about his thoughts on race in America today.

For history-lovers and feisty feminists: Meg Waite Clayton's The Race for Paris, the story of the female reporters who broke the rules and laws forbidding them from front-line action in order to tell the stories of WWII. Fast-paced and inspiring.

For hard-core literary fans: Adam Johnson's Fortune Smiles A warning: this book is sad. It's a collection of short stories that takes an honest and surreal eye to the struggles man faces day in and day out, but somehow Johnson leaves the reader feeling both empty and full at the same time. It's easy to see why it won the National Book Award.


***And though it's not out this year, a bonus recommendation to the talented mother/son duo whose blog postings you love, for your MG needs: a story of adventure set amidst the National Parks of America. Mason Davis and the Rise of the Storm Makers by Karen and Mitchell Clayton is always a winner.

Ten Things to Do When You're LOSING YOUR MIND During NanoWriMo

If you are still hanging in there during NaNoWriMo, CONGRATS! (you are seriously amazing. To make it this far is really really hard) This is also often when it gets even more challenging to push through and keep going so here are some ideas to help you refresh and make it to your goal. 

10. Breathe. Seriously. Inhale, count to ten, exhale. Repeat 5-10 times.

Face mask reward= good for sleepless skin

9. Bribe yourself. What will you get when you hit your word count? Bubble bath? McDonalds drive-thru french fries? An episode of The Big Bang Theory? Finally try out that soothing facial mud mask you got in Birchbox last month?

8. Take a ten minute walk around your block, and notice your setting. Dostoevsky took long walks most days when he was writing Crime and Punishment, and it turned out pretty well for him.

Walking at sunset isn't a bad idea

7. Find a picture of your someone who looks like your ideal reader and put it next to your screen so that you can look at him/her and remember why you're writing the book to begin with. What does he/she need to hear? Why does he/she need you to complete this book?

6. Read one paragraph from the writer you most admire. Notice what you love about his/her writing, and get excited about trying to infuse that in your draft.

5. Chocolate. That is all.

Or get a hot chocolate in nature :)

4.Throw something. If you want to be mature, you can play a bit of catch, but when I'm really frustrated, I like to find a blank wall and throw unbreakable objects at it until the frustration turns into comedy.

3. Get in nature. Look at beautiful pictures of nature. Watch a web cam of nature. If the Pandas are sleeping, check out wolves or birds or something else beautiful from one of the cameras on these sites  Maybe consider the ways your characters are animals and the ecosystem in which they operate and riff on that for a bit.

2. Go on Twitter and challenge someone to a one-hour word-count write-off. Use the hashtag #amwriting or #nanowrimo and see if anyone bites.

1. Dance Party!!!!! This is by far my favorite. I throw a record on (yes. I like my T. Swift better on vinyl) and jump around in socks as much as I can for the duration of a single song. It gets my blood flowing, and makes me feel like I can do anything in life if I choose the right song. By the time the song is over I'm ready to dive back in.

Good luck, and remember, YOU CAN DO THIS. For every page you've written so far, I'm proud of you, I believe in you, and I wish you all the best. 

XOXO,

Lauren

Tony Robbins and the Stories that we Tell

Last weekend my mom took some of my family to hear Tony Robbins speak about unleashing the power within oneself. The title of the weekend was officially called "Unleash the Power Within" and after some initial joking about making matching t-shirts with Robbins's face that might read "Unleash Me," I agreed to go. Why not? He's supposed to be the best in the world at being able to change something in a person in an instant (imagine him snapping his fingers here because he did that a lot), and I wanted to see him in action. I'm a teacher at heart, and if I could learn how to stop my students from beating themselves up, I wanted more tools.

We attended the event in matching t-shirts we'd made (his face with a tongue-in-cheek quotation of his "In life you need either inspiration or desperation" with "the Icarus Philosophy Club" at the bottom), and over the course of the weekend it became clear that his goal was to re-write the damaging stories we tell ourselves that are often set in our middle grade and YA years.

As I began to realize what he was doing, I felt a deep well of joy. I know so many of the women and men who are writing the stories for our nation's youth. Not only do I know so many of them, but I love them.

So, to all my writer friends out there... remember: there is a TON of responsibility in being a story-teller to our youth. Instead of getting tempted to dream of book sales, good reviews, etc. as you write, keep up the great work of remembering kids. You are showing them the ways to process this crazy world. You are choosing which stories get told (and which don't). As a group, we are all choosing how our nation process the complexities of this world. It's a lot of responsibility, and I'm so happy it's in the hands of such awesome men and women.

XOXO & Happy Wednesday!
--Lauren

In case you want to get pumped up to write with Tony Robbins and 10k others in a dance party, click here.

YA Book Pick: All the Major Constellations

Once a month we choose an outstanding YA book to review. We want to spotlight books of interest to aspiring writers, as well as highlight some of our favorite books and authors.

This month's book is ALL THE MAJOR CONSTELLATIONS by Pratima Cranse.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Laura Lettel is the most beautiful girl in the world. . . and Andrew’s not-so-secret infatuation.

Now he’s leaving high school behind and looking ahead to a fresh start at college and distance from his obsessive crush. But when a terrible accident leaves him without the companionship of his two best friends, Andrew is cast adrift and alone—until Laura unexpectedly offers him comfort, friendship, and the support of a youth group of true believers, fundamentalist Christians with problems and secrets of their own. Andrew is curiously drawn to their consuming beliefs, but why? Is it only to get closer to Laura? And is Laura genuinely interested in Andrew, or is she just trying to convert him?

This provocative and compelling debut novel will resonate deeply with readers as it explores questions of identity, sexuality, and spirituality.

First Line: (note: this is from an early arc/uncorrected text so it may change by the time it hits shelves Nov. 10) "He stood at the top of the stairs and listened."

This is a great example of simple writing that works. Who doesn't want to know what's being said when we stumble upon someone snooping?

Highlights: The complexity of emotion. Our loves and relationships and reactions in life are so rarely as simplified as most media paints them, especially when we're teenagers. This novel does a great job of re-creating the ordinary pulls of emotion in multiple directions without making it seem campy or too dramatic.

I liked how Andrew felt like a real teenage boy. He didn't ask a lot of questions, and while he would fixate on one thing (his distant crush), the rest of his falling-apart-life nagged at the interiority in subtle ways. He moved from one philosophy/friend group/etc. to the next without ever articulating how lost he was. His self-awareness grew and fluctuated and he reacted in ways that only make sense when following his well-crafted observations/lines-of-thinking.

Notes for writers: The interiority in this piece worked well for me. I admired how much "showing" she did in his thinking. I think sometimes we consider the "show-don't-tell" rule to be limited to external actions, but I'm learning that a gradual curve of observations/thoughts that have nothing to do with emotion can "show" us an emotional state even when we're being "told" what he's thinking/feeling.

A great read for: A snuggle-up by the fire day for those who want to see real people marching along an ordinary confused life during times of distress.

Happy fall & happy reading!

The Homecoming Queen Now Does Cross Fit and Other Observations From a High School Reunion

Recently I attended my high school reunion and right before the event a thread began on Facebook where a student said that she would not be attending the reunion because the people with the happy smiling families posting online had been cruel to her in school and she had no desire to see them. Immediately after others started posting apologies, support, and stories they were finally comfortable enough to tell.

As we write for young adults, I thought I'd jot down a few observations from the confessions and the night:

*Some kids didn't hit anything that hard in life until after high school. One of the girls who I remembered as being a little self-absorbed confessed to being in an abusive relationship after school. Because she knew what healthy was, she was able to leave, but it took her longer to figure out what was going on. I remembered how important showing kids both what healthy looks like and what danger looks like in literature so that they are best equipped to be healthy later on.

*The bullies were being bullied. Of course this is the tired trope of bullying, but it served to be true most of the time here as people confessed being bullied by others and at home then taking it out on kids.

*A LOT more was usually going on under the surface for the kids who were struggling in school.

*Regardless of how many other experiences we've all had since high school, the ones from that time still evoke powerful reactions, and shape us more deeply than most that happen after. That is often true of the books we read at that time as well. As writers, I think that's a sacred responsibility, and I'm glad that the people I know writing for this generation are strong and good and pushing to write the best darned work they can.

Life Lessons From Alice in Wonderland

I recently returned from London and while there went to a cool underground (literally) moving play/ experience to celebrate the classic. While there, I realized that the work had shaped the way I live my life and thought I'd jot down some of the things I learned from the work. In doing so, it was a nice reminder for how important symbolism is in writing.

*I, too, fell down a tunnel into a very strange world.

*Sometimes I can consume things (metaphorically) that make me feel too tall or two small when trying to maintain balance.

*Time is unrelenting.

*The queen of hearts can be a bitch.


*Most of life is wandering around chatting with archetypes.

*Any day can be a celebration, but if every day is a party you might go "mad," or maybe it's the manufacturing of too many hats to wear that will drive you crazy.

Those are some of my interpretations. Which symbols from Alice in Wonderland resonate with you?

When Life Gets in the Way of Writing Conferences

7/11/2015 I married this awesome guy

Classic novels lined the aisle.

Earlier this month I got married to a great man, but I have to admit that it put a bit of a wrench in my summer plans. Last year, I was attending SCBWI & then Breadloaf writing conferences back to back and churning out a lot of writing. This year I've been wedding planning/ honeymooning/ moving stuff/ etc. and the writing conferences I crave so desperately for classes in craft have had to be sidelined a bit. Triona wrote a great blog this week about why you need to go to conferences (you really should go if you can!), but I'm going to list a few of my recent finds on how to gain access to some of the best writing instruction around that you can listen to while unpacking boxes, running errands, etc., and best of all they're free. Granted, none of these are specifically geared to the YA market, but they do have some of the best living literary writers speaking so it's a great foundational education in craft.

1. Breadloaf: This writing conference is competitive and expensive (totally worth it). Thankfully, though, you can get a lot of the craft classes from each year online via podcast. You do have to download iTunes U if you don't have it first, and sometimes it's buggy. http://www.middlebury.edu/bread-loaf-conferences/bread_loaf_community/listen_to_lectures_and_readings

2. Tin House: Another of the competitive and expensive conference crowd (I haven't been, but hear great things), you can hear their classes/readings as well online and don't need iTunes U. I like the lectures more than the readings, personally, but all are nice to hear. http://www.tinhouse.com/blog/podcasts

So happy that blogmate JP could make it!

3. AWP: This conference is open to everyone, and has a great treasure trove of past recordings from sessions. I really like the ending of many of the panels when the writers discuss how they approach the topic of the session, and the first one on the list on structure is awesome. https://www.awpwriter.org/magazine_media/podcast_series

Please let me know if I'm missing any important ones, I'm always on the lookout for great writing instruction, especially when it's free!

Writing Characters With Appropriate Body Language and Micro-expressions

When something big (or small) happens in a scene, a writer may use interiority to allow a protagonist to process the event. Other characters' reactions are often limited to dialogue (very unreliable) and action. While some actions may be overt and necessary, if a writer wants to create a more nuanced reaction, it might be fun to try using research into body language and micro-expressions. I've compiled a list of some fun sites to learn about how we use subtle actions to convey our heart's true desires. I believe that this intel has potential to be good for both writing and first dates :). Enjoy reading and happy Monday!

• Article on How to Read Eye Movement:

http://www.psychologistworld.com/bodylanguage/eyes.php

• Basic Article on Body Language:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201206/the-ultimate-guide-body-language

•  Intel on Microexpressions:

http://www.scienceofpeople.com/2013/09/guide-reading-microexpressions/

Other fun links:

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/body-language-business

http://www.wikihow.com/Read-Body-Language

Writing Disabled Characters

Last month I attended a really insightful meeting at WGA in Los Angeles, and I met the coolest writer/totally adorable new friend there, the lovely Lara Ameen. The best part of it is that she's an expert in writing characters with disabilities (she even has a degree to prove it), and she's willing to share her wealth of knowledge with us.

In her own words:

Why Disability Portrayal in the Media?

As a woman with cerebral palsy, I think it's important for people with disabilities to be represented both in front of and behind the camera. There are taboos associated with disability. That it's scary or something to be feared. People don't know what to say or will not know how to provide proper accommodations, etc. Disability is the most underrepresented minority in the media yet anyone at any point in their life can become disabled. It's important to include accurate portrayal of disability representation in fiction, film, television and online media because otherwise those stories will not be told. There's a saying that originated in the disability community: "Nothing about us without us." 

Will you tell us more about how to write characters? Of course. Here is a link to a presentation: https://vimeo.com/116270997

Some of the highlights from the presentation (totally worth watching the whole thing just for the video clips alone):

*There are two models of disability studies. 1. The medical model: The problem with the disabled is that there is a problem with the person, and they are miraculously cured of the disability by the end of the story (BAD) 2. The social model: Stigmas, attitudes, etc. in society about someone with disabilities are more problematic than the disability itself. 

*Don't be afraid of going to all the normal places you'd go with other characters (if you would've written a sexy scene for your character, don't stop just because they're disabled! Everybody needs some lovin')

*Introduce people by their NAMES and not their disabilities (person-first language)

*Avoid these common stereotyping traps: The victim (don't define your character as a victim just because they're disabled), the hero (don't define them as a hero because they overcame their disability to become more normal) , and the villain (portrayed in crime/taking revenge as a portrayal of mental illness and how that makes them bad).

*Hint: Check out My Gimpy Life


Finally, who is Lara Ameen? I've wanted to be a writer since I was nine years old (3rd grade). I had a Spottie Dottie notebook from the Sanrio store that I would write in all the time. I also wrote short stories and plays that I would perform with my friends. I love singing and acting, too, and participated in musical theatre, various community theatre productions and was active in choir class from third grade until community college. I also took some private voice lessons. So I have some performance background, but I LOVE to write! I wrote songs, poetry and fanfiction in high school. I've actually known I wanted to go to graduate school and get an MFA since I was 15. Later, in college when I wasn't in screenwriting classes (there are only 2 at Berkeley), I was writing on my own. I'm interested in TV writing, so I started to write comedy and drama spec scripts and my friend and I wrote a drama pilot together. I also minored in Disability Studies and interned at various disability rights non-profits in Berkeley, which ignited my love for disability advocacy and activism. My minor has definitely influenced my work in many ways. My Screenwriting professor, Mira, at Berkeley also ended up becoming my mentor. I credit her in my decision to pursue an MFA in Screenwriting at Cal State Northridge. 

To stay connected to Lara's witty insights, follow her on Twitter at @trucherrygirl and follow her blog at https://cherrylara.wordpress.com/

How to Write Dialogue Tags With Action

I stole the idea for this post from the fabulous Janet Eoff Berend who wrote the great YA novel Vertical (a staple for my classroom of reluctant readers). While we all probably know that it's generally best to use the simple "____ said, or ____asked" because it's less distracting than a whole bunch of "mumbled" "guffawed" "whispered" "shouted" etc. tags, we often want to include action right after speaking. 

Janet found herself using the same actions too frequently so she started writing down actions associated with dialogue as she watched people in real life or in her reading so she could break herself away from old patterns. I started jotting things down as well and found it insanely useful. Here are some of my findings. Feel free to add ones you discover in the comments section. :)

• scanning the titles of books in the bookcase.
• shook his head
• sat back in the soft leather chair.
• unwrapped a stick of Juicy Fruit gum
• motion to the radio
• bite my lip
• give him a small smile
• waved my unasked question away with his hand
• he fumbled about for silverware
• he coughed again and took a deep breath
• he gazed at me intently, his eyes narrowing
• his voice had a strange almost wistful quality to it
• put my hand on his shoulder
• closes her computer
• gets herself a generic soda that is clear and citrus-y
• took a single step and was swallowed up by the crowd
• he did not turn
• glancing down at his program
• leaned forward toward him, smelling his familiar smells
• extending her hand to him formally
• reaching for a plate of cake
• a tear edged itself out of her eye
• I replace the chair beneath the desk



Janet Eoff Berend

• Plus a TON of the usual "he sighed," "she smiled," etc. etc. 

*Note: None of these involve the character doing something else with his/her mouth while talking (okay to do after character finishes speaking) as that is quite difficult to do in real life. :)

Personally, I've loved flipping through my favorite authors' books & discovering the way they use dialogue tags for effect and seeing the ones they tend to rely on. Thanks again to Janet Eoff Berend for the tip and if you haven't checked out Vertical yet, I HIGHLY recommend it (especially if you're looking for a book for reluctant boy readers that involves cool San Diego skate park kids) :)

Sundance 2015 from a Writer's Perspective

I’m a conference junkie, and one of my favorite places to pick up tips on the art of the story is Robert Redford’s film festival Sundance in Park City, UT. While seeing premiers of movies can be fun, and the parties often border on the outrageous, the gem of Sundance (at least for my best friend and me) is the panels. I’m also intrigued by how often places like Sundance set the zeitgeist in motion, and am on the lookout for how trends originate and which marketing teams are most effective.

Here are some of my key takeaways this year:

--Sara Silverman on selfishness (a unifying theme this year was a disdain for selfishness) “self-hate is not modesty. It’s self-centered. There’s no room for anybody else.”

--“The Golden Age of TV” panel spent a decent chunk of time talking about long-form storytelling now that we have the Netflix binge. I couldn’t help but think about how the long-form novel rose up in tandem (The Goldfinch=Pulitzer last year). Will we see an official YA novel follow suit soon?

--The TV panel also talked about the importance of creating the moment when “the character becomes real for us” and I was surprised that most of the clips chosen were not from the first episode. I appreciated how slowly the writers liked to build the façade first.

--RJ Mitte of Breaking Bad led a thoughtful panel on shifting perceptions in our society by including a more realistic landscape of complex characters of all colors and “different-abilities.” 

--Even Johnny Knoxville is obsessed with craft. He watches old classic cartoons over and over for inspiration and to get timing just right on stunts, and will re-do as many times as necessary (revision) until they fit conventions of a specific cartoon.

--At the party for The Abolitionists (story of former CIA/FBI guys who freelance save girls from

sex-trafficking), they told about how same producer who produced Schindler's List produced this because "what if that movie had been made during the holocaust? Would things turn out differently?" so he made one on this atrocity. Will it turn out differently? How powerful is the power of story?

--One of the trends in films chosen/submitted this year was rape/sexual assault stories, and the panel emphasized the need to speak openly, non-judgementally, and with complexity (include the perpetrators) in our stories in order to really address/make better what is happening in our society. (I have also officially added Pat Mitchell and Regina Scully to my list of heroes. Lin Oliver, Kevan Lyon, and Andrea Davis Pinkney have some company on the list now).

--On promotional branding: AirBnB house did an amazing job at integrating their message with their promotional activities. To mirror the idea of building community in their brand, they had people drawing portraits of others, and it was a really popular/memorable stop (always a line) for the artsy crowd (really knew their target audience).