Questions from the mailbag

Hi Inkpot Bloggers and readers,
Here are some questions sent to the Inkpot mailbag. If you have answers, please post!

Best regards,
The Inkpot Administrator

First question:
Pen names/pseudonyms. When to use, when to avoid? I publish both for teens/adults (PG 13 and up), and younger kiddos. A previous advisor suggested I use a pseudonym for one of these groups. Because, for example, if Dave Pilkey started writing bodice-ripping romance novels, young Pilkey fans might get ahold of them by mistake, and librarians might become skeptical of Pilkey's appropriateness even in his fiction for kids (Captain No-Underpants?). What do you think? Sincerely, Dave Pilkey (no, not really)

Next question:
Hi Inkpotters: In my notes from this past summer [Hamline] residency is a quote from either a lecture or a workshop session (it's listed on a page of quotes that I keep, so there's no context)--it's a great quote but I failed to include who said it and I"m hoping some Inkpotter out there will know. The quote is: "Fiction is emotion made visible." Any idea who belongs to this quote? Thanks in advance for any info you might have. Gail Israel

Third and final question:
Hello. I'm a middle school teacher looking for leveled texts on dystopia/utopia. Our base book is The Giver and many of my students are around a 3rd or 4th grade reading level....I've been looking for picture books or at least lower leveled books, but to no avail. Just wondering if you have any suggestions? Thanks! Michelle

From the "Ask the Inkpot" Mailbag

Hello Inkpotters!
Here is a question for our illustrious bloggers, direct from the mailbag:

Hi,

Y'all had offered such useful advice about narrators and my dog last semester, that I've returned with more problems. I apologize in advance... What are your opinions about narrative time--specifically the time frame in which a novel unfolds. My story begins on a Friday and ends on a Tuesday. Stuff happens. So, what's my problem? Aside from the two love birds who sit in the back row of my classroom and make-out during conversations about the legalization of marijuana (apparently weed is a gateway to the dirty deed)--my story "feels" stuffy. I anticipate that someone will suggest extending the story's time line. Here's the downfall: If I extend the story over weeks, or months, I will lose a great deal of narrative tension. Much of the story's tension comes from its five day timeline. I would appreciate any advice/solutions/medications. Oh, and I'll also accept advice about the love birds before they return to their nests and tell their momma birds about the egg they created in English class.

Thank you, (Still) Desperately Seeking Snoozin'

You Again?

Below, Molly writes into Ask the Inkpot about how to get into a story again after putting it down for awhile. It's a great question, and something everyone struggles with. There was a time in my life when I could sit down and binge write a novel--getting out a draft in two or three months by writing every day, all day, and then doing the same thing with the rewrites. That was before the child, cats who need diapers, cats who need t-shirts, and the trail of dead mice that lead from my apartment to the funny farm.

I depended on that momentum, on living in the headspace created by working on a book every day; it propelled me through a book. This was how I wrote. To be honest, I'm still figuring out how to write in the real world. I'm a writer precisely so I don't have to deal with the real world.

I think one way to approach it is like approaching revisions--start small, low expectations, just try to get back in the book. So much of writing is finding ways to trick yourself, after all. Take a chapter (or several) that you have done already and type them back into your document--you'll probably start changing things here and there, and you'll get yourself back into the rhythms and voice of the book. If that's not enough, start actually doing broader revisions on the part you have--character, theme, plot--look at all your narrative threads and work on bringing them out. Write a summary of each scene and what it accomplishes, both in terms of plot and in terms of the development of the relationships between the characters and the character growth. Your job is to insert yourself back in the world of the book, to remind yourself where you were so you can go forward.

Of course, these are just ideas. Anyone else?

Question from Blog Reader

Hello, Inkpotters!

Here's a question for you from the Ask the Inkpot mail bag.

"Can you make suggestions and/or offer exercises for help getting back into a story you are working on when it has been put aside for some time?"

Thanks, Molly

And, readers, if you have a question for the Inkpot Bloggers, please email it to asktheinkpot@gmail.com

Until next time,

Inkpot Administrator

From the Mailbag

Hello Inkpotters,

Here are two questions that have been submitted in the past (gulp, whoops!) month and a half. Inkpot bloggers, please weigh in on these questions, as your schedules permit.

New Years resolution for this administrator? Check the Inkpot mailbag more frequently....

Happy Holidays, Inkpot Bloggers and Followers!

Sincerely,
The Inkpot Administrator

QUESTIONS FROM THE MAILBAG:

1.
Dear Inkpot,

Stories are made up of threads woven through a main plot.Could you discuss different ways/techniques you keep track of, tease out,revise, shape, let go of, and build up these different threads. Sticky notes?Highlighters? Reading the story over and over again and focusing on adifferent thread? This question is of course a revision question, once there a story to play with.

Thanks, Tangled Up in Threads

2.
Dear Inkpot Bloggers,
What do you think about fees? Contest fees, application fees, etc. A struggling writer can be nibbled to death paying fees for contests, residency program applications, etc. You pay it knowing you are helping to subsidize the prizes, you may get a subscription out of the deal, and yet...it seems like such a scam. But everyone does it. If you've already written on this, I apologize for asking again.

Sincerely,
Susan KoefodM.F.A., 2004 (Hamline)
http://susankoefod.blogspot.com/ Your following me is most appreciated....

Mailbag: 'Ask the Inkpot' Questions Posed

Hello Inkpotters and readers! This blog admin is ashamed to say it's been a little while since the 'Ask the Inkpot' mailbag was checked. My apologies...

Below are three questions posed by readers. Inkpotters, can you weigh in on these?

Thanks!
Blog Administrator

QUESTION ONE
Bill Kennedy asks "why don't you use real photos, and who draws the cartoons?"

QUESTION TWO
Cecilia B. DeMille says "I've had several friends with debut novels this year who have arranged for near-Hollywood-style book trailers. I have no idea how much this costs. I've seen others that were self-made using software that came on their computers. Some of these are terrific; some not so much. I hope to soon find a publisher home for my middle grade novel. How big a deal is this book trailer thing? Am I expected to have one? Will I need a second mortgage to make a decent one? Do I have to hire a film company, actors, acquire costumes, etc.? I find the whole idea scary, and truth be told, a little gratuitous. I'm a writer, not a movie producer."

QUESTION THREE
Desperately Seeking Snoozin' says "Hi. Narrators drive me batty because I do not understand how to use one--it's a control thing. I think. Anyway, I am working on a third person limited POV story where vital information occurs before the story wheel begins turning. I have tried to plant the back story into exposition/dialogue/ action, and my backyard, but none of these solutions feel best. And my dog digs it up every time. Each time I weave the past into the story, the characters tell each other information they already know. So, the back story stalls the story, yet the information is crucial for the reader to know. How, then, should I use a narrator? If my narrator discusses the past, then the story feels like an adult story--one that isn't wrapped in plastic behind the cashier at a convenient store. Should I consider a prologue? Do any of you have an extra copy of The Best Kept Craft Secrets that All Writing Professors Know and Will Share for Cash? I have cash. I'm a bit sleep deprived, so if this information does not make sense, you should delete it. Immediately. Thanks!"

Readers: If you have a question for the Inkpot bloggers, submit it to AskTheInkpot@gmail.com

"Ask the Inkpot" Question

Hello Inkpotters! Here is a question for you from the Inkpot inbox. (And, readers, if you have a question for the bloggers, be sure to send it to asktheinkpot@gmail.com). Thanks! Administrator

Dear Inkpot,

Every writer is familiar with the rule "show don't tell." But how exactly does this rule apply to beautifully written, award-winning third-person omniscient books such as Charlotte's Web by E. B. White ("Fern loved Wilbur more than anything. She loved to stroke him, to feed him, to put him to bed."); Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a rabbit who was made almost entirely of china.); and Holes by Louis Sachar ("There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. There once was a very large lake here, the largest lake in Texas.)
These stories, as with fairy tales of old, "tell" the reader a story, yet they are evocative, powerful works of literary art. What are the rules for telling without "telling" in third-person omniscient?

Many Thanks,Perplexed

Questions from "Ask the Inkpot"

Hello Bloggers! Here are two questions for you that were submitted to "Ask the Inkpot."

1.
Dear Inkpotters:

I've finished my novel! I've put six years, and lots of blood, sweat, tears, heart, soul (and everything else) into it. It's revised now, and sitting on the desk of someone I hope will send me a nice letter soon.
Now what? It's been so long since I began a project, I don't remember how to start. I have a few ideas, but I can't seem to get going. Any advice for getting on to the Next Big Thing?

Signed, Too Much Freecell

2.
Dear Inkpot Blog,
If an agent or editor asks to see a synopsis of a manuscript (and not the whole thing), but that manuscript is a picture book....how long should the synopsis be, how should it be structured, and what should it include?
Signed, Unpublished

First Inkpot Question - Developing a novel plot and structure

Dear Inkpot,
What process do each of our Inkpot bloggers go through when developing the plot and structural design of a novel? Do any of you loosely outline or work out characters, theme, plot and structure in separate analytical pages or storyboards as you write?
Many thanks,
"Finding My Way"

Ron says:
I never outline or make much of a plan. I make up an interesting character, usually with an attitude, and let him or her loose. First drafts are low on description and setting and big on dialogue. In a sense I let my characters talk their way through the story. That part is fun. Then the work gets a little harder. But I've got 150 pages or so of fairly entertaining drivel.

Claire says:

After a long hiatus from novel-writing, I returned to the form last year. I had sense of plot and the ending with my earlier novels during the first draft. They all deepened and evolved during revision. This time around I am writing an historical fiction novel based on a real girl. I am using a few light strokes from her life and research on the historical events. In my first version I started with a different main character and after drafting about 1/4 of the story with loose outline in mind, I realized her voice wasn't working, wasn't unique enough to that period and region.

I decided to use a real girl from that period, but have been delighted, even surprised to discover a stronger fictional voice. She added new dimensions to the plot and with her stronger voice helped me flesh it out more. Now in revision, I am working to deepen Ottie's characterization and figure out her inner narrative arc. The inner arc has always been my challenge and through revision of that, my plot is getting stronger, too, as Ottie participates and reacts to events.

Lisa says:
For me, the initial draft has to come without much premeditated thought and no revision until there are enough pages to make me feel as though I have something worth saving. Usually I begin with a sense of a character who has something she is going through and, like Ron, has plenty of dialogue so that she can converse her way through scenes.

I don't develop the plot or even much structure until I have some sense of who and what I am writing about, i.e. at least 100-150 pages. Then I will spend most of the time rearranging chapters to play around with the order of things (cutting much in the process and adding some). I might do a plot outline at this point, but minimal--mainly going over timeline and sequence of events to see if there is a plot and where the gaps may be. I will do a storyboard with a brief line or two (as I do with picture books) trying to make some sort of system out of number of chapters, chapter length, etc.... I find all this interesting and kind of fun as it doesn't always lead where I expect. There are always surprises.

Got a Question? Ask the Inkpot!

Hello bloggers and blog readers!

Great suggestion to add an "ask the inkpot" component to the blog!

And so, with no further ado, if you have a question you'd like to submit to The Storyteller's Inkpot, please email it to: asktheinkpot@gmail.com.

(Bloggers, I'll be in touch with you to let you know the secret magic word that unlocks that account, so that you can check in to see what readers are asking).

Signing off,
Administrator

Ask the Inkpot

[The following question came through the comments of Ron's last post, and because it's late and I am too giddy from seeing Project Runway to sleep, I've decided to make it the inaugural edition of an exciting new feature, ASK THE INKPOT. Hey, we need an email address. Administrator? Oh, Administrator????]]

Dear Inkpot,

I'd love to hear something about lumpy middles. Any advice for rewriting, rewriting, rewriting those sections?

Sincerely,

Muddled in the Middle

Dear Muddled,

I think a muddy middle is the most intimidating thing to deal with. I have trouble with revision--I can scorch the earth and begin again, and I can tinker with what's there, but the sort that lies in the middle is hard for me. I try to think about distilling a book down to all the narrative arcs it contains and making sure every scene has a place in one of these arcs and somehow propels it forward. I think about all the small stories that play out in between the characters and if they have any shape. And I think about the ideas in the book and how the scenes serve those ideas.

Sometimes the answer for me is that the book needs more of a backbone, some kind of tension or structure or idea that gives it shape. It can be as simple as sharpening the desire of the protagonist (or antagonist) or tightening the conflict or... What moves us forward? What keeps us turning the page?

But I don't know. I'd love other people's thoughts on the matter.

What say you, Inkpotters?