Tag: revision

Historical Fiction & Revision at the NYSEC Conference

I spent Thursday at the NYS English Council Conference in Albany, giving presentations on historical fiction and revision, chatting with other writers on a children’s literature panel, and signing copies of Spitfire and Champlain and the Silent One.  The fabulous Merritt Bookstore handled book sales for the conference & took terrific care of the authors – Thanks, Scott &  Alison!

When I first arrived, Scott sent me to pick up my paperwork, including this name tag that helped me to introduce myself to the teachers. 


Hello, I’m Kate Messner. I’m  a presenter and…er….a fish.

There were apparently two stickers printed out for each presenter – one with his or her name and the word presenter.  That one was supposed to go on the name tag.  The second sticker, which also included the speaker’s choice of dinner entrees, went on the envelope with the meal ticket, but apparently my stickers got switched, which amused me to no end.  It could have been worse, though, as one of my colleagues pointed out.  What if I had ordered the chicken?  Or the ham?

After a morning of book signing, I gave two workshops.

At this one, we talked about recently released historical novels like Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains, a National Book Award Finalist, and ideas for using historical fiction in the classroom.  Teachers were excited to learn about some upcoming 2009 releases in historical fiction, too.  My second presentation, Walking the Walk: How Teacher-Writers Encourage Student Revision led to some great conversations about how we choose to model what we teach and how sometimes that means taking risks. 

The afternoon panel discussion with fellow children’s writers & illustrators was fun for me, too.  I was on a panel with talented people like Ann Burg, Jack Rightmyer, James Ransome and Will Moses. The teacher-writers who came to fire questions at us were enthusiastic and thoughtful, and no matter how long I write, it’s always fascinating for me to hear about other people’s processes.

I’m reveling in a pile of new books tonight and have already dipped into a couple of them.  I’m loving Jack Rightmyer’s  A Funny Thing About Teaching, a must-read for anyone who values a sense of humor in the classroom.  I’m also devouring an early copy of Ann Burg’s April 2009 novel-in-verse with Scholastic, called All the Broken Pieces, which tells an incredibly moving story set in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.  Readers who know my blog know that I never shut up about books that I love, so rest assured I’ll be posting a full review of this one when we get closer to its release date. For now, though…just….wow.  Ann sat next to me at the bookstore tables, where she signed copies of her beautiful picture books with Sleeping Bear Press, and is not only an incredible writer but a kind, friendly, funny person, too. 


Here we are at dinner…That’s Ann on the left and me on the right, looking even sleepier than I felt after a day that started at 5:30am.

If you were at the conference and stopped by to say hello at the book signing or panel discussion or one of my workshops – thanks.  It was truly an inspiration to spend the day with people who are so passionate about reading and writing with kids.

More on Revision

At the beginning of 2008, one of my resolutions was to blog more about my writing process, mostly because I so appreciate writers who do.  So…it’s time for an update.  (Thanks to learningtoread , whose post today was a great reminder, and who shared some great revision ideas of her own!)

I’m nearing the end of the revision process, currently working on line edits for my Fall 2009 MG novel with Walker Books.

Here’s a timeline for those who haven’t been reading my blog religiously for the past year and a half… (aka everyone except my mom)

Bad News/Good News Tuesday

The bad news: A thunderstorm broke loose while I was halfway through my run this morning, and the sky lit up with lightning when I was just as far from home as my route takes me.

The good news: I ran my last mile in record time.

The bad news: Our third monarch caterpillar, like the others, made its chrysalis while I was at school, so I didn’t get to see it.

The good news: Awesome husband, who works nights, saw the caterpillar shedding its skin and ran for his camera to shoot video for me.
"I thought you might want to put it on your blog thing," he said. He caught the last minute; you’ll see the caterpillar wiggling out of its old skin and then getting comfortable in the chrysalis where it will be for the next couple weeks.

The bad news: Three caterpillars have now grown from tiny babies, eaten many times their body weight in milkweed, and formed chrysalides, and my line edits still aren’t done.

The good news: Just 44 pages to go.

September Changes

The pencils are sharpened, the backpacks are packed, and my kids head back to school tomorrow.  I went back today, and while I was in first day meetings, our Monarch caterpillars decided it was time to get moving.

Yesterday, they had both climbed up to the top of the butterfly house.

When I left for school today, they were hanging upside down, shaped like the letter J.  Some time during the homeroom teachers meeting, while my husband and kids watched (I’m so jealous!)  the caterpillars shed their skin for the last time to reveal the chrysalides that had formed underneath.

In about two weeks, we should see another change… with wings!

Earlier this week, I compared the caterpillars’ metamorphosis to my revision process.  Turns out they’re much faster than I am.  I’ve made it through my first 40 pages of line edits, though!

Metamorphosis

The UPS guy came this week with a new revision letter and another marked up manuscript from the editor working on my middle grade novel with Walker Books.  I went through her notes, which are funny and brilliant and helpful and all things that an editor’s notes ought to be.  And tonight, I sat down at my computer to open a new document.

Draft #18.

That is a whole lot of drafts.

This manuscript is 47,536 words long.  Multiplied by 18, that’s more than 855,000 words to chew on.

That is a whole lot of words.  And even though I’m excited about these revisions, sometimes I get a little sleepy just thinking about it.

Tonight, these guys were my inspiration.

Less than a week ago, they could fit on one of my fingernails.  But they’ve been eating milkweed leaves, day and night.  I don’t think they even stop to sleep.   They have chewed through at least two big leaves a day — leaves that are more than twenty times the size of their bodies. They’ve been working their little striped tails off (do caterpillars have tails??), doing the hard work of getting ready to become butterflies.   And they’re getting big now.  They’re almost there.

So am I.  My line edits are due by the end of September.  Like the caterpillars, my manuscript is becoming more fleshed out, more grown up. 

But it’s not quite ready yet.  And I’m holding out for the butterfly.

Editorial Letters

There’s an interesting thread over at Verla Kay’s discussion boards for children’s writers and illustrators right now.  It’s about the editorial letter — the letter that shows up from your editor a few weeks or months after your book has been sold.  Editorial letters can be anywhere from a few lines to many pages, and they talk about what your editor would like to see in revisions before your book goes to copy editing.

I’m in the middle of two revisions with two different editors right now, and I completely understand the feeling of being overwhelmed (especially when someone is, you know, expecting to see a new draft by a certain date – yikes!).  With both, I found that I read the editorial letter and then left it on a corner of my desk for a few days, stealing glances at it like it was some wild animal that had gotten into the house that I wasn’t sure how to deal with.  Kind of like the time I opened our garage door and found a raccoon up on the shelf next to the sidewalk chalk, gnawing on a corn cob from the garbage and staring at me with red alien eyes. I crept away quietly and went inside to think about it for a while. 

The raccoon wandered away on its own.  My editorial letters don’t do that, though, so it helps me a lot to take a letter and turn it into a very simple, bulleted, to-do list on a single sheet of paper.  That allows me to sit down and pick ONE JOB each night, crossing it off when I’m done. It makes the whole thing feel much more manageable.  Right now, my to-do list looks like this:

New beginning – add classroom scene
Make time frame clear
VG – change so she’s not new at school
KB – add character trait
Annie- develop idea of 2 worlds
Add conversation w/ teacher
Add scene w/ James
More scenes w/ Sparky
New ending

Does anyone else have tips/tricks/words of wisdom for digging into a revision after the editorial letter arrives?

Thank you, Chamberlin School!

I spent a fabulous day with the 4th and 5th graders at Chamberlin School in South Burlington earlier this week.  Their amazing librarian, Cally Flickinger, even set up a special blog so we could chat a little online before my visit.  

I did a large group presentation for each grade level; both went long because the kids had so many fantastic questions. They had all read Spitfire and asked very detailed questions about specific scenes in the book – terrific fun for me as an author!

After the two presentations, I got to work with small groups for historical fiction writing workshops!  The kids who signed up for the workshops were just amazing.  We spent an hour doing different kinds of research — from deciphering 18th century journals to trying out some of the games, tools, and foods that would have been part of everyday life.

The kids went back and forth with their “experimental archaeology,” trying things out and then taking notes with loads of sensory details relating to each experience.

There was the ever-frustrating bilbo-catcher, a game that I managed to win once — the first time I tried it.  I haven’t been able to catch the ball on the post ever since.  Not surprisingly, some of the 4th and 5th graders were much, much better at it than I was.

The kids also tried their hands at tabletop ninepins…

…making sparks with flint and steel…

…and practicing penmanship on a slate.

They’re using their notes to write stories set in the 18th century, and they’ve already posted some terrific first drafts to the blog their librarian created. 

We talked a lot about revision during my visit.  I told them some of my revisions stories and pulled the messy, marked-up manuscript I’m working on now out of my tote bag to share.

They’re excited about revising, and I’m excited that I’ll get to play another part in their writing process.  After they’ve critiqued one another’s work and made revisions, they’ll post to the blog again, and I’ll be making comments to them online, offering “editor feedback” for one more round of revisions before they complete their final drafts. 

With their permission, I’ll post some excerpts from those final stories when they’re done.  I can already tell they’re going to be fantastic.   Chamberlin School has some seriously talented writers!

best tracker


Too Much Blushing: A Revision Story

I’m wrapping up a new revision pass on a middle grade novel.  It’s been through all my regular critique partners, and I needed a fresh perspective before I finish and send it back to my agent. I especially wanted to identify any places where the pacing was slow. 

So earlier this week, I gave it to a few of my book-loving 7th grade students, along with three stacks of Post-It notes.  I asked them to put a pink Post-It in spots they liked best, a blue one in places where they were getting bored, and a green one with a comment where they had something else to say.  One student returned the manuscript two days later, and I just finished working through her comments.

She pointed out seven places where I was able to tighten up the pacing and went on to offer another 38 suggestions on everything from voice to consistency.  Check out the variety of feedback…

It’s kind of weird that she’s crying from that comment, which wasn’t even that bad. Maybe you should make it meaner.

This whole cross-country part is really entertaining.

How old is Ian?

Oh – I can relate to this part!

Too much science talk.

I thought it said she zipped up her sweatshirt when she went out, and now you’re talking about a jacket.

Is Nonna her dad’s mom or her mom’s mom?

A real kid wouldn’t say this.

I love evil school people.

Too much blushing here- too sappy.

Does this kid have a future in editing, or what?

Her last comment made me laugh in recognition.  I really try to guard against sappiness in my writing, but when you’re the kind of person who listens to Barry Manilow and cries at Folgers commercials, it creeps in occasionally.  Thank goodness I have a twelve-year-old editor to help me root it out.

Fresh eyes

Tonight, I started revising a middle grade novel. 

Again.

Six months ago, I thought I didn’t know how to revise this one any more.  I really, truly couldn’t see anything else I could do to make it better.

But now I can. 

How did I miss that spot in chapter two where the tension just dissipates?
Why isn’t there more with her best guy friend? 
What’s with the two characters who just go away mid-book? 

And while we’re at it…

Hey, you… antagonist over there in the corner… How come you didn’t say that great line in chapter one during my first draft?  Or even my ninth draft?  Not that I don’t appreciate you coming up with it  now, but still…

It’s a strange metaphor, but I feel like a film has lifted from this manuscript, and I’m seeing so much more than I did before.   Attacking it again is downright fun.

I’m wondering if it’s the passing of time, or growth as a writer, or new feedback, or a combination of all three.  If this is a familiar story in  your writing life, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

More with Linda Urban…


Some of you have already had the pleasure of meeting the author of A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT on

[info]kellyrfineman

‘s blog this week.  If you haven’t seen her interview, it’s terrific.  If you did see Kelly’s post, you can consider this your second date with Linda!   I’m doing a presentation on my upcoming historical novel SPITFIRE at this weekend’s Burlington Book Festival, and Linda’s talk on CROOKED is right afterwards in the same room, so I wanted to invite her here for a visit first.

Whether they’re adults or kids, people who love reading and writing always want to hear the story of how their favorite books came to be.  What was the inspiration for A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT and how did it grow into the middle grade novel it is today?

It started as a picture book.  I was telling author/illustrator David Small about my childhood fantasy of playing classical music on a grand piano and how my dad got seduced by the rhythm switches of a mall organ.  David said, “I can just see the illustrations for that!”  A few weeks later I wrote a picture book, but the voice and pacing were all wrong for a picture book. It wasn’t until two years later that I gave it a try as a novel.  That’s when the story took off.

Many of my blog readers are teachers of writing, and they’re always looking for ways to help kids with revision.  Would you share with us a few of your favorite revision strategies?

Nothing beats reading your work aloud.  That’s when you hear all the word repetition and discover the rhythm of the piece.  For me, writing is about capturing a sound, a voice, a mood.  I can’t be sure I’ve done that until I actually hear the work.

On to the fun stuff now….

Why Neil Diamond?

Many people think I picked “Forever in Blue Jeans” for some sort of cheese factor, but really it is a very sweet, very earnest song that fit Zoe’s story perfectly.  She has to see past the cheese of it, past the disappointment that her competition piece is not the perfect classical composition she had imagined herself playing, and come to love this simple, honest melody.  The lyrics underscore that. 

We live in such an ironic age, enamored of kitsch and edge.  People are made to feel foolish for feeling things with their whole hearts.  If there is anything that I can do to let kids know that it is okay to express what honestly matters to them, I’m all for it.  Hence, a little Neil Diamond.  

The desserts described in A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT sound perfectly delicious.  Are you a great dessert chef, a great dessert eater, neither, or both?

I bake some.  Cookies and breads mostly.  I have a lot of admiration for people who make beautiful desserts.  When you and I spend hours on our writing, part of us is thinking that maybe we’ll find a few words that will live on beyond us, bound in a book, available forever and ever and ever.  A pastry chef can put her heart into a cake – hours of work – and then the whole thing gets swallowed up and that is that.  You really have to care a great deal about making art when you know it is only going to last thirty minutes.

And your favorite dessert is…?

Apple pie.  Yum.

What books — for kids or adults — have you read and loved lately?


I just finished Elijah of Buxton, the latest historical by Christopher Paul Curtis.  What a genius that man is.  He starts by letting us meet Elijah at his most silly and, as his Mama would say “fra-gile”, falling for an elaborate story about “hoop snakes”, playing a practical joke, and getting one played on him in return.  It is hysterically funny and perfect for grabbing the attention of young readers.  In a few short pages you can’t help but know and love Elijah.  And then, slowly, and without losing humor or character, we are introduced into the deep and lasting horrors of slavery that have shaped the lives of the townspeople of Buxton.  The effect is devastating. You’ve got to read this book.

What can folks expect if they come to see you at the Burlington Book Festival this weekend?

I plan to read a little from A Crooked Kind of Perfect and talk with kids and grown-ups about writing, perfection, and getting over the fears that stop us from doing those things that really matter to us. 

If anyone LJ friends are in the area (or up for a road trip!), I know that Linda and I would both love to meet you.  Here’s the scoop on our presentations:

Burlington Book Festival
Waterfront Theatre, Burlington, VT

11:00 AM-12:00 PM

KATE MESSNER

Join Kate Messner for a trip back in time to the American Revolution on Lake Champlain. Kate will read from her middle grade historical novel Spitfire, set during the Battle of Valcour Island in 1776, sign books and present an interactive multimedia slide show about the real 12-year-old who fought in the battle. Kids will be invited to taste the food and try on the clothes of an 18th century sailor, handle artifact replicas and design their own powder horns to take home.

Waterfront Theatre Black Box, 3rd Floor

12:30-1:30 PM

LINDA URBAN

Linda will debut her new book for young readers (ages 8-12), A Crooked Kind of Perfect. Listen to excerpts and find out what it’s like to write and publish a novel for kids.

Waterfront Theatre Black Box, 3rd Floor