August 3,2023

Dear Writers,

First, a shout-out to my former student and amazing poet/essayist Cricket Matthews for this newly-published poem (scroll down to read it; it’s titled “Hypothesis”) Notes | Pearl Press (pearl-press.com)

And are you following author Jan M. Flynn’s blog? I certainly hope so. She was my student in a personal essay class, and her writing is spectacular!

If you’re interested in writing & publishing personal essays, magazine and newspapers articles, or contemporary & historical fiction, I work part time as an indie editor & consultant for Creator & Collector Services, and I’d love to work with you.

What’s On My Mind

I’ve been much, much busier than usual, on deadline for a new nonfiction book. We don’t have a title yet, but the subtitle will likely be something like 25 Athletes, Artists, Entrepreneurs and Activists with Down syndrome.

This topic is dear to my heart; I grew up with a brother who has Down syndrome, and I’ve spent months researching and interviewing notable people around the world with this same genetic condition. The book will be out with Sourcebooks in 2024, and it’s illustrated with gorgeous portraits of each subject.

Because of my work schedule, I’m borrowing a Q&A I did with one of my MFA in Creative Writing students at Southern New Hampshire University. Hopefully, the information will be of use to you!

Question: What can add believable tension between my characters?

Answer: I’d take a look at the book Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel. Part One and Chapter 9 are incredibly useful in terms of building tension. I use the author’s scene cards for every single scene I write in my fiction, and they always help me to create both interpersonal and situational tension. The best question I know to ask myself in order to create tension is “What’s at stake for every character in every paragraph—what are they risking, what do they have to lose emotionally and physically?”

Question: What guidance can you offer in the revision process? What are the must dos and dont’s? 

Answer: In my own revision, I read every single paragraph out loud to check for pacing and . . .well . . . clunkiness. I make sure I’m appealing to the reader’s five senses in every scene, and I use highlighter pens to mark up all the sentences with conflict and all the sentences with surprise so I make sure there’s an equal balance of both. I also make sure I’m showing (not telling) what’s at stake for every single character in every scene, and that readers can see my settings and understand who the protagonist is before the events in the story, and who that character becomes as a result of these events. 

Question: Are there any specific writing exercises you can offer to help me strengthen my storytelling? 

Answer: I’m a big fan of freewriting in a notebook or on a computer for 10 minutes at a time to help me get to know my story and my characters better. (Need motivation for this type of writing sprint? Try this: The Official Written? Kitten! (writtenkitten.co)

You want a sense of narrative arc in every chapter—rising action, climax, and either falling action or a cliff-hanger. The entire book needs a sense of narrative arc, as a whole. I love this character questionnaire: 150+ Character Questions | Ultimate Character Questionnaire (novel-software.com) and this world-building questionnaire: The Ultimate World Building Template & Questionnaire (novel-software.com)

Question: How do I get the most support out of Beta Readers and how can I offer them the most support?

Answer: I’d be very clear with Beta readers about your specific concerns for the book—ask them things like, “As you read, will you focus on my protagonist’s character trajectory and tell me if I need to give a better sense of how the character grows and changes over the course of the book?” Or you might ask, “Please look at all my action scenes and tell me if they’re fast-paced enough.” I like to ask, “Please tell me where you start getting bored!”

As a Beta reader yourself, you can ask writers to pinpoint the parts of their manuscript which concern them, so you can focus on those sections in particular. And give good, honest, constructive feedback in a positive manner. Not, “Wow, Melissa, chapter three is so boring,” but “Hey, Melissa, think about how to pick up the pace and cut superfluous sentences in chapter three.” 

What I’m Publishing

My new middle-grade novel Daisy Woodworm Changes the World just won a Silver Medal for juvenile fiction in the IPPY Awards. (It’s the story of a teen who gets an assignment to change the world and decides to help her brother, who has Down syndrome, fulfill his dream of being a YouTube fashion influencer despite their over-protective parents’ ban on social media.)

I wrote this personal essay for Slate, and some of the comments basically accused me of single-handedly causes the Oregon nurses’ strike, so that was fun!

I’m working on a first-date piece for Insider, and a mammoth personal essay about racism, homophobia, vaudeville, and my great-grandparents for one of my favorite publications, Hidden Compass. For the latter, I got to tour the inside of the Liberty Theatre in Astoria—a 100-year-old vaudeville and movie palace. Absolutely thrilling!

A Few Cool Resources for Writers

Where I’m Teaching

• I’m teaching at this one THIS SATURDAY: HOME – 2023 Willamette Writers Conference – Online and In-Person (cvent.com) in August.

• I’m also teaching at this one: SWWC 2023 Master Class Schedule | Southwest Washington Writers Conference in September.

• And I’m teaching via Zoom for the California Writers Club Sacramento Chapter on November 18^th.

Conferences, Residencies, and Calls for Submissions

• Best Magazine is looking for real-life stories about women ages 50+. Editor is Cathy Levy at cathy.levy@hearst.co.uk

• If you write for children and young adults, do not miss the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Summer Conference. It’s online!

• For many, many more conferences and residencies, go here: 150+ writing conferences, writers residencies, retreats, workshops for poets, fiction and creative nonfiction writers. (pw.org)

• And for many, many more calls for submissions, go here: Calls for Submissions :: Where to Submit – NewPages.com

Okay, that’s all for now. Let me know if you want me to include any writing resources in my September issue, and I’ll do so!

Much gratitude,

Melissa

P.S. Here’s me outside Astoria’s Liberty Theatre; my husband kindly took this photo from far away because we’d been camping/swimming/kayaking for four days, and I looked like something the cat dragged in. The theater’s beautiful, though!