Can I just say that the moment Arianne Lewin, executive editor at Putnam, started speaking at the SCBWI Miami conference I decided she was brilliant?

Not only is she down to earth and funny, but she has heaps of knowledge to share in an easygoing, natural way. She has also edited an incredible line of books including authors Cinda Williams Chima, Whoopi Goldberg, Laura Numeroff, and Julia Ann Peters.


So enough of me chattering away!

Here are some of the notes that I furiously typed down:


• Writing is revising!


• Think large-scale-big-picture revision first and then whittle down to the minor stuff


• Her job is not to take over a book but to make the best out of it


• A full revision would take about 8 hours


• If a book needs a big overhaul, she needs to make sure she thinks she can get out of the author what needs to be done


• Important things: voice, theme, quality, and good concept


• She can help you with the plot if you have a good voice, but can’t fix bad writing


• She likes to talk to writers before she acquires a book; she also has to show the author that she understands what the author is trying to do


• She’ll read a book two times before she begins editorial notes; she uses ‘track changes’- and then puts together an editorial letter (average 7 pages)


• She usually doesn’t read pitches


• Look for agents that are like minded to your work


• Keep in mind that a million editors will edit a manuscript a million different ways

How to Self Revised


– The experience of a book is more engaging than recapping it in narrative summary


– Scene is more engaging- take your readers right there participating in it, believing it


– Real time and watching the events unfold- gains the reader’s trust


– You want the reader to be put into the action and drawn into the story


– Showing something in scene allows you to make it deeply personal


– Trust the reader; let the reader draw their own conclusions


– Make sure your beginning doesn’t start too soon- you shouldn’t just jump into the portal but build that anticipation and characters

Wow. SCBWI Miami was amazing. So amazing that after coming home I went straight to my computer and did a big push on my revisions.

The intensive I took featured agent Erin Murphy, author and writing coach Joyce Sweeney, and executive editor Krista Marino. They were amazing.


If you ever have the opportunity to take a workshop with any of these three- DO IT!


So here are a couple of gems that I picked up from the day:


What is your writing life like? Erin Murphy


1. What would my ideal writing life be like?


2. What are the obstacles that come in the way between my goals that ideal?


3. Am I over-disciplined or under-disciplined?


4. Think about tools that can help me- turn off internet, timer, turn off my screen when reading manuscripts


5. What are my strengths and resources I have as a writer?


Building a Scene- Joyce Sweeney


• If you can’t justify a scene, get rid of it


• Orientate your reader- promise the reader of what is to come


• Don’t describe a high school cafeteria!


• Capture the voice and attitude of the main character


• Be as entertaining and energetic as possible


• Bring in layers with the character (use flashbacks)


• The climax of the story is when someone won and someone lost


Voice- Krista Marino, Executive Editor


Elements that contribute to voice:


1. Diction- speaker’s vocabulary, choices and expression

• Doesn’t mean using teen speak or slang or brand names- words you choose and level of formality- ways things are described
• Limited experience of the world and that impacts the way they use words and communicate
• Teens don’t make the decision they make because they are dumb. It’s because they don’t have enough experiences or life lived

2. Characterization- age, social status, cultural background- all things that make up a character. Know this!


3. Dialogue- Verbal exchange between 2 or more characters; interior or inner dialogue

• YA is the teen experience
• Internal monologue- shows what they are thinking and often the complete opposite of what they are thinking

Yep. That’s right! I’m off to Miami tomorrow after school for a weekend of writing bliss. I’m attending the SCBWI Miami conference. So excited! I even got my “ballgown” (Target special, but don’t tell) for the Dragon Slayer’s Ball. Everyone is dressing up as fairy tale characters. I’ve decided to be Isobel from Mistwood (love that book). I’m such a book geek.

On Friday I’m taking the Novel Writing Intensive with author Joyce Sweeney, agent Erin Murphy, and editor Krista Marino.

Jealous yet?

Then on Saturday, I have a manuscript critique from Cinda Williams Chima. Squee!

I promise to blog about it all when I get back. Let me know if there’s anything you’re especially interested in hearing about.

Gotta go and finish up packing.

Across the Universe is a sci fi coming out from Penguin/Razorbill on January 11, 2011. Author Beth Revis describes it as “a murder mystery set in space,” but it also has romance, adventure, and dystopian elements. In the book, a girl boards an interstellar spaceship in a journey across the universe to find a new planet.

To celebrate the book’s upcoming release, Beth’s gathered together writers and readers from across the blogosphere to share their stories of adventures they’ve had across the world. Check out her site the first two weeks of November to read about adventures from the Wild West to Indonesia (this is where my adventure takes place!), from Europe to Africa.

And as you’re going across the world with all these adventures, be sure to pick up the clues. On Beth’s webpage is a secret link–LOOK for it, and you’ll SEE it. But it’s password protected! To find the password, you’ll need to go on the adventures with us, pick up the letters, and re-arrange them into the secret phrase.

What do you get for playing? On the password protected page there’s tons of secret information about the book–hidden Easter Eggs, the surprising origins of one of the characters, and the unexpected inspiration behind the space ship. But, more than that–there’s also a chance for prizes! Only accessible from the password protected page is a form to enter a drawing–the winner will get a signed and doodled ARC of Across the Universe, pin-buttons featuring the book, star-related swag–and a secret something else!

All you have to do is follow us across the blogosphere, pick up the letters, and unscramble the password! Your clue for today is…