Friday Feedback: Flying by the Seat of Your Plot or Pants?

Hey, campers. Welcome back to Friday Feedback! 

Some of you are old pros by now, right? 

Okay, maybe not exactly. But, still, ask anyone. It's fun here and we don't bite. If you haven't been here before, please go HERE and read what this is, why we do it, and mostly the full rules and rationale behind them.

While you're doing that, I've glammed myself up over here because today I have one of my most uber favorite people in the world hosting for me, Geoff Herbach. 

He's funny, he's talented, he's debonair.

This is Geoff. You should check out all his books because he is
funny, witty and brilliant. Trust me here.

See? Can't you just tell he's debonair?

Truly, there are few people I'd trust enough to leave Friday Feedback with while I'm off gallivanting (it is my 20th wedding anniversary this weekend so I'm with my husband, but will pop by when I can. And, yes, I know, I know, I look way too young. Fine, I don't actually. Whatevs. Just go with me here.) 

Anyway, you're in excellent hands with Geoff. You will love him. And here are just a few quick reasons why:

STUPID FAST.

NOTHING SPECIAL.

I'M WITH STUPID.

These are Geoff's first YA books, and they are brilliant and oh-so funny. If you want to hook boy readers, these books are the thing to do it. If they're not there already, they need to be in your classroom. But you don't have to take my word for it. They've won plenty of awards. More importantly, Geoff knows his audience and he's on a mission. If you want to understand why (and him) better, read this really incredible post from Geoff at the Nerdy Book Club HERE. I can tell you that when I Skype into classrooms and mention Geoff's books (which I almost always do), the boys who have read them become animated and passionate as they talk about how laugh-out-loud-funny and buzzed up with energy they are.

Anyway, as you can imagine, Geoff will be devoting lots of time here today* so please do check out his books, share them with your students, and ask your local booksellers to keep them well-stocked on their shelves.  

So, I thought it might be great to have Geoff -- who, btw, teaches creative writing at Minnesota State, Mankato, and, who also, btw,  has a new three-book deal with Source Books -- talk a little about the dreaded "How to Get Started" and whether one should "pants"** it or plot it. 

So, without further ado, I give you my pal, Geoff Herbach. 

Me with Geoff, this one time in NYC I can't talk about.
Oh hush. Fine. I can. 

Geoff: Okay, I don’t know anyone who has unlimited time to write.  We have a few hours here and there that, over the course of many months, may add up to just enough time to complete a project. 

That’s why this drives me crazy.

I find it hard to start a story.  Really hard.  I can have an idea and a character and a place and a time and still, I have a hard time getting my story rolling.  I’m writing my sixth novel right now and in all cases but one, starting the thing has made me want to jump off the roof of my house (not much of a jump, but still). 

Here’s the thing I keep telling myself: You don’t need to know everything right now.  You can’t know everything right now.  Part of the joy of writing is the awesome sense of discovery that comes from sitting down, doing the work, putting the characters into motion, seeing what they do.

Here’s the other thing I keep telling myself: You better figure out what’s going on right now or you’ll be writing off in tangents and you’ll go nowhere and pretty soon you’ll hit your deadline and you’ll have two hundred thousand words that add up to a giant pile of melting butter.

mmmm... butter. But I digress...

The first thing I tell myself gives me freedom and joy and not nearly enough pressure to accomplish crap. 

The second thing I tell myself causes me to outline like a wild man until I have a whole story in notes and that removes all joy and all discovery and soon I have no interest in writing that story.

If you go to a lot of writing craft talks, you hear this kind of thing all the time.  One guy will say, as if it’s God’s truth, “Outlining is essential.”  A woman will then come to the mic and say with equal gravitas, “Outlining is the death of creativity.  You’re a hack if you do it.”

Over the course of the last few books, I’ve actually started to do both and neither.  Because I not only enjoy, but need to learn my character and story by writing a lot, I allow myself to write into a project maybe fifty pages or a hundred pages a few times.  Yes, I’ll figure something out about the story or the character or the voice and I’ll start over.  Once I feel like I have my legs under me and I’ve got a really good start, then I’ll outline like a wild man, with the understanding that I may need to break that outline if something amazing reveals itself (I sure hope it does).  In this way, I can find both the joy of writing and (so it seems) the end of the project.

I’ve started recommending that my students go after their short stories and novels in the same way.  Write in, get your footing, then start planning for how this thing might find completion.  You might try it yourself.

(Gae: As a bonus, once we get rolling here, I will share with you in the comments a neat little sort of outlining trick/idea/concept/something-or-other I came up with for myself being the total and utterly hopeless "pantser" that I am, that others have liked and used when I've shared before.)

In any case, below is the current first bit of my new book.  I’ve written in to the story, found my footing, and am now pushing toward completion (which might reveal something amazing that will necessitate re-writing the beginning). 

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing your work.

(Gae: Before Geoff shares his excerpt, I remind you briefly of the rules: 

1. Since this is an opening, tell Geoff if it hooks you or not. 
2. What works for you and why? 
3. What doesn't if something doesn't and why? 
4. Feel free to share your own brief excerpt in the comments for the same feedback. Please     ONLY share between 3 - 5 paragraphs, 3 if they are long, 5 if short. We do not promise to read more if you go over. 

Geoff: GABE, THE MAIN CHARACTER IN FAT BOY VERSES THE CHEERLEADERS, IS BEING INTERVIEWED AT THE MINNEKOTA POLICE STATION.

Hi, there. Good to meet you, too, Mr. Rodriguez.

I'm fine.  Feeling great, really.  I slept like a baby.  Nice cot in that jail cell!

Four hours sleep, at least.

I wish they had a dimmer switch on these lights, though.  They're giving me a headache.  On TV, interrogation rooms at the cop shop are always really dark.  What's up with the Minnekota PD, huh?  It’s like noon sun in this place.

The light isn't that big a deal.

No, I'm not hung over. I've never had a drop of alcohol in my life, sir.  This isn't some kind of alcohol fueled riot aftermath.  I robbed that pop machine with a sober mind and a clean heart.

You’re my lawyer.  I’m going to tell you the truth.  I robbed that machine!  Dad and Grandpa told me to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.

Me. Rode my bike to the school, which I don't enjoy. (Bikes hurt my ass.)

Nobody else involved.  Just me.  Just me on my bike and my robbing skills, which I learned from the internet. 

Yes.  I stole the money.  I can show you how, too.  If you look in the pocket of my hoodie, you'll find the diagram and the list of instructions.  Can’t believe the cop didn’t take it.  He took the money from me.

I’m not going to help the Po Po, man.  I will have my day in court! I didn’t tell them anything.  They tried to beat it out of me!  Jackass officer ripped my band hoodie and I skinned my damn knee!  Check this out. 

Pretty bad scrape, right?  Police brutality.

Please.  Just me.  Just me.  I'm the one, okay?

I’m the head of Geekers United, but nobody else came with me to the school.

A flock of sheep?  Like, literal sheep?  Baa baa?  In the school this morning?

Holy balls.  Uh huh.  Yeah.  I must’ve let those sheep in by accident.

Sure.  Let’s start from the beginning.

***

Okay, campers, you're up. Be kind to one another, be constructive, be gentle, be real. Happy Friday Feedback!

- gae

*I will be popping in as best I can now and again through the day and weekend, but definitely not as much as last Friday. Geoff will take care of you, no worries. And please don't post excerpts after Sunday morning.

** In case any of you don't know "pantsers" or "pantsing" refers to the concept of writing without an outline = flying by the seat of your pants.

Day almost there, Second Anniversary Highlights

The Teen home page on Amazon last night
pointed out to me by the blogger who runs PEACE LOVE TEEN FICTION
(I love and adore her!)

Just a few more days celebrating the second anniversary of The Pull of Gravity. On May 10, I'll randomly draw a name from the comments to these posts and that person will win a signed ARC of The Summer of Letting Go in October.

So, the best part about being published?

It's the people, baby. It's the connections.

For starters, the YA community is incredibly supportive. I've made some truly lifelong friends. They are talented, driven, and hard working. They are funny, silly and full of life.

me with Cat Patrick at TBF last year. Her new book
The Originals came out yesterday.
Yeah, I may have doctored the photo a little.

me with Geoff Herbach, whose third and final in the
Stupid Fast series came out yesterday, I'm With Stupid.
No, I didn't doctor this one at all. Really.

And, the teen readers are so much fun to engage with and so full of enthusiasm for what we do.

It's the Skypes and the school visits and the library book clubs.

From Advance review copy to paperback, hardcover in between.

It's not the books. They're just the beginning.

It's the people, baby.

xox gae

Day Seven, Second Anniversary Highlights: THE PULL OF GRAVITY

What a journey this writing/publishing thing is.
Often, I'm upside down.
Often, I'm humbled.
Always, I'm grateful. 

Celebrating the second anniversary of my book here on my blog. Yep. That's what I've been doing.

Have I mentioned that The Pull of Gravity is my baby?

My first (and still, as of this post, only) published book.

If you've ever tried to get published, then you know how huge that is. 

And, soon enough my baby will going from being that -- the first -- to being the older sibling. The one who's expected to toddle off more and more on it's own while I tend to the new baby. Not that I'll love it any less. Like with real kids, I vow to love all my books equally (while secretly hoping to love each new book best. Because, otherwise, what is there to strive for?! Thank goodness it's different with real babies. . . maybe we've had enough of this analogy?!)

Anyway, I am excited about the new baby! I am really proud of The Summer of Letting Go. I've never written a manuscript that took so many rewrites and revisions to finally get it right. And I think I have. Gotten it right. (By the way, by commenting on any of these anniversary posts, you will be automatically entered to win a signed ARC of The Summer of Letting Go so long as you are in the US or Canada. Sorry, shipping is prohibitive otherwise).

But it's still weird to think of a new baby nosing its way in, needing my attention (hmm, guess I lied about being done with the analogy). So, I'm enjoying a little time really reveling in the highlights of its first two years in print.

When I set out to write it, I really wanted to write a classic story, so I hope that, with the little pushes I've given it, it will grow legs and be out there in the reading psyche for a long, long time. Standing on its own two feet.

Anyway, highlights! HIGHLIGHTS!

from l - r: Amy Fellner Dominy, m, Bettina Restrepo,
Geoff Herbach & Christina  Mandelski
just a few of us in The Graduates

It goes without saying that being a member of THE CLASS OF 2K11, now THE GRADUATES has been more than a highlight of my fledgling publishing career. More like a lifeline. We still communicate on a weekly, if not daily, basis, sharing a closeness that comes from being in some sort of trenches together.

Also, here's a huge highlight. Opening up Newsday to find this unexpected Summer Reading spread with your book next to John Grisham's.

Ah, I remember how I thought this would sell a thousand copies. . .

Never get tired of some twitter love.  p.s. got to meet this student
during a Skype visit! 

or, a student's critique. 

More highlights tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by and chiming in.

xox gae

Friday Feedback: Not for Now, Nerdies & On to Other Things. . .

Friday Feedback was hopping this summer with my participation in Kate Messner's Teachers Write! program.**

Alas, fall is here, and we are all back to our busy school-year lives, so it's time for the feature to go off on a little hibernation. Having said that, if you are itching for some feedback, feel free to stop by any old FF post -- like, say, this one where I profess my Stupid Love for Geoff Herbach -- and I'll be there to help you, even if the post is outdated. :)

Instead, after October, which is another busy month, I plan to bring back my The Pull of Gravity Goes to School(s) feature, which is always a lot of fun for me! I mean, what is better than the opportunity for a YA author to connect directly with YA's?



This is Cindy. She's an awesome teacher.
No kidding!

Speaking of which, this past Tuesday, I spent a day at the Upper Dauphin Area High School in Elizabethville, Pennsylvania. It was tons of fun and exhausting! As always, a full day in a classroom setting makes me marvel anew at how teachers actually do that! Will highlight the visit in the first return to the ... Goes to School(s) feature in November.


In the meantime, teacher extraordinaire, Cindy Minnich, and I do a little recap here on one of my favorite sites, The Nerdy Book Club.  Check it out! Hope you enjoy. :)

Other than that, there will be writing news, hopefully more movie news (!?!), and definitely more book news.

And, probably, some pointless silliness. Hope to see you here.

Happy fall!

- gae

** p.s. the Teachers Write! program was a pretty rousing success. If you want to join us on facebook until next summer, you can do so HERE.

Friday Feedback: Stupid Love

It's hard not to love Herbach.
Why fight it?

Gae n' Geoff, sitting in a tree,
K-I-S-S-I-N-G,
first comes love
then comes...

Oh, um, hey there.
Don't mind me. I was just, um. . . *coughs*

You're in the right place. It's Friday, and this is Friday Feedback.

<----- And, that is me with Geoff Herbach. If you haven't heard of him, you should.

You can't have him, sorry.

But you can read him.

This is his first book, 2011 ALA, YALSA and CYBIL's Best Fiction winner Stupid Fast:

Show More

Show Less

omg, omg, omg, you must read this!

"I AM NOT STUPID FUNNY.
I AM STUPID FAST.

My name is Felton Reinstein, which is not a fast name. But last November, my voice finally dropped and I grew all this hair and then I got stupid fast. Fast like a donkey. Zing!

Now they want me, the guy they used to call Squirrel Nut, to try out for the football team. With the jocks. But will that fix my mom? Make my brother stop dressing like a pirate? Most important, will it get me girls-especially Aleah?

So I train. And I run. And I sneak off to Aleah's house in the night. But deep down I know I can't run forever. And I wonder what will happen when I finally have to stop."

and, this is his follow up (pretty much a sequel) Nothing Special:

is not allowed to buy this till she finishes other books ahead of it on TBR
because she will bump EVERYTHING to read it

"Hey Aleah,
I miss you. Because there's some serious donkey crap going on right now. I'm supposed to be at football camp, but noooo ... Andrew had to go missing! So because of my stupid little brother, I'll probably lose my chance at a scholarship and end up being nothing special.
I'm pretty sure Andrew ran away to Florida, and now Gus and I have to drive cross-country to get him. Did you know Gus used to think
Miss Piggy was hot? Anyway, Andrew once told me I needed to get my head out of my butt. So that's what I'm trying to do. How about a kiss for luck?
Felton"

And, in case you haven't figured it out yet, I LOVE him.

Yes, in the biblical sense.

Okay, fine, not exactly in the biblical sense.

More like in the trunk of a Crown Victoria sense:

Sorry ladies, Geoff can only have eyes for me.

And, not just because his books are brilliant and quirky and funny and real. . .

And, not just because he got me to my uber-awesome agent, Jim McCarthy, who just sold my next book to Algonquin for me. . .

But, also, because he can break dance. . .

And because he has made a series of some of the most awesome writing craft vids around (you're welcome for pointing those out to you);

And, okay, because he has written some of the most unique, laugh-out-loud, yet heartbreaking, characters there are.

So, that's the truth. I admit it. I love Herbach. And it's a gushy, mushy love.

I am not ashamed.

And I know you will love him, too.

So, without further (ridiculous) ado, for this Friday Feedback, I give you Geoff, and an excerpt from his still untitled Work In Progress, the third in the "Stupid Fast" franchise (due on shelves May, 2013!).

Remember, if you don't know the rules to Friday Feedback, please READ THEM FIRST HERE!:

Hey, thanks for all that gushing, Gae. I love you too. You are the bomb. You are the Juliet to my Romeo. You are my. . .

um, never mind, that wasn't Geoff. That was Gae writing all of that. Fine. Sue me. Whatever. It's my blog.

Here's Geoff for you:

In the third book in the Stupid Fast series, Felton and those around him are beginning to worry that the brutality he shows on the football field is putting him on the same path of his dad.  Felton is struggling with football culture and jock culture and his place in a world full of bullies (he begins roughing up jocks on behalf of geeks).  This scene takes place early in the book when Felton’s grandfather begins to show worry about how sports culture impacts his family.  I’m trying to write to serious themes, but I never want to lose sight of full, real characters who are quirky and funny.  So, what do you think? Is it working here?

 EXCERPT

“Why do you play such a brutal game?” Grandpa Stan asked me by the pool.

“It’s fun.”

               “Fun?  Murder is fun?” he asked.

               Grandpa had been at Bluffton’s homecoming game in the fall.  He and Andrew came up.  We played Prairie du Chien and I sort of destroyed them.  Coach Johnson took me out midway through the 3^rd quarter, because we were ahead by a lot and the Prairie players were sort of diving on the ground instead of hitting me, because I’d crushed so many of them they’d gotten scared (I love that feeling, knowing they’re scared of me – I start looking to hit them, instead of running towards open field).  Not only am I fast but recruiters say, “He runs angry.”  It’s true.  I do run angry.  Grandpa Stan congratulated me after the game, but his face was red and he couldn’t look me in the eyes.  It hurt my feelings.

               “I don’t murder anybody.  It’s a game.  I score touchdowns.”

               “You could play golf.  Have you ever played golf?” Grandpa asked.  “It’s very relaxing.”

               “I’m one of the best football players in the country.  I don’t want to play golf.”

               “How can that be fun?  Breaking peoples’ backs?”

               “I get out my frustration… It makes me feel normal.”

               “Okay, okay,” Grandpa Stan waved his hand, dismissing the conversation.

               Tovi and Andrew splashed around.  I rolled off the chair, stretched in the sun, then cherry bombed the hell out of them. 

- Geoff (& gae *swoons*)

p.s. Geoff is travelling today (Friday) but will be here Saturday to chime in!

p.p. s. if you missed it yesterday, and you're a #TeachersWrite camper, you're invited! Progress Pool Party, July 20th, via Spreecast! For details, click link.

Class of 2K11 Storms NYC for BEA Week! Be There!

Hey, all,

My BEA-week events start tomorrow!

I join members of the Class of 2K11 tomorrow, Wednesday May 25,  for two NY Public Library-connected events in the morning and afternoon, and an evening event (with cupcakes and henna artist) at the landmark Books of Wonder -- all free! 

Then on Thursday, a special blogger appreciation day at Le Poisson Rouge, NYC, where there will be food and drink and a comedic reading from our books, and and on-the-spot Q&A. We're not sure what to expect, but it should be fun!

That will be followed with a group event at Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY.

Details abound here: https://www.facebook.com/gaepolisnerauthor#!/event.php?eid=200237000019309

Hope you will join me!

Friday Feedback - Fantastico!

This is me. You know me.

Welcome to Friday Feedback.

Guess what?

I have a super fantastico guest star putting his bravery on the line
for feedback today. I asked him if he wanted to and this is what he answered:

“What you want me to do? I do it!”

(You see how fantastico he is?!).

Who is he, you ask?

This is Geoff, not me.

Fellow Class of 2K11’er, “El Nacho Dip,” Geoff Herbach. 
(yep, that's Geoff over there on the right. Isn't he Nacho-y?)


Geoff’s book, Stupid Fast, comes out from Sourcebooks Fire this June.

According to Geoff’s website, Stupid Fast is,

“…about a boy. It’s about sports. It’s about being a serious dork. It’s about a paper route. It’s about bullying and the opposite. It’s about a girl. It’s about hair growth. It’s about a little brother. It’s about piano. It’s about a depressed mother. It’s about learning to be who you are.”

All I know is if it came from Geoff, I want to read it.

But, guess what? Geoff is giving you a sneak peek at his sequel to Stupid Fast today. It's actually still a work in progress but just sold anyway this week to Sourcebooks Fire (*throws a pound of confetti at Geoff!* er.) The working title is The Whole Warm World which I really like (you?).

Okay, before we start, a brief recap of the RULES:

(If you want more details, read this blog post here: ) otherwise, just follow along).

1. If it is the first few paragraphs of a novel – today it is NOT, so skip to #2. – tell me if it "hooks" you enough to make you want to keep reading, or not. If yes, why? If no, why not?

2. What works for you, and why?

3. What doesn’t work for you (if something doesn't) and why?

If you would like the same feedback for your own work, please post your brief excerpt at the end of your comment (and tell me what it is -- e.g. opening to a novel, short story, poem, etc...). Please post no more than 3 -5 paragraphs, 5 if they're short, 3 if they are long. If there's more, I will only read the first 3 -5. If the comment gets too long, feel free to reply in two separate comments. If you are a student from a particular class, please identify yourself as such. If not, let me know how you found me. Ok, here we go!

From The Whole Warm World:

In May, three months ago, I realized that I am not like my father or brother, Felton. This gene did not transfer. I am not a mammoth athlete, and, I’m serious, I won’t ever be.

This, of course, is the least of my troubles.

It really bothered me, which is dumb, because I’ve never wanted to play sports.

What’s sort of funny about this situation is that my classmates wanted me to play sports very badly, EXTREMELY, because my older brother, Felton, is an amazing football player. My high school class isn’t that athletic. I suppose they thought I’d save their sweaty sports buns, but I can’t. What isn’t funny about this situation is that back then, before, in April, I was really happy.

I turned sixteen and Grandma Berba purchased me a used Toyota Celica and I was free. My girlfriend, Bony Emily, and I would drive up and down Bluffton, Wisconsin’s Main Street laughing at the drunk and angry college kids. Sometimes Emily would yell funny things at them, like: “Learn to walk, Drunkie McDrunkbottom!” that made them even more angry, but they couldn’t catch us, because they were on foot and couldn’t walk very well due to their drunkenness and we were in my car. Then we’d drive into the country and go into county parks at night, which was scary. Sometimes we’d drive to Dubuque, Iowa to see decent movies. This was a good life and I didn’t worry.
----

Thanks to Geoff for doing this with me. Hopefully he'll be back to enjoy all the feedback. Now, you know, do your thing.

-gae