Upcoming Agent Spotlight Interviews & Guest Posts

  • Stuti Telidevara Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 3/20/2024
  • Agent Rachel Orr and Author Cathy Carr Guest Post and Lost Kites and Other Treasures Giveaway on 3/25/2024
  • Paula Weiman Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 4/8/2024
  • Hillary Fazzari Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 4/22/2024
  • Miriam Cortinovis Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/6/2024
  • Jenniea Carter Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/8/2024
  • Caroline Trussell Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/20/2024
  • Jenna Satterthwaite Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 6/10/2024
  • Bethany Weaver Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 6/24/2024

Agent Spotlight & Agent Spotlight Updates

  • Agent Spotlights & Interviews have been updated through the letter "H" as of 5/11/2023 and many have been reviewed by the agents. Look for more information as I find the time to update more agent spotlights.

KERRY O'MALLEY CERRA GUEST POST AND JUST A DROP OF WATER GIVEAWAY

Happy Wednesday! Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend. We had a really fun day Sunday at the lake with friends. And it was so needed after Saturday where we worked concessions ALL day at a University of Michigan football game. Not my idea of fun to put together hot dog and brat sandwiches for 7 hours. (I'm a vegetarian.) But it's done and we also had an awesome 8 team relay meet we hosted and a sleepover for the girls last week. So happy the busy August month is done. I'm writing this on Monday and I'm still so tired.

FOLLOWER NEWS

Stina Lindenblatt's second NA romance, LET ME KNOW, released on Monday. Here's a blurb:

Amber Scott thought her screaming nightmares would end now that her stalker is locked up and awaiting trial. But they return when her slam-dunk case starts to fall apart.
And here's a few links to where you can find Stina and more info on her book: 


Today I'm excited to have Kerry O'Malley Cerra here to share a guest post on how she uses visuals in writing with a giveaway of her new contemporary middle grade novel JUST A DROP OF WATER. Details of the giveaway are at the end of the post.

So here's Kerry.


The Visual Writer

I wish I’d realized (like way back in elementary, middle, or even high school) what a visual learner I am. I
think I would have been a lot more successful academically. From early on, when someone would tell my dad directions, or describe a place as they told a story, I was creating maps and drawings in my head. I could totally picture it. It wasn’t till college that I realized I seemed to breeze through courses with maps, charts, storyboards, etc. but found myself dozing in lecture classes.

You’d think I’d have remembered this when I began writing and could have found a way to incorporate some visual strategies from the get go. Instead, I floundered for a long time—pantsing my way through plots, characterizations, and settings, with the end result being a pretty awful first manuscript. This meant, if I wanted to make it as a writer and actually publish that piece of garbage, I would have to *gasp tragically here* revise the whole darn thing. (I should probably note that during my years in school I never once reread an essay before handing it in. Not even long answers on tests. I’d written what I needed to say, it was already perfect, and I was done. Revision was for amateurs! My poor literature grades showed otherwise, but that’s a story for another post!)

So, even though I had this piece of junk manuscript that I thought was totally ready to be submitted to the most elite agents out there, my writing group disagreed. Thank the Lord Baby Jesus because they were right, and, for the first time ever, I would have to willingly reread my whole manuscript and figure out what was wrong with it. Luckily, one of my early mentors showed our critique group this awesome thing called a plot clock. Though my main character’s arc was pretty solid, the order of events weren’t flowing, nor were they helping to move my character forward. A big no-no for novels. With the plot clock, I was able to see there is sort of a formula for writing.

Start by drawing a big fat circle. In the middle draw a short line. Above the line, write what your character wants. You have to dig super deep for this. In JUST A DROP OF WATER, Jake wants a lot of things on the surface, but his deepest desire is to be a hero. This is his internal goal. Below the line, write your characters biggest flaw.

What kind of a visual writer would I be if I didn’t include visuals here? This is what your plot clock should look like in the beginning.



From 12:00 (the beginning of your book) to around 7:00, your character must be acting one way and not advance toward his/her goal. This behavior is defined by your character’s flaw. Basically, he/she has to screw up a lot. In Jake’s case, he’s a hot-head, a reactor, an eye-for-an-eye kind of kid. He sees the world as totally black and white. So, all his actions from the beginning till about 7:00 on that clock have to show him making poor, quick, reactive decisions. Figure out what main points you’ll use to illustrate these character traits and list them on the clock in the order they’ll happen.

Slowly your MC has to lose everything because of these actions and choices, which brings us to our “all-is-lost” moment at 7:00. Here your character is seriously struggling. They are in so much pain that readers will wonder how the character will ever get out of this. Somehow, your MC must evaluate the choices they’ve made thus far and figure out how to still get what they want (remember that deep desire you wrote in the top, center of the clock?) but find a new way to proceed—opposite of the flaw you wrote on the bottom, center of the clock.

From 7:00 till 11:00, your now enlightened character should be behaving in a new way as you escalate to the climax scene, which occurs at 11:00. Usually this time also involves the character making amends with others—even with themself if the story warrants. But 11:00 is juicy. The big bang! The time when your character will finally achieve a goal by having acted in new ways. (Note: this doesn’t mean the outcome is always favorable. Middle grade novels tend to have happier endings by nature, but, even if your character doesn’t get what they want, their actions should show the characters growth.)

Then, from 11:00 till 12:00 you get the see the character celebrate that accomplishment. Of course, these timeframes can vary depending on the type of story you’re creating, but I’ve found this to work wonders with all 3 middle-grade books I’ve written.



My visual writing didn’t end there, though. That was just the beginning. Once I figured out what my events would be and where they were to go on my clock, I went scene by scene through my clunky manuscript and wrote what was happening in each one on a pink index card. I went a step further using skinny, colored Post-it tags to color code each person in the scene and at the top of the card I wrote the mood—to make sure my manuscript varied in emotions. Then I taped every single one of those index cards up on my dining room wall, in order of how the scenes appeared in the current draft of the book. I compared them to my newly created plot clock and realized I needed to move entire scenes to other places in the book. Early on, I had Jake conflicting with multiple characters but he was making up with them too quickly. I didn’t have an all-is-lost moment and my readers didn’t care or invest much in Jake. Likewise, I didn’t have enough scenes in the beginning showing Jake’s fiery disposition. I knew I needed to add in at least 3 solid incidents to flesh his character out fully. When I figured out what they were, I penciled them in on the plot clock and then lifted the index card from my wall and replanted it where it needed to go. When I had to create a new scene entirely, I added it on a purple index card and taped it where it needed to go. And…ya’ know what? I freaking loved this whole process. It was like solving a giant puzzle, and puzzles are for visual people, right? Everything was clicking for me. The story felt right and clear in my head. I seriously couldn’t wait to get started on my revision. Can you believe it? Me, looking forward to rewriting, fixing, polishing something that I thought at one point was totally done. Even though there was still hard work ahead—looking at those cards on the wall with a definite map to guide me—the revision didn’t seem so tough any longer.



That’s when I decided to take it a step further. In my head, I’d had a sense of what my characters looked like, but I wanted actual pictures to guide me in my revision. Sure I cold have just told myself this stuff in my head, but the visual me wanted clarity to ensure continuity throughout the whole book. And, because I LOVE maps, I made one of the town. I’d always sort of had one in my head, but when I realized Jake and his dad ran towards Mullins Park by going left out of their neighborhood, but Jake also got there by going left out of the school, that couldn’t happen. It’s really hard for me to keep mundane details straight in my brain, especially when writing the book over a series of months or years, but, once I drew that map, the book had fewer mistakes—which meant fewer revisions later. YAY!!!

If I can help another visual writer by passing on these glorious, eye-opening tips—preferably before they create a mixed-up, messy, jumbled manuscript—then I’m super happy. And, though I’ve embraced the revision process without whining too much, I love that my first drafts don’t suck as much as they used to, before the brilliant plot clock entered my world. Happy writing—and revising—y’all!

Thanks for sharing your great advice, Kerry. You can find Kerry at :

www.kerryomalleycerra.com
Twitter: KerryOCerra

Here's a blurb of JUST A DROP OF WATER from Goodreads:


Ever since he was little, Jake Green has longed to be a soldier and a hero like his grandpa, who died serving his country. Right now, though, he just wants to outsmart—and outrun—the rival cross country team, the Palmetto Bugs. But then the tragedy of September 11 happens. It’s quickly discovered that one of the hijackers lived nearby, making Jake’s Florida town an FBI hot spot. Two days later, the tragedy becomes even more personal when Jake’s best friend, Sam Madina, is pummeled for being an Arab Muslim by their bully classmate, Bobby.

According to Jake’s personal code of conduct, anyone who beats up your best friend is due for a butt kicking, and so Jake goes after Bobby. But soon after, Sam’s father is detained by the FBI and Jake’s mom doubts the innocence of Sam’s family, forcing Jake to choose between his best friend and his parents. When Jake finds out that Sam’s been keeping secrets, too, he doesn’t know who his allies are anymore. But the final blow comes when his grandpa’s real past is revealed to Jake. Suddenly, everything he ever knew to be true feels like one big lie. In the end, he must decide: either walk away from Sam and the revenge that Bobby has planned, or become the hero he’s always aspired to be.

A gripping and intensely touching debut middle grade novel by Kerry O’Malley Cerra, Just a Drop of Water brings the events of September 11, which shook the world, into the lens of a young boy who is desperately trying to understand the ramifications of this life-altering event.


Kerry's publisher Sky Pony Press generously offered a copy of JUST A DROP OF WATER for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through September 20th. I’ll announce the winner on September 22nd. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, please leave it in the comments.


If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 or older to enter. This is for US only.

Here’s what’s coming up:

On Monday I have an interview with debut author Stephanie Gaither and a giveaway of FALLS THE SHADOW, a YA futurist story about cloning replacement kids. I was hooked in the first few pages.

The following Monday I have a guest post by PJ Hoover and a giveaway of TUT, her MG story with mythological themes. I’m a huge fan of PJ’s and am excited to see how her books have been both traditionally published and self-published.

Wednesday that week I have a guest post by long time follower and debut author Joshua Bellin with a giveaway of SURVIVAL COLONY NINE, a YA sci-fi story.

And Thursday that week I'm doing a  Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop. I'll have lots of great book choices to choose from and will continue offering a $10 Amazon Gift Card if you don't like my choices. Look for this to post Thursday afternoon.

And don’t forget Casey’s Thursday Agent Spotlights.

Hope to see you on Monday!


44 comments:

Denise Covey said...

This is one of the most useful posts i've read for a long time. Thanks Natalie for inviting Kerry to post today. I've added it to my list of crafty posts at Write...Edit...Publish. That cover is beyond amazing too.

Denise

Kim Van Sickler said...

Yes, Kerry, I totally get it. I've got my bulletin board with pics of my characters and note cards tacked underneath listing character traits. Love the plot clock--more visual than my outline. I'll try it! Congrats on the book. It sounds like a winner! And congrats to Stina on her latest release too!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I've never broken my stories down like that, but it would probably help me see it better. I am a visual person but I've relied on actual pictures more than anything.

Donna K. Weaver said...

Love all the pictures. I'm a very visual writer. I find pictures of what I imagine in a particular scene and will keep it posted where I can see it. It helps to put me in the scene and, I hope, lets my writing put the reader there as well.

Stephen Tremp said...

it's great to meet Kerry! I use plot clocks on my books. It's a great way to stay organized. If you make mistakes, the readers will catch them. Good to use a plot clock!

Dianne K. Salerni said...

I love that plot clock!!!! I can totally see how it applies to my book, The Eighth Day, and how there is no sense whatsoever of this clock in my current WIP. Thank you! I didn't know what the heck was wrong with this WIP until now. I didn't do the clock thing in TED on purpose, it just happened. Now I see how it works, and this is a big leap forward in the crappy thing I'm writing now ...

Kerry O'Malley Cerra said...

I am super, super happy that this is helping things click for so many of you. Visual writers unite!! Best of luck with your WIPs everyone.

S.P. Bowers said...

Wow, that's some pretty involved plotting. I tend to wing it. I could probably benefit from more organization.

I used to sell concessions at basketball games in college. Crazy busy job.

Larissa said...

Great post, Kerry! <3

lchardesty at yahoo dot com

cleemckenzie said...

Another interesting approach to organizing writing. Thanks for giving us that visual information. I do chapter summaries and they save me and my sanity.

Crystal Collier said...

Natalie, I'm glad you survived August. I did too, barely. *high five*

I love the visual approaches to story-boarding and plotting. I've tried several and although I am quite visual, they didn't work for me. We're all so different, eh?

Cherie Reich said...

Congrats, Kerry! I'm a visual learner too. That's why I took a ton of notes while the teacher talked. Otherwise, I never would've learned anything. LOL! Love the plot clock!

Robyn Campbell said...

Congrads, Kerry! Plot clocks are super. I have done storyboards too. Great advice for all us visual learners. Great cover!

Also, congrads to Stina!

M Pax said...

The clock visual/tool is awesome. Thanks for sharing it, and all success on the new book!

jpetroroy said...

Congrats, Kerry! Can't wait to read it.

Carleen said...

What an interesting read, Kerry! I never fully realized how much work goes into writing a novel. I am a visual learner as well and, thereby, a visual reader. As I read a book, I visualize the characters, the scenery, the layouts, etc. It always puzzles me when things don't evolve the way I picture them (the example of your left turns). So happy you found the formula that makes your writing flow; I am already looking forward to your next novel!

J Lenni Dorner said...

Wow. The plot clock. Brilliant!

Brenda said...

Wonderful post filled with such great information, especially the plot clock. Love the idea and thank you for sharing. Congratulations on your new book.

Cynthia said...

Congratulations, Stina and Kerry!

I like how Kerry's post celebrates that it's okay for characters to have flaws, how these flaws can bring the plot forward. Too often, I read reviews where the reader is annoyed at the protagonist's flaws, and I think to myself, sometimes authors put flaws in their characters for a reason.

David P. King said...

That's a cool cover, and equally cool premise. Being a visual writer myself, you pretty much nailed it, Kerry. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Very, very cool. I really struggle with plotting (or attempting to plot), but this clock might be something that may work in my brain! Thanks!! :)

Karen Lange said...

It's great to meet you, Kerry! Thanks for sharing your insight. Natalie, I appreciate you hosting today.

I'll pass on the giveaway. Have a great rest of the week! :)

Nas said...

This is a great craft post. I'm bookmarking to read it all over again. Thanks Ladies.

Eisen said...

Great post! This is EXACTLY what I am currently doing :) Based on the plot clock, I also have to rearrange some scenes around. I can't believe the timing of this post. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

For a non creative person like myself, it's very interesting to read about this creative visual writing process, like the behind the scenes of how a film is made. Can't wait for your next book, Kerry!

Margo Berendsen said...

I love reading what tool other writers have used to work out their process. I know I learn best by writing notes... I've tried visual techniques like mind mapping which haven't clicked with me so well, but does explain all the notes that pepper my outlines and first drafts.

Julie Musil said...

Those visuals are really cool! I also like to learn how other writers process their ideas. And Stina...I'm so excited for her.

Unknown said...

I really like the clock idea :-) Thanks for sharing your process, Kerry!

Nancy said...

"I freaking loved this whole process" - LOVE! You found the place where the 'joy' and the 'work' of writing intertwine. That is the magic. The plot clock is going to be so helpful to one of my current projects. Thanks!

Danielle H. said...

Thank you for sharing this visual plot idea! I just wish I'd thought of this or found out about it earlier. I am going to use this method as I am a visual person. I will share this very informative post on Facebook. Thanks for the chance to win your book--I can't wait to read it after reading this interview.

Greg Pattridge said...

I also need to see my character. Kerry didn't say how she gets a picture of hers but I usually put my MC's characteristics into a search engine and find an image. I've even purchased images of characters form photo sites. Thanks for the great plotting tips. As for the book, I had just put this one on my TBR list after seeing it was being released this month. Best of luck with the debut.

Michael Di Gesu said...

HI, Natalie, Hi, Kerry...

So incredibly useful! The time it takes to actually break it up is awe inspiring. I never would believe so much can go into writing. I a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of writer, but reading about your thought process has me thinking of trying some of your processes...

All the best with Just a Drop of Water, Kerry!

And Congrats to Stina and her new book!

Carl Scott said...

The plot clock is such a clever idea. I worked with a composer once who mapped out his compositions this way at the start. I'm sure a lot of creative artists use something similar. Thanks for the chance to win Just a Drop of Water, I'm really looking forward to it.

I also tweeted a link to this post: https://twitter.com/carlrscott/status/507539381914058752

and I pinned an image on Pinterest, just for luck: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/336573772125584133/

Thanks again!


Jenni said...

I'm a visual learner too. I love the plot clock--what a great way to see your whole plot at once and what's working and not working. I'm definitely going to try this!
Your book sounds amazing, Kerry! Congrats!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks for the plot clock - that's an awesome way to see the whole story, and I love the color coding. I'm visual and I draw terrible plot maps - terrible because I don't draw well, but helpful because they help me see where my characters are going both emotionally and physical (fantasy has a tendency to include moving around geographical regions while the character's inner journey is taking place simultaneously).
Your book sounds really intense and good! Congrats!

Kerry O'Malley Cerra said...

Really glad so many of you are finding this useful! And thanks for the debut love for JUST A DROP OF WATER! Hugs all around.

PK HREZO said...

I love the thought of a plot clock. I usually do timelines but it makes since to go full circle. :)

Thanks for sharing!

Rosi said...

What a great post! The book sounds great as well. Thanks.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

This is a great way to explain it. I must be a visual learner as well!

Manju Howard said...

Thanks for sharing your writing process, Kerry! Adding Just a Drop of Water to my GoodReads list. And Tweeted!

Stina said...

Thanks, Natalie, for including LMK!

I've never heard of a plot clock but this sounds great. I need to try it out.

Michele Manning said...

I absolutely love this idea! Can't wait to read your book!

Anonymous said...

I'm reading Stina's book now. Interesting about the plot clock. I'm glad I stopped by.

DMS said...

It was great to learn about the plot clock and to see the visuals. I am definitely a visual learner and have never tried this technique.Something I will try though! Thanks for sharing. :)
~Jess