Dear Writer,

      After your first draft, but before you submit your finished manuscript, you enter the extraordinarily creative realm of revision. You’ve been there before, and I hope you have the good fortune of having one or more of your manuscripts there this very moment . . .

      . . . because you may not yet be fully aware of the rich creative possibilities in the revision process . . . where nascent stories come to life . . . wandering plots find their compass . . . action and dialogue join hands . . . scene builds upon scene . . . and characters grow from pygmies to giants, change gender, and sometimes disappear altogether.

“Revision is when I can use
my whole writing self . . .”

      Margaret Bechard, author of Hanging on to Max, voted Best YA Novel of the year by the American Library Association, says, “Revision is when I can use my whole writing self . . . all my talents—my creative risk-taking, experimental side, and my regimented, nit-picking analytical side as well. We all come together to tell the best story we possibly can.”

      But it can also be a confusing, terrifying place—even paralyzing, for some writers—if you don’t have a reliable guide.

      “I used to think that good writers didn’t have to revise. They got it right the first time around. Therefore, I spent a lot of years in never getting much beyond that not-quite-perfect first page. But as I went through my first Institute of Children’s Literature course, I began to realize that creation is only half the writing process. Revision is the other—and just as essential—half. Now, I love revising, and I would have to say that without exception, every story, book, and article I have taken through the revision process is the better for it.”

—Leslie J. Wyatt, a graduate of the Institute,
is the author of a novel, Poor Is Just a Starting Place
(Holiday House, 2005) and 81 stories and articles

 “Whose story is this?”

      “Whose story is this?” is the first key question, and it is disarmingly simple . . . on the surface. The answer seems so obvious. But is it? Just because a character is the biggest, boldest, brightest, or brashest doesn’t answer these underlying questions that help to define who the main character really is:

• Who stands to lose or gain the most by what happens in your story?

• Who has the most to learn?

• Who has the most consistent and attractive point of view?

      The answers to these and other underlying questions determine whose story you’re actually writing, and the answers—often surprising—are crucial to your success.

      So, let’s say you correctly identified your main character in your first draft, and that character is firmly in control of the story. That leaves five more essential questions related to character development that your story must answer, plus three more essential questions related to scene development, driving the story, and solving the story’s explicit or implicit problem.

Q: You received considerable guidance from your editor at Cricket. What did you learn from this experience that has carried over into your revision process since?

A: I learned to check the beginning of the story to make sure the “who, what, where, when, and why” are stated or implied. I also became aware of how much each character’s background provides motivation and experience that become part of the story action.

—Sharon Hart Addy is the author of many stories,
poems, articles, activities, and books, including
Lucky Jake and In Grandpa’s Woods

Virtual editing with top editors and authors

      To guide you through this labyrinth, 20 successfully published authors offer you the unique privilege of virtually working alongside them as they revise 23 stories, chapters, and scenes as many as four times—each version aimed at answering the relevant essential questions.

Editors are always saying things like . . .

• Watch these cuts. See how that scene actually says more after it’s been cut by half.

• Keep an eye on that minor character as he grows and takes over the story.

• See how the author makes everything fall into place just by shifting the point of view.

• Now compare your first draft to this to-be published version.

Q: Focusing on fiction, what three areas of submitted stories do you most wish more writers would polish before submitting their work to you?

A: In general, new authors need to pay more attention to pacing, character development, and point of view. I think problems with pacing are hard for authors to see themselves. The length of a manuscript is not related to its merit. It helps if the author puts the finished manuscript aside for a few weeks and then rereads it looking for where the story lags.
      With children’s books, the adult characters are often two dimensional and stereotypical. The adult characters need to be as fully formed as the young characters.
      I frequently read manuscripts in which the point of view shifts unintentionally. To me it indicates rushed and sloppy writing.

—Wendy Schmalz is a literary agent and founder
of the Wendy Schmalz Agency

It’s a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-go-to-work
writer’s manual that’s guaranteed to forever change
your perception of the possibilities of revision

      The editor is Sandy Asher, former master instructor at the Institute of Children’s Literature and author of 30 books, three dozen plays, and nearly 300 poems, articles, and short stories. She has persuaded 19 other notables to join her in providing drafts and revisions from their personal files—never before published—to illustrate the dynamic process of revision, and show how each author answers the Nine Essential Questions in each of their 23 stories, chapters, and scenes.

Authors’ original drafts—never before published

      The full range of children’s literature is represented, from read-to-me books to YA novels, together with Sandy’s invaluable introductions to picture books, short stories, books for younger readers, and books for older readers.

Q: You’ve published fiction for young adult readers as well as early readers. Do you find any differences in your revision process between them?

A: In theory the process is the same: The editor helps the writer see what the book is really about, and that feedback illuminates threads that are non-essential and threads that need to be more fully carried through. The real difference lies in the fact that both writer and editor are looking at every word in a short book for young readers. We have to make sure that each word can be understood by the beginning reader, that each word serves its purpose (because there are so few words to begin with), and that the language flows naturally.

     When I revise YA fiction, my editor and I are looking at the bigger picture (theme, how each character contributes to theme and plot, setting, narrative voice). I pay attention to the words I use to make sure that they sound right for the main character’s voice or perspective, but I don’t focus so intensely on them the way I do when I revise for beginning readers.

—Elaine Marie Alphin is the author of more than 300 stories
and articles, and 30 books for young readers, including
Dinosaur Hunter (HarperCollins, 2004)

“Like a bee drawn to honey”

      As you’re pulled into the process—like a bee drawn to honey—you become a virtual “contributing editor” yourself, getting acquainted with techniques you’ve never before encountered . . . techniques that you’ll “practice” alongside an established author before you use them in your own writing. This is the essence of skill-building!

      You’ll observe highlighted areas on drafts where the editor calls for improvements, other highlights that identify the addition of new material, incisive margin notations, and the editor’s blue pencil questions. It’s all there—the whole creative editorial process.

The 20 authors respond to their editors’ critiques and show you how they used every trick in the book to get their stories accepted and published . . . and “give you permission” to use these techniques in your writing and revising.

• You’ll see how to turn a short poem into a picture book (by cutting all but two lines of the first draft) and completely shifting the point of view . . .

• You’ll watch a first draft go through three revisions as the title changes and the author’s best-loved section is cut to answer an essential question . . .

• You’ll see a brand new character emerge after several drafts as the story expands from 1,100 to 2,200 words . . .

• You’ll track the gradual emergence of a first novel through five drafts, including 24 revisions of the first chapter, the foundation of the book.

• You’ll be astounded as you watch the author shift from third person past tense to first person present tense, while changing the main character . . . and many more feats of editorial skill.

• You’ll learn the special problems of sequel books and how to introduce new characters and phase out others without alienating loyal readers.

Breaking the rules creatively

      You know the rules. Now Writing It Right! gives you new interpretations of certain rules . . . and gives you “permission” to bend and even break them . . . by demonstrating editorial solutions that work.

      Consider this: You have two story lines and you decide to rewrite past events in the present tense, and present events in the past tense. Sounds crazy? It works beautifully, as you will see. Try it. One of America’s leading authors “gives you permission.”

      And this: You draft the first chapter of a sequel four times, introducing new characters. But what do you do with the “old” characters? You bury them respectfully and not a tear is shed. You have permission.

      And this: You have a very charming picture book, and the main character is so compelling that your editor persuades you to transform it into a chapter book. It’s okay. You have permission. (It sold like hotcakes.)

Q: Almost all manuscripts come to you with work yet to be done. What do you see that signals you to
      1. offer a contract,
      2. ask for revisions before committing to a contract,
      3. offer comments without an invitation to resubmit, or
      4. decline the manuscript without comment?

A: Of course with each project and author or illustrator, the answer to these questions changes. If it’s a new idea from someone proven on our list, I may offer a contract on the spot, even if I don’t quite see what the book means to be yet. But if it’s a new writer or illustrator, I will be very tough on myself before making any sort of commitment—it’s too hard to publish a book successfully these days to embark on that journey without being truly passionate about it.

      Crappy cover letters turn me right off; heavy-handed message-driven stuff makes me crazy; long-winded stories masquerading as picture-book texts are definite no-goes. These are the sorts of things that are declined without comment (unless, of course, they were written by the wife of our CEO, or worse, her mother, and then my assistant and I must come up with thoughtful explanatory comments—without an invitation to resubmit!).

      But an unusual turn of phrase, an unexpected approach to a tried-and-true subject, a voice that remains confident and strong throughout the story—all of these catch my eye and might lead me to ask for revisions or even to offer a contract. These are the discoveries that keep us listening for the mail delivery every day—really.

—Allyn Johnston is VP and Publisher of Beach Lane Books,
an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

      Using the rules creatively is what Writing It Right! is all about, and these creative solutions are not just theoretical because . . . every one of the 23 pieces in this working writer’s manual has been published, many with high honors.

      Of course, all 23 pieces were held up to the light of the Nine Essential Questions.

What do honest-to-goodness professionals think of
Writing It Right?

      “In true ‘show, don’t tell’ fashion, Sandy Asher brings the requisite revision process to the written page, so writers can see, literally and figuratively, how others successfully revise their work. Generously shared manuscript drafts, additional editor and agent interviews, and Asher’s Nine Essential Questions guarantee an instant ‘I get it now!’ response.”

—Esther Hershenhorn, writing teacher, coach, and
author of S is for Story: A Writer’s Alphabet

      “Sandy Asher has put together an invaluable teaching resource for aspiring writers . . . This is a fantastic tool for anyone interested in the writer’s craft, and I highly recommend it.”

—Ralph Fletcher, author of What a Writer Needs

      “. . . ‘A picture is worth a thousand words,’ and that is what you have provided us . . . One begins to understand the true meaning of revision with these examples. All the students and fellow teachers with whom I shared this book commented what an ‘eye opener’ it was. It revolutionized some of their thinking about the writing process—that is powerful.”

—Ann Porter Gifford, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Education,
Southeast Missouri State University

      “I love the book!!!! What an effective tool Asher has provided writers, young and old. Rough drafts, editors’ remarks, revisions, and conversations with the author—all make for an excellent book that every writer should have.”

—John H. (Jack) Bushman, Director
The Writing Conference, Ottawa, Kansas

      “If you’re a writer, or want to be one, Writing It Right! is for you. The progress from the early drafts to the final published versions . . . is extremely helpful. Writing It Right! is one of the most valuable publications a writer could own.”

—Joan Carris, author of 20 books, including
Wild Times at the Bed & Biscuit

30-Day Free Examination Guarantee

      Enjoy and use Writing It Right! free for 30 days.

      Read it from cover to cover. See how the Nine Essential Questions apply to all 23 published stories and chapters.

      Try out some of the dozens of techniques you have “permission” to use in your own writing. Experiment!

      If you don’t agree that it is everything we promised, simply return the book to us and we’ll refund the full purchase price.

      No questions asked. No hassles. Guaranteed.

      If you’d like to receive Writing It Right! for a 30-day, no-risk examination, simply click on order now.

Sincerely,

Pamela Kelly
Editorial Director

P.S. If you’re still not convinced, please read what Kent Brown, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Highlights for Children, Executive Director of the Highlights Foundation, Inc., and Founder of Boyds Mills Press, says about this “life-changing tool”: 

“Over my long span working as an editor, I’ve discovered that the greatest barrier to publication is the author’s satisfaction with a first draft . . . Sandy Asher’s marvelous book, with more than two dozen successful authors and editors speaking to you, will change that. I know of no single tool for writers that will have the impact of Writing It Right!”