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TEEN INK: GETTING PUBLISHED

by L a r a Zielin

session, hours

Think you have to wait until youre 30 years old and have a six-figure
book contract to get your writing published? Hardly. There are lots of ways kids can see their work in printstarting now. The trick to publishing is twofold: (1) make the work awesome; and (2) know good places within the publishing market to submit. This workshop is geared toward publishing works of fiction (short stories or novels), though there are resources at the very end for kids who want to publish poetry and nonfiction.

Make It Awesome
What is it about Harry Potter or The Hunger Games or The Lightning Thief that keeps us turning pages, staying up until the wee morning hours so we can find out what happens? I start by asking kids what they love about their favorite stories, and we spend some time talking about characters. Creating memorable people that hook readers and draw them into the story is an important step toward creating publishable works.

Character Work
The best way to write compelling characters is to know them, inside and out. If students are working on a storyor thinking about oneI ask them to flesh out their characters using the Character Work worksheet. Not everything about the character they come up with has to go into the story, but the more they know them, the more their characters will come alive on the pages. Once theyve completed it, I ask for kids who are willing to share their favorite parts about their characters.

Plotting Along
Now, we have to find out what happens to these amazing characters! I start by asking the students what they love about the plots in their favorite books. Is it that they dont know what will happen? Or that the character theyre rooting for makes good decisions (and sometimes 147

bad)? What they come up with organically can be folded in to the overarching plot principal, outlined in the handout. When students are ready to start imagining their own plots, ask them to think about what their character wants, and how its different from what they have currently. For example, Katniss (The Hunger Games) wants to be able to provide for her family and keep them safe. The Hunger Games threaten her ability to protect her sister. She must not only take her sisters place in the games, but she must survive to ensure that her sister (and family and community) are safe in the long term. What Katniss wants: safety. What Katniss actually has: lots of danger. The plot follows her struggle to transition from what she has to what she wants. You can use any examples you wish, but the point is to get students thinking about not just what happens to their characters, but how their characters actively change their circumstances to achieve their goals. Using the worksheet below, have them think about what it is their characters will experience and accomplish in the story.

Editing
No matter what theyre writing, encourage all students to find a trusted friend or teacher or parent who can help them edit their work. Ask them to think about what kinds of comments will be constructive for them to both getand giveon writing projects. Here, I like to quote from author Christopher Paolini in an interview he did on www .teenreads.com. He talked about the process of writing Eragon, which he started when he was a teen. Telling Paolinis story (or one like it) helps show that teens can write and get publishedthough it does require a good amount of work and determination. As Paolini says: Editing and revision are two of the most important tools for forging a great book. With my parents advice, I was able to clarify my descriptions, streamline my logic, and quicken the pace of the story so that Eragon read the way that I had intended it to.

Encouragement

Even at a young age I enjoyed writing short stories and poems, and though most of them were quite awful.
C. Paolini I love using additional quotations from Paolini throughout the workshop because it shows he wasnt (a) totally a rock star writer at first and (b) that he had to practice at writing a lot. More good quotations and early interviews with Paolini can be found here: www.teenreads. com/authors/au-paolini-christopher.asp

Market Info
Now that students have worked to make their story the best it can be, what do they do with it? The Get Your Work Out There handout lists some online sites and print publications that primarily accept work by teens and that also offer resources to teen writers. I usually share the list, then ask kids to talk about which venues look good to them and why. If they have fear or trepidation about submitting their work, more encouragement can go a long way. I personally share rejection letters Ive received from publishers and magazines to let them know that rejection is part of the process, but it doesnt mean that their work isnt any good, or that publishing is impossible. 148

Dont Forget to Write for the Secondary Grades

Copyright 2011 by 826 National

CHARACTER WORK
Character Name

Date of Birth

Favorite Food

Favorite Song

Worst thing that ever happened to this character

Best thing that ever happened to him or her

Most dominant character trait (examples: angry, bubbly, excitable, nervous, timid, courageous)what happened to make him or her like that?

What the character wants to be when he or she grows up

Favorite clothing item

Hobbies

Copyright 2011 by 826 National

PLOTTING ALONG
What is the characters situation when the story starts?

What does he or she want that is different from the current situation?

How will the character achieve his or her goals?

How will he or she change in the process?

Copyright 2011 by 826 National

GET YOUR WORK OUT THERE!

online
www.teenink.com
Teen Ink Magazine is for teens, written by teens, about teens. You can submit your work electronically for their site, and they also occasionally publish books. You can friend them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to their newsletter to get information, participate in contests, and more.

www.kidsonthenet.org.uk/
Kids on the Net has a Creative Writing site where you can share your work with others, and get tips on how to write. Your writing is available for others to read and comment on.

www.write4fun.net/
Write for Fun has great contests you can enter for free to win cash and prizes.

www.tinyurl.com/krpmad
Poets.org has launched an online site for teens. You can get help writing poems, and you can create and submit poetry notebooks that others can read and share.

www.weeklyreader.com/spc
For kids who like to write nonfiction, Weekly Reader magazine has a nonfiction student publishing contest, and other ways to share work on the site.

www.teenlit.com/teens.php
Teen Lit is a place to read and write book reviews, not to mention read and share work. They also have writing tips and contests.

print
Teen Voices
(for girls between the ages of 13 and 19) P.O. Box 120027 Boston, MA 021120027 www.teenvoices.com

Merlyns Pen
The publication is still largely print, though you can submit your work online here: www .merlynspen.org/write/submit.php

Stone Soup
Submissions Dept. P.O. Box 83 Santa Cruz, CA 95063 www.stonesoup.com

Copyright 2011 by 826 National

learn more
Teens Guide to Getting Published for Prot, Recognition, and Academic Success by Jessica Dunn amzn.to/fr0bcT

BEWARE THE SCAMS!

If anyone wants money from you in the publishing process, its probably a scam. No one should ever have to pay to see their work published. Some contests do require an entry fee, but most contests for teens do not. If anyone ever asks you for money to publish your work, show the request to an adult or teacher to nd out if its legit.