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Sunan21: Hello everyone
JsmnStrm: Okay, I'm ready to cover surf. :)
TheUsurpKing: Hi all
GalloDon: Is this where I start?
HOST WPLC Lyric: Yes, I'm stuck in NY and borrowing a friends computer so I
cannot log, so please Gabby, would you?
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G1ft0fgabn0t: Jas, I can cover backup.
G1ft0fgabn0t: <~Logging
HOST WPLC Lyric: I have 10:01 is that about right?
G1ft0fgabn0t: yuppers :)
Dhewco: yeah
HOST WPLC Dee R: And I'll do the back up
HOST WPLC Dee R: Don is here promptly
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Don, we'll wait another four minutes for the room to settle
down if that's okay?
Dhewco: what's the topic tonight
HOST WPLC Lyric: Adam , are you greeting?
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Tonight we welcome Don Gallo noted editor of Young Adult
short story anthologies to Writing to Publish
Braguine: Gutt iffnincks, Room Roomies
BrownDvs: AYe
HOST WPLC Lyric: This will be a protocol session.
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G1ft0fgabn0t: <><><clapping><><>
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SPultz: Hi All
HOST WPLC Lyric: We are very lucky to have someone like Don tell us the
inside scoop on YA fiction.
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GalloDon: Fine with me.
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HOST WPLC Lyric: so I'd like everyone to welcome him now.
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HOST WPLC Lyric: :::: APPLAUSE::::::
GwynnaL: <><><><><><>
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TrounceM13: Thanks for taking the time, Mr. Gallo.
Sunan21: Welcome Don
HOST WPLC Dee R: Glad to have you with us, Don
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BornToVector: Welcome Mr Gallo
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SPultz: welcome Don,thanks for your time
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GalloDon: I'm happy to be here. Thanks.
Fjm3eyes: Hello, Mr. Gallo
SteeIBtrfl: Hello everyone - :::waves:::
G1ft0fgabn0t: Steel***
JsmnStrm: Hi stee
JsmnStrm: steel,
JsmnStrm: lol
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Protocol works differently in this chat. We MAY take
comments ! before questions ? provided they are ON POINT
Fjm3eyes: he Steel
HOST WPLC Lyric: Please do not abuse this priviledge, k?
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AttyBBlack: k
HOST WPLC Lyric: All colors and bolded fots should be off except for the
hosts and Don
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AttyBBlack: I think I've dated a couple of bolded fots
G1ft0fgabn0t: roflol
HOST WPLC Lyric: fonts
HOST WPLC Lyric: sorry guys! :-[
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Okay, Let's get started. Don, will you tell us a little
about yourself and maybe more about what YA fiction is?
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Trina Pink: Sorry I'm late! Trouble with AOL. I had to reboot. :-(
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Don is having some AOL problems so lets be patient, k?
GalloDon: This is tough, since I c an't cut and paste more than a line or
two. I'll try.
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HOST WPLC Lyric: If anyone has questions please address them to DeeR or
Sushi, because I'm not at a computer that I know,
JES No Time: Hi All
GalloDon: A word of caution first: I was cut off AOL several times earlier
today for no apparent reason, plus the connection between my modem and the
phone line has worked itself loose three times today.
COUNTRYFAN07: can anyone give me a tpic to write about?
Fjm3eyes: Hi Jes
HOST WPLC Dee R: We're used to AOL, so we'll understand, LOL
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GalloDon: But if suddenly you stop hearing from me in the middle of this
chat, you’ll know why, and I’ll get right back on as quickly as I
can—probably in less than a minute.
HOST WPLC Lyric: we sure do! country, we're in protocol
COUNTRYFAN07: protocol?
GalloDon: Before I talk about writing and publishing short stories, you need
to know that I have never published a short story myself. In fact, I’ve
never published any fiction. I’ve written mostly informational things,
academic things.
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GalloDon: Because I was first a junior high school English teacher and then
a university professor for nearly 40 years, I wrote a number of articles that
were published in professional journals;
MEIE6: :-D
GalloDon: I wrote reading guides; I wrote reports and analyses. I published
a book that is a combination of biography and literary criticism of author
Richard Peck.
JsmnStrm: Meie, I can't IM you... Please turn on your IM's.
HOST WPLC Sushi: [MEIE you are not taking IMs so I just emailed you]
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GalloDon: I’ve also written reading textbooks for seventh and eighth
graders, including the student workbook lessons. And lots of book reviews.
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GalloDon: The bulk of my publications have been things I’ve edited.
Dhewco: so you're the one to blame for the nightmare that was 8th grade:P?
HOST WPLC Dee R: Dhewco, we're on protocol
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GalloDon: Ha! Love it.
COUNTRYFAN07: ?
GalloDon: I'm having trouble cutting and pasting stuff I;ved previously
written that's more than two ,lines long. It won't fit in the allotted
space.
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Country we will open the queue to questions much later on
HOST WPLC Lyric: hold questions for now, guys
HOST WPLC Dee R: Don, if I can add, that I've read your editing of YA short
story collections have done more than enything else to establish the genre
and a market for it.
HOST WPLC Dee R: I'm saying that, in case, you're shy...lol
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GalloDon: True. Someone named me the godfather of the young adult short
story.
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HOST WPLC Dee R: Yes, a good title...lol
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PMCx85: Hey
HOST WPLC Lyric: We're in protocol PMC
HOST WPLC Lyric: talking about YA fiction
GalloDon: I was teaching English and realized that there were no collections
of good short stories for teens written hby a variety of authors who wrote
novels for kids.
PMCx85: so no color.. got it.
GalloDon: So I asked several authors if they'd be interested in writing a
story--some said yes. I appropached two publishers about the idea. One said
yes. .
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JsmnStrm: ...
JsmnStrm: (sorry, thought my screen froze)
HOST WPLC Dee R: nope, it didn't
HOST WPLC Lyric: Guys, Please be patient, poor Don is having AOL problems
HOST WPLC Lyric: he's trying as best he can
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HOST WPLC Lyric: We're sorry this is slow, but it will be worth while
TrounceM13: Just an excuse, I tell you. Who has ever had an AOL problem?
JsmnStrm: LOLOL
HOST WPLC Dee R: lol
BrownDvs: lol
Genjii555: LOL
G1ft0fgabn0t: tee hee
COUNTRYFAN07: uh me
HOST WPLC Lyric: While we're waiting for Don, how many here have written YA?
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G1ft0fgabn0t: I have
HOST WPLC Lyric: shout out
HOST WPLC Lyric: me
AttyBBlack: me
G1ft0fgabn0t: ME
Fjm3eyes: not me
The13thDr: considering it
Genjii555: I've made attempts at it
Rainlyte: Lyric, I've not written young adult but I am writting curriculum.
Trina Pink: I have a little (short story only).
PMCx85: What exactly is YA?
BrownDvs: "Not I," said Adam <-------------all hail Dr. Suess.
HOST WPLC Dee R: I have...short story and book
G1ft0fgabn0t: <~Daugher is with me tonight and SHE writes YA too ;)
Fjm3eyes: at least, I don't think so :)
HOST WPLC Lyric: so that's great and applicable here Rainlyte
BrownDvs: <-------is honored to be in same room with Gabby and daughter.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Okay, to help out don, I'm going to copy and paste his
lecture here
Kathi Smith 116: no YA but i write short stories
HOST WPLC Lyric: please note that this is from Don not me
Genjii555: Oooo.. Donna I could see you writing stuff like that... oh, darn
it, what's her name
HOST WPLC Dee R: Lyric to the rescued
HOST WPLC Lyric: I will post in Black as Don
BrownDvs: I've already fallen in love with Donna's story.
HOST WPLC Dee R: lol Tiff
HOST WPLC Lyric: Everything else I’ve edited has been directed at teenagers:
a book of one-act plays, two volumes of autobiographies of
Genjii555: That author with all the scary YA stories
HOST WPLC Lyric: authors who write for teenagers, and a dozen anthologies of
short stories for teenagers. For each of those anthologies, I
HOST WPLC Dee R: okay...back to protocol
HOST WPLC Sushi: Our guest Country hopes to write YA
The13thDr: Stine
HOST WPLC Lyric: have been responsible for contacting the authors, editing
their work, and putting the materials together, including my writing
The13thDr: R.L. ?? Stine
HOST WPLC Lyric: brief introductions to each of the stories, the
introductions to the books themselves, and the biographical sketches of the
contributing authors.
GalloDon: YA stands for young adult. No group has yet agreed on what ages
YA is. But most agree that it equals teenagers.
HOST WPLC Lyric: It’s been my working with numerous authors—the most highly
respected and most honored people in the field—over more
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HOST WPLC Lyric: than 20 years that has given me the insights into whatever
knowledge I possess about the writing and publishing process. Among those
authors are Richard Peck, Jack Gantos, Walter
HOST WPLC Lyric: Dean Myers, M.E. Ker, Robert Lipsyte, Jane Yolen, Joan
Aiken, Chris Crutcher, Jerry Spinelli, Ron Koertge, Joan Bauer, and Virginia
Euwer Wolff. During the past two and a
HOST WPLC Lyric: half years I also have been conducting extensive interviews
with authors, such as those above, who write for teens, for a website
HOST WPLC Lyric: called Authors4Teens.com. (I’ve completed 42 interviews to
date and am currently in the middle of three others.) Among
HOST WPLC Lyric: the many (as many as 70) questions I ask each author are
ones about their writing processes and publishing experiences. So in
HOST WPLC Lyric: addition to having the reputation of being “the godfather
of the young adult short story” and having edited more anthologies
HOST WPLC Lyric: for teenagers than anyone else ever has, I can provide you
with insights about writing fiction that I have learned from the best
HOST WPLC Lyric: in the business. And I can, of course, talk about my own
processes and experiences writing nonfiction.
HOST WPLC Lyric: So that’s my background. I hope it makes me sound like I
know what I’m going to talk about instead of sending you scurrying to another
chat group.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Are there any questions or comments about my background
before I start explaining how my interest in short stories developed? ga
HOST WPLC Dee R: Nope, it does sound good...
BrownDvs: Sounds good to me.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Don, one of our absent members, Pheeren, wants to know when
YA fiction started, and when the YA short started?
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G1ft0fgabn0t: ?
COUNTRYFAN07: ?
GalloDon: Good question. Contemporary YA books started in 1967.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Which is considered the first?
GalloDon: Then S.E. Hinton published THE OUTSIDERS and there were a couple
of others.
BrownDvs: ?
GalloDon: The Contender by Lipsyte. Mr and M<rs. bo Jo Jones by An Head.
GalloDon: That's ANN, not An
HOST WPLC Lyric: Okay, Country had a question way back when, Country ga
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HOST WPLC Dee R: ?
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Please have your questions ready guys
COUNTRYFAN07: How can I wirte a pretty long book but not get writers block?
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GalloDon: How I got involved in compiling and editing short story
anthologies. And why short stories?
COUNTRYFAN07: Some times I cant write that much because I run ut of thiungs
to say
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GalloDon: The cure for writer's block is to keep writing. No other way.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Gabby ga
PMCx85: You take breaks inbetween..
GalloDon: If you've run out of things to say, you're done.
G1ft0fgabn0t: What are your goals for the website for which you're
interviewing authors and will you accept stories from new writers too or just
ones with a great number of credentials? ga
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Adam be ready to post your question when I say ga
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GalloDon: The website--Authors4Teens.com--is interviews of major autghors
along with their bibs and photos, mainly.
Genjii555: ?
GalloDon: I choose the authors--starting with the most famous people I know.
I ask a number of them to write a short story (or send me an old one that has
never
GalloDon: been published), the only requirements being that the story is
original, that it is about a teenager or teenagers, and that it is an
interesting story that teens would enjoy.
GalloDon: That has been the same requirement for every book I’ve compiled,
except that now I also ask authors to write on specific themes.
GalloDon: (My first three collections did not have a planned theme, though
each of them does contain a kind of focus, and I also grouped the stories in
each of those collections into related categories.)
HOST WPLC Lyric: Don are there stories on the website too?
Witnes4JC: ?
GalloDon: That procedure presents an insurmountable problem for almost all
of you here this evening: I can’t invite you to submit a story for any of my
future
SPultz: ?
GalloDon: collections because my publishers insist that all contributors be
well known in the field of books for young adults. It’s not fair to new
authors, certainly, but
GalloDon: my publishers believe that recognizable names, along with my name,
will help sell more books.
GalloDon: Not all publishers and editors operate this way. A couple of
anthologies I’ve read recently have included a couple of relatively unknown
authors, but my suspicion is
GalloDon: that those writers were personal friends of the compiling editor.
So the problem is still the same old one: Who you know is often more
important than what you are capable of.
GalloDon: If you are interested in publishing short fiction for teen readers
and you don’t have a close friend who just happens to be compiling a new
collection of stories, what are your alternatives?
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GalloDon: There are an extremely limited number of magazines that publish
short stories for young adults. One is Scholastic SCOPE magazine, published
by Scholastic.
GalloDon: Another is READ magazine, published by Weekly Reader. A third is
CICADA, from Carus Publishing that also publishes CRICKET for younger kids.
GalloDon: Much of what they publish is reprints of stories published
elsewhere—like from my anthologies—but they do also look for new things.
GalloDon: However, like adult magazines with literary content, they receive
hundreds of submissions each year and publish only a handful of new pieces.
GalloDon: The other alternative is to do a whole collection of your own
stories and try to get that published.
GalloDon: Although the market for short story collections has never been
better, the only collections by an individual author that I’ve seen in the
past couple of years have come from established writers
Trina Pink: !
BALSKANDER: ?
GalloDon: (e.g., Walter Dean Myers, Bruce Coville, Chris Lynch, Graham
Salisbury).
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GalloDon: I think it’s tougher to find a publisher for a book of short
stories than it is for a novel because short stories don’t sell as well as
novels, generally.
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GalloDon: Part of the reason for that, I believe, is that avid readers
prefer novels, just because they are longer and more involved.
GalloDon: Among teens, short stories have greater appeal to more reluctant
readers, most of whom are boys—and those are the kinds of kids who are less
likely to buy books.
GalloDon: So the educational market and public libraries are where short
story books sell best, and even there, English teachers and librarians are
not as fond of short stories as they are of novels.
GalloDon: If you do try to put together a collection of your own stories, it
will be better if all of your stories fit a specific theme, as opposed to a
random group of stories on a variety of topics.
GalloDon: For example, all of the stories might deal with parental
conflicts, or be about dating, or wizards, or peer pressure, or realizing the
unfairness of life—something that gives the book a focus.
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GalloDon: (Librarians and teachers are happier when a book fits into a
specific theme category than if it’s just short stories in general.)
GalloDon: Questions? Comments? That was a lot to digest.
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Adam, ga
BrownDvs: Out of curiosity, what would you say is the top age for YA? When
you said teens, would that include even 18 and/or 19?
G1ft0fgabn0t: Thank you. I appreciate your candor and advice
HOST WPLC Lyric: yes, excellent Don
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BrownDvs: And yes, very thorough Don. gaq
BrownDvs: ga
Fjm3eyes: ?
HOST WPLC Lyric: Trina be prepared to post your comment
GalloDon: Top age? Nobody knows. I've heard of 30 year old guys in prisons
devouring this stuff.
HOST WPLC Lyric: lol
GalloDon: But mostly the top age is high school--18 or so. The more able
readers are already into adult things.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Don, can you explain what makes YA YA?
BrownDvs: lol, No, I meant of the main character to be considered a YA
story. ga
Kathi Smith 116: ?
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GalloDon: Some people believe that a YA book is anything teens read on their
own.
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GalloDon: My feeling is that a YA book has a teen as a main character and
deals with teen issues, mainly.
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BrownDvs: lol, Well that makes it pretty general then I would think.
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GalloDon: The dialogue sounds like real teens talking.
HOST WPLC Lyric: must it always be angst?
GalloDon: The narrator is usually a teen.
GalloDon: The plots are not extremely comples--not like Steinbeck, e.g.
GalloDon: That's complex, not comples.
BrownDvs: Okay, so 18 and/or 19 would be the tops for the age of the
narrator or protag?
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Trina ga
Trina Pink: Another place to submit short stories is church magazines and
Sunday School papers. They still print fiction (albeit religious/spiritual).
GalloDon: And the length of a typical YA novel is about 200 pages.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Okay, Donna, ga
HOST WPLC Dee R: What trends do you see in YA...and has the Harry Potter
books made significant trends towards fantasy?
HOST WPLC Dee R: ga
GalloDon: Yes, to Q about top age.
BrownDvs: Thanks. :-) ga
GalloDon: There has always been a group of kids interested in fantasy, but
HP has expanded that group--certainly.
HOST WPLC Dee R: Any other trends?
GalloDon: HP has also changed the length of books that kids choose to read!
HOST WPLC Lyric: or the publishers preconceived notions?
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AttyBBlack: ?
GalloDon: One of the most important developments in the past three years has
been tghe creation of m ore sophisticated novels for teens--with really
serious issues.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Is YA considered HOT?
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GalloDon: Previously, most YA books appealed to middle school kids--grades
6-8.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Tiffany, be ready to post
HOST WPLC Lyric: Tiffany ga
Genjii555: Donna sort of touched on my question, but:
Genjii555: Are there any subgenres within YA that seem to work better w/
teens such as sci-fi, romance, mystery... which seems to be the most
promising or popular with teens? And do you see any promise for ethnic teen
novels?
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GalloDon: YA, I'm told, is hotter than adult books. Several adult authors
have published novels for teens in the past year or so: Hiassen, Julia
Alvarez, Joyce Carol Oates.
HOST WPLC Dee R: that's right, Joyce Carol Oates...
GalloDon: Genjii555: romance used to be the most popular with girls, but not
any longer. Then it was mysteries--but there haven't been many of those
this year.
HOST WPLC Lyric: what is the hottest subgenre now?
HOST WPLC Lyric: Witness ga
Witnes4JC: Gallo how best to approach a short story that sends a message
teens dont nesacerily want to hear?Like say abstance from sex? ga
GalloDon: Evewryone, of course, wants to capitalize on the Potter books. So
yes, fantasy and SF are popular. But the biggest area is
realism--contemporary issues.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Shirley be ready please
GalloDon: You can't send messages to teens. (Nor to adults.) The key thing
is to tell a story. Period. Any message has to be secondary and subtle.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Shirley ga
SPultz: my question was answered ,I wondered if serious real life issues
sold well as fiction to YA
HOST WPLC Lyric: Frank be ready to post
GalloDon: Another thing about what's hot: graphic novels--ie. comicbook
types--are very hot, especially with less able readers.
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GalloDon: Yes, SPultz.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Frank ga
Fjm3eyes: Don, can you comment on the YA horror matket? Like R.L. Stein?
/GA
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GalloDon: Stein is out of favor for the most part. Horror is always somewhat
popular, but it's no where near as hot as it was just a few years ago.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Bev please be ready to post
HOST WPLC Lyric: actually Bev ga
AttyBBlack: Is Harry Potter considered YA or middle reader? And what's the
difference between the two? ga
GalloDon: Would you like some thoughts about what makes a gvood short story.
(I have some prepared.)
AttyBBlack: skip my question
GalloDon: HP is mainly a middle grade reader, but it's read by all
ages--all, really.
HOST WPLC Dee R: ?
HOST WPLC Lyric: Okay, let's let our last question from Balksander go ahead
HOST WPLC Lyric: and then if you would make those comments, don?
HOST WPLC Lyric: Balk ga
Fjm3eyes: I would, Don
BALSKANDER: My earlier question was answered so I wondered if there is a
market for stories with gay teens?
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HOST WPLC Lyric: we will hold all questions until Don is done with his
comments on short stories, okay gang?
GalloDon: Gay teens--yes. Read the collection COMING OUT FROM THE SILENCE,
ed. by Marion Dane Bauer and LOVE AND SEX ed. by Michael Cart.
GalloDon: Okay--teen stories.
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GalloDon: What makes a good short story for teenagers? Basically the same
things that make a good novel or play, with the added requirement of brevity,
so everything has to be compacted.
GalloDon: You can’t spend a whole chapter developing character; you need to
do that in a few paragraphs.
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GalloDon: You can’t ease into the conflict; you need to get to it
immediately—the opening line isn’t too soon. In fact, I give more attention
to the beginnings of stories than to any other part.
GalloDon: I like to see some action in the opening paragraph, or at least an
attention-getting first sentence. Grab the reader by the collar, if not the
neck, immediately.
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GalloDon: Like Richard Peck does in “Shadows” (from Visions):
GalloDon: From the very beginning I knew the place was haunted. I wasn’t
frightened. Far from it. Ghosts were the company I came to count on.
GalloDon: You know immediately what this story is going to be about, and you
already know something important about the narrator.
GalloDon: [Incidentally, all of the examples I’ll give here will be from one
of my anthologies.]
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GalloDon: Or this one from “Midnight Snack” by Diane Duane (in Sixteen):
Dad came down with the flu that week, so I had to go down to the subway and
feed the unicorns.
GalloDon: Unicorns in the New York subway? And this kid feeds them? Gotta
read that one.
GalloDon: Or this, my favorite opening line, by Will Weaver, from “The
Photograph” (in No Easy Answers): “Naked?”
GalloDon: Just a one word paragraph. (Something your English teachers told
you never to use—right?) That one word gets a lot more attention than some
lengthy setup. It makes it impossible not to want to read further.
GalloDon: And then you find out the naked person was the girl’s phys.ed
teacher who was seen skinny dipping in a nearby lake, and the high school
football players discussing it
GalloDon: feel they must have a look for themselves. And try to photograph
her. So you’ve GOT to find out where that leads.
GalloDon: In one way, short stories are easier to write than novels because
with a short story you have to write only a few pages--maybe 12 to 20
manuscript pages--compared with 200 or more pages for a novel.
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GalloDon: If the writing goes well, you could complete a story in a week,
maybe less, instead of the months and months you might spend constructing a
novel.
Thunder21Storm: ?
GalloDon: But, as I said, for some people short stories are harder to write
than novels because everything has to be done in a shorter space.
GalloDon: CHARACTERS & CONFLICTS It’s probably a toss-up whether the
characters or the conflicts are more important in good stories.
GalloDon: When you are thinking about what to write, you can begin to
formulate your story either by creating an interesting character or by
conceiving a thought-provoking conflict.
GalloDon: But a good story needs both interesting characters and a strong
conflict.
GalloDon: Whether you are writing a novel or a short story for teens, you
MUST have an interesting main character. And in most works for young adults,
that main character is a teenager.
GalloDon: I’ve read some stories directed at teenagers where the main
character is an adult or a younger child--there’s nothing wrong with either
of those approaches, if the resulting story is good.
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GalloDon: But I figure that if I expect these stories to attract teenagers,
and most teenagers want to read about characters who are like themselves,
then the main focus of these stories
GalloDon: ought to be teenagers and their problems, not little kids or
adults and their problems. The choice is yours: you have to balance what you
want to say with who you expect to read it.
GalloDon: Also, most stories and novels for young adults are written in the
first person, and that narrator is almost always a teenager.
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GalloDon: First person stories seem to create a greater intimacy between the
story and the reader, because the narrator seems to be speaking directly to
the reader as a friend.
GalloDon: Your character should be placed in situations that almost every
teenager is likely to face. Or at least be able to consider what he or she
would do if placed in that situation.
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GalloDon: One such character is Seth in Todd Strasser’s very popular story
“On the Bridge” (in Visions). Seth is an ordinary, pretty good kid who
admires the tough guy in his school, Adam.
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GalloDon: . Except that emulating Adam leads Seth into trouble that he
didn’t expect.
GalloDon: Perfect for middle school kids, especially for boys who want to
act macho but who follow a leader who deserves no respect.
GalloDon: This doesn’t mean that all your characters have to be contemporary
American kids, especially white female, suburban, middle school kids (who are
the ones who buy the most books).
GalloDon: But if your main character is someone out of the ordinary, like
the Laotian teenage refugee Saeng, in “The Winter Hibiscus” by Minfong Ho (in
Join In),
GalloDon: it is helpful if that character has something in common with
ordinary teenage readers.
GalloDon: In Saeng’s case, she is about to take the test for her driver’s
license, something almost every 16 or 17 year old in America does,
GalloDon: and she’s so worried about failing that she does just that. Easy
for any teenager to identify with.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Don, let us know when you're ready for questions again.
GalloDon: The conflict or the main issue in your story should not only be
appealing, but it’s even better if it makes readers think.
GalloDon: That story I mentioned earlier, about the skinny-dipping teacher,
is interesting just in the situation that’s created initially.
GalloDon: The teacher does skinny-dip and one guy does get a photographs of
her . . . and a lot more. How they obtain those photographs makes for
entertaining reading.
GalloDon: But what the boys do with those photographs makes the story even
more interesting, and that’s not just entertaining, but it also provides
readers with the opportunity to think about making sensible
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GalloDon: choices and being responsible for the consequences of one’s
actions. However, you must be careful to let the story imply the lesson; you
should never preach or moralize. Teens can think for themselves.
GalloDon: I'll take Qs now. Then I can talk about dialogue, etc. if you
want.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Donna ga
HOST WPLC Dee R: Are there agents who specialize in YA fiction? And where
can we find out about them
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Thunder be ready to post and then we'll go on to dialog
Thunder21Storm: Is it a good idea to write alot of little short stories to
make a series? Or are short stories not good at being added no to?
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GalloDon: Yes--lots of them. Where top find them--I'm not sure off the top
of my head. The SCBWI has a lits, I know.
Zplume: Hi room
HOST WPLC Lyric: zplume we're in protocol
Thunder21Storm: shhh
GalloDon: That's the Soc. of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, but
you need to be a member to get the list.
Thunder21Storm: ok thanks
Zplume: protocol?
HOST WPLC Lyric: thunder can you clarify your question please?
HOST WPLC Dee R: thank you
HOST WPLC Lyric: zplume Sushi will greet you please wait
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GalloDon: Thunder, pls clarify.
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Well, I don't know what happened to Thunder, Don will you
please continue with dialogue then?
GalloDon: Sure.
GalloDon: You can tell your story in a variety of ways, but just remember:
Kids hate lengthy descriptions and love lively dialogue. Here’s a bit of
dialog from the beginning of Ron Koertge’s “Duet” (from No Easy Answers):
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GalloDon: “Betsy, you’ve got to sleep with me. I’m going crazy.”
There was this long silence at the other end of the line. Then she said,
“Okay.”
GalloDon: I couldn’t believe my ears. “You mean it?” “Right now. This
instant. Drop everything and get over here.”
GalloDon: I looked out my bedroom door, as if I could see down the
hall, down the stairs to the dining room.” “But Mom’s got dinner on the
table.”
GalloDon: “Well, then I guess you’ve missed your chance, haven’t you?”
“Can’t you wait until tonight?”
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GalloDon: “And play second fiddle to a pork chop? No way.”
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GalloDon: There’s no way anyone can teach you to write such clever dialogue,
but that’s the kind of example you have to aim to emulate. There's no way
I can teach you how to write dialog like that, but it's a good example . . .
GalloDon: to try to emulate.
HOST WPLC Lyric: Gee, I can't come up with good lines like that at MY age!
So is that really what teens sound like?
GalloDon: And one more very important thing:
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GalloDon: CATCHY TITLE No one should ever have to say that a good story or
a good novel (or a good anything) should start with an attractive,
attention-getting title.
SOKRPLYR40: lyric.. how old are you?
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GalloDon: But I’ve read some good stories that have awfully dull titles.
GalloDon: Although the title might not be the first thing you write when
you’re starting a new story (for some people, in fact, it’s the last thing
they struggle with), it’s the first thing any
BrownDvs: Don't ask SOKRPLY, she's just putting us on anyway. She's a young
lady, not old attall.
GalloDon: reader—especially any editor—sees. It’s the first impression you
make with your story.
GalloDon: If a reader is leafing through a magazine or a collection of
stories, one title is going to catch that reader’s attention more than the
others. You want that title to be yours.
SOKRPLYR40: k
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GalloDon: Consider the following pairs of titles (they are all from real
stories). Which one of each pair would you read first?
Thunder21Storm: shhhh
GalloDon: “The Child” or “The Boy with Yellow Eyes”
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GalloDon: “Shotgun Cheatham’s Last Night Above Ground”? or “Dancer”
GalloDon: “The All-American Slurp” or “Dawn”
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GalloDon: “Hamish Mactavish Is Eating a Bus” or “The Wedding Cake in the
Middle of the Road”
GalloDon: Except in the last case where both sound weirdly interesting, the
decision is easy. This is not to suggest that the stories that follow the
less interesting titles are not good stories.
GalloDon: But why risk someone’s skipping over your otherwise very good
story because your title wasn’t attractive? Make the effort. (But don’t be
too cutsey.)
HOST WPLC Sushi: Thunder had a computer glitch and hopes to try his Q again
GalloDon: Enough for now. Q's?
Thunder21Storm: ok
HOST WPLC Lyric: Thunder ga
HOST WPLC Dee R: Don, you have given us valuable information
GalloDon: Thanks.
Thunder21Storm: When I write my stories do they have to be long to write
sequils
HOST WPLC Lyric: Thunder do mean novels or short stories?
Thunder21Storm: short stories
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GalloDon: Lyric, your q about do teens really talk like that? Maybe. Maybe
no. But it read well--no?
HOST WPLC Lyric: absolutely!
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Well, it's getting late
GalloDon: I don't know how to ans. your q, Thunder.
Thunder21Storm: so if they are to short I should not write sequils?
SOKRPLYR40: lyric.. if you want to learn more about how teens talk.. study
some lyrics of bands that teens are into.. i can tell you.. at age 17.. so
many of our thoughts come from the music we listen to
HOST WPLC Lyric: Thunder the best advice I ever received was just to WRITE,
the length will come in time
GalloDon: A sequel comes only when the first book demands to have a
followup.
Thunder21Storm: ok
HOST WPLC Lyric: Anyway, thank you DON GALLO for coming tonight
Thunder21Storm: lol
G1ft0fgabn0t: <><><>Clapping<><><>
BrownDvs: ?
G1ft0fgabn0t: Thank you for a wonderful session
HOST WPLC Lyric: Is there anything new or recent you'd like us to know about
and run to our bookstores and purchase, Don?
G1ft0fgabn0t: :)
GalloDon: You are welcome. I've been glads to be here. Good luck to all of
you!
Thunder21Storm: *claping*
BALSKANDER: great chat thanks
HOST WPLC Dee R: Excellent presentation. One of the best we have had...thank
you
BrownDvs: Yes, thanks for coming Don Gallo
SOKRPLYR40: lyric..did you read what i just typed to you?
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AttyBBlack: Thank you so much. That was fantastic!
HOST WPLC Lyric: ::::: APPLAUSE:::::::::::
HOST WPLC Sushi: Thanks Prof Gallo :-D
GalloDon: Well, look for DESTINATION UNEXPECTED, my latest in hardcover, and
ON THE FRINGE, in paper. Thanks.
Thunder21Storm: :)
Dhewco: thx gollo
HOST WPLC Lyric: yes, good advice Sop
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SOKRPLYR40: yeah np
HOST WPLC Lyric: On the Fringe is wonderful guys
HOST WPLC Dee R: yes...about the music, so true
JJ Joyful: Good Evenin, All! ;-)
Sunan21: Thanks Mr. Gallo, good night all
Thunder21Storm: can we all chat about writeing now?
HOST WPLC Lyric: Can I ask how many teens are in the room right now?
Thunder21Storm: good night
HOST WPLC Dee R: I think we are open up to the public now.
HOST WPLC Lyric: or who is here under the age of twenty?
Thunder21Storm: me
SOKRPLYR40: me
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JJ Joyful:
HOST WPLC Lyric: anyone else?
G1ft0fgabn0t: <~got one with me tonight ;)
HOST WPLC Dee R: that's 2
AttyBBlack: 3
HOST WPLC Dee R: now 3
HOST WPLC Lyric: well, welcome and good luck with your writing to the
younger writers here!
Thunder21Storm: 15 almost 16
SOKRPLYR40: thanks
JJ Joyful: hey, can't teens WRITE or chat about writing too? ;-)
Thunder21Storm: thanks
HOST WPLC Dee R: Yes, you guys are the future writers
G1ft0fgabn0t: thank you
HOST WPLC Lyric: I know that those of us who write YA are grateful to Mr.
Gallo for coming
HOST WPLC Lyric: A great deal of wonderful advice tonight
AttyBBlack: This was a wonderful session
HOST WPLC Dee R: Don, I will be reading the log over more than once of
tonight's session
AttyBBlack: Thanks for arranging it
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Okay, protocol is over, open chat!
AttyBBlack: What is his website again?
HOST WPLC Lyric: Don, what is your website?
Thunder21Storm: I have allready started my first book, don't worry though
it's not short stories!
HOST WPLC Dee R: the advice you gave pertains not only to YA, but other
styles of writing
HOST WPLC Dee R: Good for you, Thunder!
GalloDon: Authors4Teens.com. I need to go to bed--it's 11:20 back here in
Cleveland, and I'm a morning person. 'Nite.
HOST WPLC Dee R: Maybe some day, we'll be reading it
Thunder21Storm: thanks
AttyBBlack: Thanks again
HOST WPLC Dee R: Night! And thanks again
Thunder21Storm: I hope so
G1ft0fgabn0t: G'nite Don. Thanks very much. :)
SOKRPLYR40: thunder
HOST WPLC Lyric: Good night Don and thank you!
SOKRPLYR40: what do you write about?
Thunder21Storm: it will be a By J.S. Beckman
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Kathi Smith 116: thank you, don, good session
Thunder21Storm: rember that name
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HOST WPLC Sushi: I just emailed 5 interested visitors
HOST WPLC Dee R: I like that...it has a ring to it
Thunder21Storm: will you?
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HOST WPLC Sushi: anyone I missed may request info from me :-)
Thunder21Storm: thanks
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SOKRPLYR40: thunder..what do you write about?
HOST WPLC Dee R: well, I'm off now. Lyric, thank you for getting us this
excellent speaker tonight
HOST WPLC Dee R: Let's give her a round of applause.
Thunder21Storm: I write about.....
G1ft0fgabn0t: Yes Sry, thanks for arranging a fantastic evening!
HOST WPLC Lyric: I'm glad you all enjoyed it
HOST WPLC Lyric: makes it worth doing
Thunder21Storm: well midevil type
HOST WPLC Lyric: :-)
G1ft0fgabn0t: <><><><>applause<><><><>
BALSKANDER: clap clap clap
Thunder21Storm: myths
AnemoneStar: thank you.
Kathi Smith 116: thank you, sry
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HOST WPLC Lyric: thanks everyone
AttyBBlack: great job Sry
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AttyBBlack: Time for bed
HOST WPLC Sushi: Tanks verra much, Lyric! :-)
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HOST WPLC Dee R: night all...
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HOST WPLC Lyric: Well, goodnight everyone
HOST WPLC Lyric: thanks to all who logged when I couldn't
HOST WPLC Lyric: like Gabby
Fjm3eyes: night Dee
G1ft0fgabn0t: Niters :)
HOST WPLC Lyric: and greeted like Paul and Jas
HOST WPLC Lyric: anyone I leave out?
HOST WPLC Lyric: Gabby please send the log to Paul, k?
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Fjm3eyes: night G1
HOST WPLC Lyric: We had a grand total of 33 people in here tonight
G1ft0fgabn0t: You got it
G1ft0fgabn0t: niters Frank
G1ft0fgabn0t: An amazing group
G1ft0fgabn0t: huge turnout for a wonderful speaker
Fjm3eyes: bye Lyric
HOST WPLC Lyric: how did some of you new people find out about the event
tonight?
HOST WPLC Lyric: sokrplyr
HOST WPLC Lyric: thunder?
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SOKRPLYR40: yeah?
SOKRPLYR40: umm
SOKRPLYR40: i searched the chatrooms
SOKRPLYR40: this one came up
HOST WPLC Lyric: so you guys stopped by for a chat about YA fiction by
chance?
HOST WPLC Lyric: that's lucky!!
G1ft0fgabn0t: sure is :)
SOKRPLYR40: i was looking for a chatroom on poetry.. but i said this would
do..
HOST WPLC Lyric: well, good chatting guys
HOST WPLC Lyric: I'm off to bed
SOKRPLYR40: later
HOST WPLC Lyric: night all!
G1ft0fgabn0t: <~logging off
Thunder21Storm: bye
BALSKANDER: night everyone
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