Wednesday, January 16, 2013

WRITERLY WISDOM: Lori Crusin Degman














It's that time again!  Every Wednesday we will sneak a peek into the world of writing and publication.  Today's author is someone I met over the past year and have discovered to be a very warm and generous spirit.  You can find Lori Crusin Degman at her website (www.Loridegman.com) or her blog (www.Loridegman.blogspot.com).  Take it away, Lori...


A Genre By Any Other Name

By Lori Crusin Degman



In doing research for this post, I discovered the categories I had always thought of as “Genres”, were really “Formats”.  I figured, there must be a lot of other writers who thought the same thing.  So, I would like to share with you the different formats and genres and help you determine which are best suited for your style of writing.  

First, you need to determine in which format you prefer to write and then, within that format, which genre appeals to you (many genres cross formats).  Here is a list of the different formats in children’s literature:

Format
Typical Length
Age Range
Content
Picture Book
32 pages;
less than 700 words
4 - 8
Text and illustrations used equally; main character is a child who solves his/her own problem; concepts or events common to children
Early Reader
48 - 64 pages;
2 - 3 page chapters;
up to 1,500 words
6 - 9
Illustrations on every page but more “grownup” looking; events to which children can relate
Chapter Book
2 - 4 sentence paragraphs;
3 - 4 page chapters; 
up to 10,000 words
7 - 10
lots of action and humor; events to which children can relate
Middle Grade
80 - 190 pages;
longer chapters;
20,000 - 40,000 words
9 - 12
conflict driven;  main character pursues goals and faces obstacles
Young Adult
40,000 - 60,000 words
12 +
teenaged main characters; coming of age; multi-themed; authentic voice
Graphic Novel
48 - 64 pages
all ages
comic book format with more pictures than words
Novel in Verse
10,000 - 20,000 words
12+
similar to young adult novels but written in free-style verse; each poem should stand alone and capture a moment or scene



Once you’ve decided which format you prefer, you need to determine which genre in children’s literature best fits what you enjoy writing.  To help you do that, I’ve developed this short test.  

Which phrase would you most likely choose to complete this sentence:  

Yesterday, my friend and I . . .

A.    climbed on our zongos and rode to the edge of floxium.
B.    ate a steak and kidney pie.
C.    helped Paul Bunyon find his ox.
D.    spoke on the telephone for the first time,” Thomas Edison announced.
E.    landed on the planet Neptune.
F.    began this personal journal.
G.    signed up to fight against the Yankees.
H.    pulled out our iphones to take pics of the cutest boy in school.
I.     looked for clues at the murder scene.
J.      climbed off our horses and mosied over to the saloon.
K.     realized we have been madly in love for years!


Match your choice above to the genres below:

A.    Fantasy
B.    Poetry
C.    Folklore
D.    Nonfiction
E.    Science Fiction
F.    Biography
G.    Historical Fiction
H.    Contemporary Fiction
I.     Mystery
J.    Western
K.    Romance

No matter in which format or genre you write, there are basic rules that apply to writing for children - though rules are made to be broken so don’t feel compelled to follow them to the letter:

  • Your story needs an arc - a clear beginning that sets up a problem for the main character, a middle in which the main character makes attempts to solve the problem (usually three attempts), and a satisfying ending in which the main character finally solves the problem.

  • Create genuine characters to whom your readers can relate and feel some kind of emotional connection - love, hate, fear, admiration . . .

  • Read as many books as you can in your genre - not to imitate, but to learn what types of things work well and what things you should avoid doing - based on your reactions to the books you’ve read.

  • Be ready to rewrite, reword, revise!







Lori Degman is a teacher of Deaf/Hard of Hearing students by day and a writer of picture books by night, weekend and school holidays.  She lives in a northern suburb of Chicago with her husband and two dogs.  Her picture book, 1 Zany Zoo was the winner of the Cheerios New Author Contest and a mini version was distributed inside 2.2 million boxes of Cheerios.  The hardcover was published by Simon & Schuster in 2010. 1 Zany Zoo won the Mother's Choice Award - Gold Level for Picture Book Humor in 2012 and has been nominated for the 2012-2013 South Carolina Picture Book Award.





27 comments:

  1. WOW! Talk about your Writerly Wisdom! Thank you for formatting a breakdown of the various kidlit genres. Knowing where you work "fits" or "belongs" can be comforting. I love the advice of creating a character that stirs emotional connections. I've gotten the same advice from Susanna Hill and have endeavored to do just that. I think this is the area that blurs my vision. Yet, I know if I can connect with my character(s), others may too. I just love this community. The learning and growing continues. And I whole-heartedly thank you.

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    1. HI Pam! I really appreciate Lori tackling this topic because I didn't know there was a difference...;~)...I'm learning as much as everyone else!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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    2. I love this community too, Pam! Children's writers and illustrators are the best!

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  2. Excellent. I loved the little quiz. I also recently discovered the difference between genre and format, but I sometimes still use the word genre incorrectly, just because I love the word. ;)

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    1. Hi Joanna! I thought Lori's test was pretty cool too. Now i've got to try and keep the differences separate in my mind...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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    2. I use 'genre' all the time too - I honestly didn't know the difference until I started doing research for this post!

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  3. Great post, Lori! Very clear and helpful, and I always love a quiz :) What does it mean that I chose more than one answer? :)

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    1. Hi Susanna! I sure am loving all this writerly wisdom! Just think how much we will have learned a year from now...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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    2. Thanks, Susanna! If you chose more than one answer, you should write something like Cowboys and Aliens :-)

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  4. Great information. My critique group and I have googled this information often, but we're never sure what we're looking at. This is a nice little summary. Thanks!

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    1. Hi Genevieve! I like this summary too! I might have to print it off and stick it above my desk...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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    2. Genevieve, when I started researching, I found a lot of different info on format and genre - you can spend forever on google searches!

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  5. Thanks so much for asking me to post, Donna, and thanks for all the thoughtful comments!

    Being writers, you'll all understand this request - Donna, I thought of a better title for this post so, would you mind changing it to "A Genre by Any Other Name"? We're always editing - aren't we?!

    I can't wait to read next week's Writerly Wisdom!!

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    1. Hi Lori! What a lovely, informative post. Thank you sooo much for being a part of this wonderful Writerly Wisdom series!

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  6. Thanks for the post, Lori! What a great chart to bookmark for reference.

    Donna, thanks for your Writerly Wisdom series :•)

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    1. Hi Penny! I'm so glad I thought of this series and I am sooooo grateful to all the wonderful guest bloggers who have committed to this next year. Talk about a fabulous resource for new and established writers!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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    2. Thanks, Penny! I know I'll be referring to the chart often!

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  7. This is an excellent graphic organizer of all the formats. Thanks, Lori! And I love your discovery quiz! Thanks, Donna!

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    1. Hi Tina! I don't know about you, but I have having a blast with this series!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  8. As Ms. Martin might know (or anyone, for that matter) I would like to write a mystery (probably a murder mystery). I love Sherlock Holmes. I like looking through magnifying glasses. Perfect for a mystery! Wait. Where's my mouse? I can't post this with out the computer mouse! Who stole it? I know what to do! Read Holmes' books!

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    1. Hi Erik! Your comment made me smile...I think you will become a good mystery writer some day. With your humor, maybe another Inspector Gadget? ;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  9. Thanks for the breakdown of genres and your excellent advice on writing a book!

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    1. Hi Mia and welcome to my blog! I'm so glad you found Lori's post helpful. There will be many more wonderful authors and writers coming for a visit on my writer's series so make sure to check out next week's post!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  10. Wow! Thanks for this lovely, useful and idiotproof breakdown, Lori! Great post!

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    1. Hi Richa! I couldn't agree more!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  11. I really enjoyed this post, and I learned a lot. Thanks!

    Kathy M.

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    1. Hi Kathy! I'm so glad you found something you could take away with this post. I am so fortunate to have wonderful authors and writers willing to be a part of this series!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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