R.L Stine on Writing, Writer’s Block and a Touch of Humor

I read an interview recently with the great R.L. Stine,* author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series. And all I can say is he continues to surprise me. Did you know he wanted to be a comedy writer? Yeah, me neither, until I saw him speak this past January at the SCBWI Winter Conference. It began a list of surreal similarities between us:

1. R.L. Stine actually worked as a comedy writer for 10 years, with Scholastic. I worked as a comedy writer for years, too. Humor was his life's goal, and for a long time, it was mine.
2. In the interview, he says he’s never had writer’s block. Ever. Me neither. But I know what he means when he says, “Some days the writing isn’t as easy or pretty as other days. But you just keep going. You know you can go back and fix it.” He’s absolute right, of course. Get that first draft done! I always say editing is easier than writing. Up to a point, anyway (but that’s a different post).
3. Mr. Stine maintains that “The easiest way to avoid writer’s block is to do a lot of preparation first.” He makes chapter-by-chapter outlines and a character list (including write-ups on their appearances and traits). I was happy to hear this because I, too, do this. Of course, don’t treat an outline as dogma, but man, does it come in handy if a story starts getting bogged down.

So how is it that R.L. Stine, the Stephen King of Kidlit, move from humor to horror? An editor asked him to try it. Which is how I started working on middle grade – an editor suggested it.

Now I can only hope Mr. Stine and I share one more similarity: success. He has sold 350 million books… and I'm 350 million behind him.

But I’m working on it.

*Interview appeared in the Gotham Writer’s Workshop

Writers Conference Review

It's been a week since I returned from the SCBWI Winter Conference in New York, but I've had little time to post, although some time to reflect. Plenty of the professional writers who spoke (among them R.L. Stine, Jules Feiffer, and Jane Yolen) mentioned the opportunity this writers conference offers to network, to meet editors and find closed houses open to you -- if only for a submission or two.

They're right, of course. SCBWI opens up opportunities to meet editors who are all but unreachable otherwise. The majority of your networking, however, will be with other writers and illustrators. Not bad, mind you. They can make you better at your craft, send tips your way (and rumors!), and open even more doors. Conferences, recommendations and writers groups are wonderful things.

Of the three workshops I attended, I found Alessandra Balzer's of B+B (hey, that first B is for Balzer!) the most helpful. It was on book marketing. Most of what she relayed I already know or am doing, but there was one gem that got my wheels spinning. Not so much the advice -- "find something the market doesn't have, something it needs but doesn't know it needs" -- but how to pitch something that falls in that vein suddenly formed in my head. Something that the kidlit market has little of, but maybe, just maybe, I can fill. Will have to talk with Scholastic Press more on this one. Later in the day, I threw Alessandra a one-line pitch, based on her suggestions of the typical Hollywood this meets that pitch: Leaping Lemmings as Naked Mole Rat meets Humpty Dumpty. She said she loved Naked Mole Rat and couldn't wait to see my manuscript. B+B already has it, but it seemed like the right pitch anyway.

I was also impressed that Ms. Balzer remembered me from the night before -- at the SCBWI VIP party. She was making the rounds with Mo Willems. Yeah, that Mo Willems. Mo and I talked about stand-up comedy for maybe ten minutes. When Alessandra and Mo approached, I was talking with Mo's agent, Marcia Wernick, who just that week started her own agency. OK, yes, I freely admit it. The best part of  SCBWI NY was the VIP party. It's where the real networking gets done. I ran into Dianne Hess from Scholastic Press again, and Nancy Castaldo and I attempted to recruit her for the Capital District SCBWI Conference Falling Leaves this November. I talked Type I diabetes with Arthur Levine, also from Scholastic. I ran into Ruta Rimas, from B+B, who has Lemmings, and I spoke briefly with Rotem Moscovich. Well, I had to. Not only did she provide a great critique of The Bossy Witch some time ago, but I received a rejection letter from Cartwheel telling me she was no longer there. Turns out she jumped to Disney/Hyperion. Good to know. I also talked at great length to the very talented Katia Wish, the winner of the Tomie de Paolo art award. Great party (um, yeah, open bar... why do you ask?), good conversation, and I am thrilled -- absolutely thrilled -- to have attended.

Now about next year...

WRITERS CONFERENCE CHECKLIST



SCBWI 2009 Conference
by Rita Crayon Huang



As the saying goes, writers write. And they should write down everything, including a writers conference checklist. I’m two days out from leaving for the SCBWI Winter Conference and here’s what I’ve done so far…

 

1. Written a one-line pitch for every book. This is a pitch. Keep it short and hook ‘em right away. I’ve seen editors and agents drift away (not to mention potential readers and buyers!) as authors launch into some long-winded description about their book. "It's about a boy, um, raised by wolves after his parents died, only his parents are actually living with a clan of bears, which is a problem because the humans, who live in a nearby village, have turned to their spirit gods to forever separate man and animal, and..." Bored yet? So are most people, even if they listen politely. Get to the point. Every manuscript can be described in one line, two at most.
2. Written a three-line pitch for every book. If they’re intrigued after one line...
3. Read interviews with some of the attendees. A few are on the SCBWI blog, a few in other places. Unlikely I’ll meet any of these people among the thousands in attendance, but you never know. One of my favorite PBS hosts (John Forde, Mental Engineering) sat at my table during a media luncheon. He was impressed that I knew who he was (and that I genuinely loved his show). We hung out for three days after that. Be ready.
4. Memorized pictures of people I hope to meet. OK, this sounds creepy, but I want to know what they look like, not, “So that's what you look like. I should have been warned about that scar…” and I definitely don’t want to walk around looking at everybody’s chest trying to read their nametag. Turns out, that’s creepy, too. I blunt this one by saying "hope to meet." Otherwise it’s stalking (and editors and agents hate that).
5. Figured out what I’m going to say to the people I have scheduled to meet. Work ahead. If you can meet someone, do it. What has an editor worked on? Who does an agent represent? Read something of theirs. Even a snippet is better than nothing. But know what you’re going to say when you get there. Like the one-line pitch…
6. Made two copies of my hotel and conference registrations. I will lose one. I promise.
7. Cleaned out my portfolio. It gets messy in there. Taking only what I need. A few stories, a pen, paper, and business cards that are easy to pull out. Be quick. Like the one-line pitch.
8. Found my extracurricular activity. I always make plans to do one outside – yet writing-related – activity. In this case, visiting Scholastic’s bookstore. It’s legendary. Perhaps the best children’s bookstore in the country. It’s like Mecca for me, only in SoHo . I want to experience it, see it, feel it. And maybe send good karma my way as they considering two of my manuscripts. OK, I don’t believe in karma, but rather hard work and diligence, but like throwing salt over your shoulder, it can’t hurt.

Well, that’s some of what I do for every conference and some of what I’ve done specifically for this one. I’ve had good luck at conferences. I plan ahead but also keep no rigid schedule (except as need be). The subject of another post, I suppose. My credo at these events? Be loose yet diligent, fun yet practical, and be ready to talk with everyone. You don't have to always be "on" like a bad comic, but be prepared like a Boy Scout. Oh, and have the work to back up your words. Oral and written. Why pitch if you can't provide?

 

I’ve been to several small SCBWI conferences, but New York is huge. I hope the results are, too.

 

So, how do you prepare for a conference? Any tips? Any advice?