All Things Middle Grade

CarlHackman

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Hi,

New to Absolute Write and am querying an Upper MG Humorous Fantasy now.

I recognize a couple of faces from WriteOnCon :)

Looking forward to seeing how the MG world is fairing outside my little hobbit hole. Tips and advice always gratefully accepted.
 

Smish

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Hi, Carl. :welcome:

sussu, most of us write MG (that's why we have this thread!). But as others have said, your critique partners don't have to necessarily write MG. I have lots of readers who primarily write YA. They're still able to tell me if there are character/plot/voice issues, etc. :)
 

wampuscat

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Hi Carl, I'm not around here much because I write mostly YA. (I attempted a MG and sort of failed--for now.) But I wanted to chime in that at my crit group, there is only one other people who writes MG and no other writers of YA. I do think having beta readers who are familiar with your category helps, but I don't think it's vital.

Welcome and happy writing!
 

profen4

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I got a partial request today but too nervous to send it LOL. Need another set of eyes on the first 50 pages. I don't know what the time limit is for sending a request.

Send it when you're sure it's as good as you can make it... that said, it's best to wait to query until it's the best you can make it so you can reply back quickly and confidently.

Good luck!
 

CarlHackman

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I know its as good as I can get it but there is still that niggle. Months of revisions and the pitch/query got me the request I've been wanting so I should just have the courage of my convictions. Knee jerk reaction I think most writers have when they are step closer to their goal.
 

Shandylous

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My people! :) Just officially joined AW yesterday, but have used this site for a while. I write middle grade fiction and looking forward to getting to know other MG writers!
 

lolabelle

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Hey Everyone! I was hoping to get some feedback on how beneficial attending the February SCBWI conference would be? I've never been to anything like it before, but I am very committed to writing middle-grade fiction. Currently I'm finishing up my first manuscript and hope to start querying around the beginning of December. Thoughts? Comments? Any advice at all would be most appreciated!
 

Supergirlofnc

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Hey Everyone! I was hoping to get some feedback on how beneficial attending the February SCBWI conference would be? I've never been to anything like it before, but I am very committed to writing middle-grade fiction. Currently I'm finishing up my first manuscript and hope to start querying around the beginning of December. Thoughts? Comments? Any advice at all would be most appreciated!

Hi lolabelle! I've only been to one SCBWI conference - and it was about a month ago. I've belonged to SCBWI longer than that, though. At the conference, there were several sessions on querying agents and a panel with a writer, her agent, and her editor. I ended up having to leave a little early, but it seemed like it was a good place to get some ideas, learn some things, and possibly meet some fellow writers. Good luck :)
 

Tromboli

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Conferences are great! But can be pretty expensive. You'll get some great knowledge about the industry and writing that will be greatly helpful. But all the information is available online if you do the research and take the time (but of course the experience, like meeting a top agent face to face, can't be replaced). If you have the extra time and money DO IT. If its not so easy then decide if its worth it to you.
 

Shamisen

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Hello all, can I join the party? I'm writing a Middle Grade novel that i hope to be the first in a series (I have dreams of an animated tv series, cuddly toys, themed lunchboxes etc) but as I'm in the UK I suppose it would be the 9-12 age category. My book is very humour led, about three bad rats (well, one bad rat, one enabling rat and one completely stupid rat) who are on the run in London after a failed attempt at overthrowing the Queen of their home realm. My current (constant) issues are word counts and balancing description and speech. I have a few chapters that are very dialogue-heavy.
 

Supergirlofnc

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Hello all, can I join the party? I'm writing a Middle Grade novel that i hope to be the first in a series (I have dreams of an animated tv series, cuddly toys, themed lunchboxes etc) but as I'm in the UK I suppose it would be the 9-12 age category. My book is very humour led, about three bad rats (well, one bad rat, one enabling rat and one completely stupid rat) who are on the run in London after a failed attempt at overthrowing the Queen of their home realm. My current (constant) issues are word counts and balancing description and speech. I have a few chapters that are very dialogue-heavy.

It's nice to meet you Shamisen. I often write dialogue heavy scenes, too, but I'm working on more balance. FYI, I like "The Fat Rat's a Brat" title. :)
 

Shamisen

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Thanks for the welcoming SupergirlNC - and glad to know I'm not the only person struggling with dialogue/action balance! I think my biggest problems are in 2 of my early chapters. In the first I'm wrestling with a very info-dumpy problem. Basically the issue is it's the chapter where the rats first discover that they're not in Kansas anymore and that I need to put across to the reader how it's happened and what they're going to do about it. So far it's largely the bad rat explaining it to the other rats, but I hate this and it's all in conversation. The other issue that's clouding things is that I'm struggling to get the concept across in a way my audience would understand, so I might need to rethink the whole manner in which they realm-hop. Problem is that it's pretty central to the story - the rest of the main plot concerns them trying to get back home, and I need to know I'm on track before I continue. It's starting to make my brain hurt.
 

Stylo

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Hi Shamisen,
I had same info-dump problem with the MG book I'm writing, and what helped me was putting it to one side for a couple of weeks and doing something else. Alternatively you could post the start in critique and get some feedback.
Good luck!
 

SuperKate

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Lolabelle,
I wanted to chime in on the SCBWI conference. I haven't been to the NY SCBWI, but I went to LA this summer, and have been to a few in my region (DC). I think they're really helpful; I learned a ton at the LA conference, in particular. I met more people, though, at the smaller regional ones. I think the national conferences are just so huge that it's hard to make connections. If you're close to querying, I would also recommend the Rutgers One on One Conference. There are as many faculty as attendees, so you meet a lot more professionals who might want to see your work. You have to apply, and it doesn't happen until next October. You can see more about it at www.ruccl.org. Good luck!