Interview With Tracey Wes

These are notes from a webinar hosted by WriteForKids. Any misinformation is the fault of the note taker.

– How can you write over 100 books?
– I have been doing it for a long time.
– It is her main vocation.
– Writes in different genera and different publishers.
– She made her deadlines
– Q: do you have a system? How to approach your work?
– For every book, have sysot0is. Do a chapter outline and book outline.
– First draft, second, third, depends on the editors
– Most of it is working every day. Schedule out tasks. Keep lists and schedules
– Now starting to get requests from editors to do base on properties material.
– After working for a long time, knowing editors, and having a good reputation have people ask me to write things.
– Chapter books: young and older what is the difference?
– Branches series is crated by Katie Corella. Branches range between early readers and chapter books. They have short chapters, easy vocabulary, easy text, exciting easy to decode. Need to have attributed speakers for every dialog. Use the easier word to decode. You can present complex ideas but make sure the idea needs to be explained. Do not take young readers for granted and they want complicated plots.
– Older readers not over 6K. They are more complex. For a four-book, series had a major story arc and have the villain introduced later.
– Q: subplots in chapter books
– Very rarely have a subplot. Older books there can be subplots.
– Q: Do you have to know what type of book will be written chapters book or middle grade. 10 yr. old is about 10K words.
– Q: tropes in fantasy: like wizards and magical animal
– Q: Plot in series do you come up with the overall concept first and then induvial plots.
– Pitch: this is where characters begin or end. Share with the editor, this is where the story could go as an alternative. Give them a choice. And additional ideas on how it could continue. Think beyond your first book. Want elements that will intrigue the reader.
– Q: idea on cupcake club:
– Barnes and Nobile asked the different publishers to come us with the concept of cupcakes.
– Middle grade> girls want to read about girls older than them.
– Q: when publishers send a concept> author still needs to do a proposal. Most publishers are happy for you to present your own ideas and how characters will behave. It’s like people giving you a story starter.
– Q: How work in a shared universe with other authors? Do you need to have the same voice? Consistent tone. Read the other books to match
– Q: In series, book two needs to share some of the ideas. Readers like the story arcs. You need to be very specific of what has happened in the past. Need to be seamless and organic to the story.
– Q: does each book of a series need its own standalone plot? Yes and then a few overall arches throughout the books
– Q: cliffhangers: will plot out the cliffhangers before writing the book. In middle grade, you still need to make the reader to want to continue to read. A cliffhanger might be that the character does not know what to do. It does not have to be super dramatic. In chapter books the hangers at end of each chapter.
– A favorite is the imamate danger cliffhanger. Decision cliffhangers are what will I do if xx consequence or do yyy will happen.
– Some cliffhangers a character may be dramatic like my life is over or I will never talk to her again.
– Interview middle graders and ask questions like what makes them laugh or be scared.
– Q: plan story arch? Chapter books you need to present the problem in the first chapter.
– Q: parts for a story arch?
– Start to think about what the end game is. Then see what will happen in the four books. You need to think how in the beginning of a story a wizard attacks with glowing balls and in the book wizards for an attack a castle on a dragon. See when the progression happens.
– What kind of problems will occur to get to that end?
– Has a key problem in each book.
– Book packager > does all the same work as a publisher for hire and then the publisher put their brand on it.
– Q: What is your workday like to have written over 300 books? Spend the morning is on publishing business. Social media and answering letters and reaching out to editors and emails. Afternoon write. Often it’s 7 days a week.
– Q: Have you notice publisher schedules being altered due to pandemic? Some titles were put on hold. Challenge is getting books into the hands of people when bookstores closed. Everyone is reading online. No book signings and book conferences.
– Q: How to find children, beta readers? She doesn’t.
– Q: Find middle school kids to talk to and ask questions? That is part of the presenting process. She visits neighbors’ kids. Try to avoid slang. If your waving to your friend > what do you say? What do you say to a friend that it is a nice shirt? Ask very specific questions. She does a lot of emogies on texting. Kids do a lot of texting.
– Q: how to learn the current school does a lot of interviews. Writers reach out to other authors or
– kitlit411. Find teachers.
– Q: how to present a series? She does not have an agent. Write for license properties that you are passionate about. You have to love the characters and be willing to watch hours of it. When pitch to an editor has let them know, you know about it. Less than 75% of license material is based on the existing products. Stick to characters, dialog, and other guidelines.
Additional notes:
– Info on dialog tabs: bit.ly/dialoguetags > dialog tags
https://www.goodstorycompany.com/blog/dialogue-tags?mc_cid=3cd4296b70&mc_eid=3b3cbabc01
– 12 top audio ads readers want to click> bit.ly/audiobookads