Josh and the It, my kids Sci-Fi chapter book is seriously amped up to the MAX.
Josh’s insistent voice wouldn’t shut up, wouldn’t leave me alone, suggesting ideas, forcing me to do a Rewrite.
In March I read Josh and the It to a class of grade-fivers and studied their honest reactions as Readers.
- What scenes made them laugh?
- What parts did they enjoy the most?
- When did they hang on every word?
Two months ago, my “Test Subjects” loved the food scenes so much, they salivated and rubbed their bellies … I was onto something here.
The kids laughed at all the right places, so I knew I could have them rolling in stitches.
They enjoyed the suspenseful scenes too, listening attentively.
Armed with this knowledge, I rewrote Josh and the It, hot-wiring the storyline, the vocabulary, Josh’s strong voice, adding more suspense, more humour and more food scenes.
So now I’m pleased to announce I have Just completed a much improved version of Josh and the It.
Now I’m eagerly waiting to read it to the kids at Logan North library on the 27th August, part of that Library’s Sci-fi Month.
The kids and I are coming dressed in costume … and yes, I’ll take photos.
My dream is to have Josh and the It printed in book format so Space Kids throughout the Galaxy can enjoy it.
Book Two of the Space Kids series is my Work in Progress.
Publicity Photo for Logan North Library
I remember Enid Blyton in her Famous Five series had a lot of food scenes.
Hi Graham,
I think Kids Writers can under-estimate the Food Scenes. They keep the KIDS interested especially in the introduction to a new chapter or scene. I’ve tried to balance the food and the funny bits with the drive and tension of the Main Plot, Josh wanting to become a Space Kid and capture nasty Space Monsters … Karen :))
Hey Karen, You’ve been busy, haven’t you?
Like the way you strive to improve your craft.
Hi Ross,
At the moment, I have so many projects on the hop. But “Josh and the It” kept jumping up and down, pestering me to tweak it.
Hope I get the chance to share my story with Readers soon. Karen :))
Sounds like a fun project, Karen. Go the baked beans and broccoli. Glad you’ve amped up to ‘Max’ in ‘Josh and the It’, Karen. I’ve put my blog on ‘silent’ (private setting) for now. Just don’t need the pressure of a public blog, seeing as I’m not doing much writing/rewriting/editing work at the mo. Joanna :))
Hi Joanna, I had so much fun Rewriting this Kids Sci-fi, a welcome break from the serious writing of Memoir short stories and other related projects with my Memoir. As writers, we put some much pressure on our selves, don’t we? Enjoy your stress-free, Blog-free break. Take care :))
Wow, Karen! You go from strength to strength. Good on you! Good luck for Josh and the It. It sounds like a fun read 🙂
Hi Carol, I’ve really enjoyed “amping up” Josh and the It. I love reading to, and being involved with children.
Hi again, Karen. I like the idea of having test subjects … your ‘Josh and the It’ Year 5 guinea pigs. Hope all is progressing well with your other projects. You work so hard! I’ve made my blog public again (why not?! what the heck, etc …) My blog of assorted rambles: http://joannagaudry.wordpress.com/.
Joanna @@))
It was good to be reminded of Kim Wilkins’ advice by David on AWMOnline tonight. Joanna :))
Hi Joanna,
Thanks for dropping by again. I was so lucky for the school to invite me to read my Sci-Fi story to their students. Glad you’ve put your BLOG up again … all the best with it and your writing Cheers, Karen :)) PS Which advice from Kim are you referring??