Friends, readers, fellow scribes!  Lend me your ears.  I come to share the iggilicious journal love, not hoard it for myself.  As you all may recall, one month ago we embarked on an adventure called DIY MFA and I announced the contest for these adorable iggi journals:

Well, now is the time to announce the five journal winners.  Drumroll please…  *fumbles with envelope*

*opens envelop*

*coughs*

*clears throat*

And the winners are…

Welcome Back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature.  I’m your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.

Each Friday we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.  We’ve also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned!  Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.
 
Today’s Special: Larger-Than-Life Settings

In some books, setting is just a backdrop for the story but in others the setting becomes almost as important as the main characters.  What is it about these settings that makes them seem larger-than-life?  And how do we as writers create settings like this?

1.  Make setting central to the story.  Settings that come to life are often a central component to the story.  One book that is a perfect example is Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan, a story could only be told in New York City.  When the setting becomes a central component to the story, it often takes on a life of its own.  In Love is the Higher Law, the powerful scene where Claire relights the candles could only happen in Union Square, in New York City.  That image of a teenage girl in Union Square, relighting candles that have gone out in the rain, still stays with me. 

2.  Drop your reader in the middle of the world.  In Sarah Beth Durst’s Ice, the story opens in the middle of the Arctic pack ice, with Cassie chasing a polar bear.  We feel the ice on her face mask.  We see the crystals swirling in the air.  Right away we are engulfed by the world of the story. 

3. Details, details, details.  Take time to build details into your story and the setting will come to life.  in Love is the Higher Law we have that moving scene where Clair is looking for the railings near Ground Zero.  That detail of those railings makes the setting come to life.  Even for someone who doesn’t live in New York City, they can identify with some of the emotion that Claire feels when she realizes those railings survived.  Here is that moment:

“As I turn to walk south, I am sure in my bones that the railings won’t be there.  As I walk closer, I think it might be possible that they’ve survived.  As I turn and see the Financial Center’s plaza, hurt but still standing, I think it’s very possible, but still I can’t believe it.  Nearer and nearer.  I see part of it is blocked off.  Then I can see it.  Right there.  I am so happy and so sad at the same time.  I am exuberant and despondent and utterly, completely beside myself.  There they are,  And I know it’s ridiculous–with so many dead, so much destroyed that I can feel so much joy over a series of metal letters affixed to a metal railing.  Life ends, and life goes on.  Words disappear and words remain.”

Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan

Ultimately, it all comes down to this: Believe in your setting.  Your reader will believe in you.

Want to hear more about larger-than-life settings?  Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words.  Check it out, then tell us what you think!

Even though April is over, DIY MFA continues, though in a more relaxed fashion.  Since many participants from April are new to DIY MFA, I thought I’d do some review posts every week to go over some of the DIY MFA concepts we discussed back in September.  Today we’ll go over the four core elements of a Writing MFA (Master of Fine Arts) and how you can do-it-yourself to create your own DIY MFA. 

In a Writing MFA, writers must…

Read.  Most MFA programs have a literature component, where students must take a series of literature classes along with their writing coursework.  At The New School, not only do you have to take literature classes, you actually have to write a literature thesis as part of your graduation requirement.  In that sense, reading is a huge component of the MFA process.  Similarly, DIY MFA puts an emphasis on reading the literature.  By creating a reading list, reading the books and writing responses to what you read, you can simulate the literature study you would do in an MFA program.

Write.  Of course a writing program must include a lot of writing, and so must DIY MFA.  In a writing program you’ll receive instruction on the craft of writing and be pushed to produce a substantial number of pages each semester for your workshop.  This process of writing and rewriting helps you hone your craft and strengthen your own abilities.  Without a writing component, the MFA (including the DIY MFA) would miss the point.  To be a writer, you have to write.  It’s that simple.

Workshop.  The workshop is a central component of any MFA in writing.  By giving critique to other writers, you sharpen your reading skills.  In receiving critique on your own work will learn to make your writing stronger, as well as develop skills to handle rejection and criticism on your work.

Connect.  One component that many writers forget is connecting to the writing community.  Connecting can happen in many different ways.  Attending readings, going to conferences, connecting with other writers via the internet… these are all great ways to engage with the writing community.  The reason community is so important for writers is that otherwise writing can be a very lonely enterprise.  Community gives us a reality check and helps us stay motivated.

Which of these elements is easiest for you?  Which is the biggest challenge?

I’ve been spending a lot of time at this computer lately.  I sit and write, write and sit.  Then one morning as I was hunched over these computer keys, I realized that if I make some small but meaningful changes to my nutrition and exercise, I’ll feel a whole lot better.  I’ll have more energy and feel more engaged when I’m working.  And then it hit me: if I feel better, I’ll write better.

It was like I just discovered gold!  It seemed so easy: just make some meaningful changes to my exercise and nutrition and I’ll be a better writer… inside and out.  Trouble is, I don’t know the first thing about nutrition or fitness, so I called up my good friend and trainer, Missy, and asked for some help.

Then I got another idea.  If this really works, I don’t want to keep it to myself, I’ll want to share it with all my writer friends (that’s you!).  So I invite you all to go on this adventure with me.  Every Tuesday for the next three weeks, Missy will guest post with fitness tips and exercises especially designed for writers or people who are computer-bound most of the day.

Kicking off this series is a brief intro on Missy.  For more about Missy, check out her blog and her Facebook page.

Introducing… Missy!

Missy’s passion for fitness and nutrition is contagious.  With 7 years of personal training experience and a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, she knows how to help people reach optimal physical performance through proper nutrition.  She has certification in personal training from NASM, a TRX certification, is Pre-Post Natal Certified and trained in Integrated Flexibility.  Missy uses a diverse selection of exercises in her approach, including: boxing, plyometrics, yoga, weights and bands.

Always challenging herself to reach optimal health and fitness, Missy competes in the bikini division of the National Physique Committee.  She took 2nd place in her first competition, 4th in her second, and made it to a Nationals just a few short months later.  Missy is proud to say that unlike her fellow competitors who used traditional dieting, she went against the grain and incorporated an all natural, organic, approach to her own nutrition.

But perhaps Missy’s greatest strength is how she relates to people.  She takes a realistic approach to fitness and nutrition, and has a genuine love for making people feel good from the inside out.