3 Gifts You Can Give Yourself For The New Year (We Don't Have To Call Them Resolutions)

2021 Happy New Year! (Image from here.)

 

Consider giving yourself these for the new year ahead:

1) Read something that inspires you. Repeat.

2) Create something regularly. Maybe this is every day. Maybe this is once a week. But give yourself the opportunity to work your creative muscles and write and/or illustrate in a regular way so it becomes a healthy habit.

3) Take your creativity seriously - whatever that means for you. Maybe it's a "please don't disturb" sign on the back of your chair so you get a break from family duties so you can focus on your work in progress. Maybe it's joining others in the community of children's book writers, illustrators, and translators at an upcoming SCBWI event, like the 2021 Winter Conference, happening online Feb 19-21, 2021. Maybe it's saying "I'm a writer" when someone asks what you do, rather than saying "I want to be a writer." The act of writing makes you a writer. Just like the act of illustrating makes you an illustrator. And the act of translating makes you a translator. Taking yourself seriously as a creative person, as a creator of works for children and teens, is the first step towards being taken seriously by others, and towards your work reaching readers.

You don't have to call them resolutions. But you can, if it helps.

Here's to a healthy, safe, and creative 2021 for all!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

The Twisty Road To Being Published - Erik Talkin's Guest Post on Cynsations about "Finding the Book You Are Uniquely Qualified to Write"

As described in this guest post over at Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations blog:

“Erik Talkin thought of himself as exclusively a YA and MG writer–urban fantasy, sci-fi, punk rock, and now he finds himself the author of a sensitive picture book on hungry kids. Funny old world.”

Read about Erik's two nearly-published moments, and then how he aimed to "straddle" his day-job expertise and his desire to write for kids and teens with a picture book manuscript, “Lulu and the Hunger Monster.”

It's his first published book for kids. And it asks the question, what are you uniquely qualified to write about? Another version of this question is, how can you make the story that you're writing uniquely written by YOU? (With your unique author voice.)

Read Erik's full guest post over at Cynsations here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Inspiration a click away - Listen to the Caldecott, Newbery, and Legacy Award Acceptance Speeches from the ALA's Association of Library Service to Children

 

This is so cool - definitely one to bookmark. 

Didn't get to the banquet to hear the winner's speeches - or just want to relive an amazing moment? Check out this page listing the winners of the ALA's Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, and Legacy Award with links to download the audio from many of their acceptance speeches.

From 2019, you can hear:

Sophie Blackall accept the Caldecott Medal for Hello Lighthouse

Meg Medina accept the Newbery Medal for Merci Suárez Changes Gears

and Christopher Myers, on behalf of his father Walter Dean Myers winning the Children’s Literature Legacy Award

And there's so much more. Explore all the recordings here. Enjoy!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Listen to the Latest SCBWI Podcast: A Conversation with Marietta Zacker

 

Co-Founder and Agent at the Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency Marietta Zacker speaks with Theo Baker about agenting, rejection, marketing, advice, and much more!

Listen to the episode trailer here.

Current SCBWI members can listen to the full episode here (log in first).

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Struggling with Including (Or Not Including) Pop Culture References in your Teen Novel?

This Twitter thread from author Emery Lee was really eloquent, explaining

“I feel like writing YA for teens isn't just about giving teens what they want (though that is part of it) but also giving them what they might need.
It's taking life lessons you may not have realized at 15 and filtering them through issues and culture relevant to teens now.” —Emery Lee

The whole thread is well-worth reading, as it digs into the use of pop culture references - the dangers and opportunities, and how, ultimately,

“Good YA isn't dependent on the author's age, music taste, or app usage. The emotional resonance means more. *that's* my point.”—Emery Lee

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Will the Pending Merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster Make Publishing Less Diverse?

This Los Angeles Times opinion piece by indie publisher Chad W. Post, argues just that, saying the current ecosystem is one where "the most monied companies determine what is read."

The Authors Guild agrees the merger is bad for authors, stating, 

“there would be fewer competing bidders for their manuscripts, which would inevitably drive down advances offered…. The history of publishing consolidation has also taught us that authors are further hurt by such mergers due to editorial layoffs, canceling of contracts, a reduction in diversity among authors and ideas, a more conservative approach to risk-taking, and fewer imprints under which an author may publish.”

Chad discusses another troublesome dynamic of how indie publishers and the soon to be "big four" interact:

"For the conglomerates, the most financially prudent way to acquire authors who aren’t sure things is to treat independent publishers as farm clubs that identify and develop talent ripe for exploitation. Let the presses with the thinnest profit margins take the risks, seek out the undiscovered — the books readers didn’t know they wanted, the authors who change the way we talk about writing — and then, once they’ve proved these books can take off, just poach the authors. Simple. A winning formula."

But the case is being made that the winners aren't authors, or diversity of voices, or even readers. 

Illustrate and Write On,

Lee

Are You Finding the Passion In Your Nonfiction? Check Out "Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep: 50 Award-Winning Children’s Book Authors Share the Secret of Engaging Writing"

SCBWI board member and author of over 100 nonfiction books for young readers Melissa Stewart has a vision to change how nonfiction is understood - by students, teachers, librarians, and yes, even we writers and illustrators!

As the recent cover copy of the book edited by Melissa and published by NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) describes it:

In Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep: 50 Award-Winning Children’s Book Authors Share the Secret of Engaging Writing, some of today’s most celebrated writers for children share essays that describe a critical part of the informational writing process that is often left out of classroom instruction. To craft engaging nonfiction, professional writers choose topics that fascinate them and explore concepts and themes that reflect their passions, personalities, beliefs, and experiences in the world. By scrutinizing the information they collect to make their own personal meaning, they create distinctive books that delight as well as inform.

The book includes essays from many SCBWI members as well, featuring the perspectives of:

• Sarah Albee
• Chris Barton
• Donna Janell Bowman
• Mary Kay Carson
• Nancy Castaldo
• Jason Chin
• Lesa Cline-Ransome
• Seth Fishman
• Candace Fleming
• Kelly Milner Halls
• Deborah Heiligman
• Susan Hood
• Gail Jarrow
• Lita Judge
• Jess Keating
• Barbara Kerley
• Heather Lang
• Cynthia Levinson
• Michelle Markel
• Carla Killough McClafferty
• Heather Montgomery
• Patricia Newman
• Elizabeth Partridge
• Baptiste Paul
• Miranda Paul
• Teresa Robeson
• Mara Rockliff
• Barb Rosenstock
• Laura Purdie Salas
• Anita Sanchez
• April Pulley Sayre
• Steve Sheinkin
• Ray Anthony Shepard
• Anita Silvey
• Traci Sorell
• Tanya Lee Stone
• Jennifer Swanson
• Stephen R. Swinburne
• Don Tate
• Laurie Ann Thompson
• Pamela Turner
• Patricia Valdez
• Sandra Neil Wallace
• Laurie Wallmark
• Jennifer Ward
• Carole Boston Weatherford
• Lee Wind (full disclosure - the author of this post)
• Paula Yoo
• Karen Romano Young

A very cool part of the project is that "100 percent of the proceeds will be divided among the National Council of Teachers for English (NCTE), We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)"

And some behind the scenes information from Melissa:

“The idea for this book traces back to the 2017 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, when I was fortunate to participate in a panel titled ‘The Secret of Crafting Engaging Nonfiction’ with two of the most talented children’s nonfiction authors of our time—Candace Fleming and Deborah Heiligman.
“During our discussion, moderated by educator and children’s nonfiction enthusiast Alyson Beecher, we dove deeply into what fuels our work and why we routinely dedicate years of our lives to a single manuscript. As we compared our thoughts and experiences, we came to realize something critically important—each of our books has a piece of us at its heart. And that personal connection is what drives us to keep working despite the inevitable obstacles and setbacks.
“Several other nonfiction authors attended our presentation, and afterward they praised our insights. That conversation helped us all understand our creative process in a new and exciting way. And it eventually led to the essays in this anthology, which are our way of sharing an important—and often unrecognized and underappreciated—aspect of nonfiction writing with educators and students.”

More information about the book is available on Melissa's website here.

Registration is Open for #NY21SCBWI

Have you explored the SCBWI Winter Conference schedule, offerings, and opportunities?

There will be the Golden Kite Awards Gala,

a State-of-the-Industry In-Depth Interview with Jean Feiwel

Keynote Conversations with: 

Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Matt De La Peña and Christian Robinson

Jerry Craft and Victoria Jamieson, hosted by Weslie Turner

Patricia Maclachlan interviewed by Lin Oliver

There will also be a behind the scenes tour of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing with Laurent Linn and Paula Wiseman

Genre Breakout Sessions with editors, including

Picture Books: Andrea Welch, Joanna Cardenas, Elizabeth Bicknell

Middle Grade: Tricia Lin, Krista Vitola

Young Adult: Stacey Barney, Alexandra Cooper

Nonfiction: Alyssa Mito Pusey, Shelby Lees

Fly-on-the-Wall Acquisitions meeting with Wendy Loggia and a team from Delacorte Press

and another Mock Book Production meeting with Yaffa Jaskoll and a team from Scholastic Books

There's an Agents Panel, with Kirby Kim, Kevin Lewis, Erica Rand Silverman, and Saba Sulaiman, and so much more!

Illustrators - make sure to check out the portfolio showcase opportunity, as well as the Monday Feb 22 Illustrators' Intensive.

We hope you'll join us for this virtual conference hosted on zoom with video recordings available through March 31, 2021. Get all the details here. 

The Latinx KidLit Book Festival!

The Latinx KidLit Book Festival is a virtual celebration of Latinx KidLit authors, illustrators, and books for all readers and educators. The festival will open its virtual doors (via YouTube) from December 4-5, 2020, and present two free days of keynote sessions, Q&A events, and panels with your favorite Latinx authors and illustrators of picture books, middle grade, young adult, graphic novel, and poetry. The sessions are geared towards readers and educators everywhere. Everyone is welcome!

Check out the amazing schedule here!

Delighted to share that SCBWI is one of the event's sponsors.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

SCBWI is Participating in GivingTuesday in Order to Benefit Creators With Disabilities

For the first time ever, SCBWI is participating in GivingTuesday in order to benefit creators with disabilities. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 with a simple idea in mind–to encourage people to do good–and has since grown into a global movement inspiring hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

This December 1, we ask that any donations you give to the SCBWI be tagged with #GivingTuesday (in the PayPal or check memo) if you’d like them dedicated to scholarships, grants, and accessibility resources for people with disabilities. While we gratefully accept donations any time of year, we know that 2020 has been particularly challenging for many of us. If giving financially isn’t feasible for you right now, we hope that you will consider giving your voice, time, talent, extra belongings, teamwork, and kindness. Click here for more ways to get involved this GivingTuesday.

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating generosity and consider making a donation to the SCBWI in support of our members with disabilities. For more ways to support our members, we invite you to peruse and suggest additions to our disability resources page. (Please send suggestions to Kiana Martin at kianamartin@scbwi.org–thank you!)

And, as a great reference, SCBWI’s Statement of Disability (borrowed from We Need Diverse Books) is:

“We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.”

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Listen to the Latest SCBWI Podcast: A Conversation with Jerry Pinkney

 

The Multi-Award winning illustrator of over 100 picture books, Jerry Pinkney speaks with Theo Baker about his childhood, the challenges and triumphs of his artist journey, and much more!

Listen to the episode trailer here.

Current SCBWI members can listen to the full episode here (log in first).

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

NaNoWriMo Pep Talks (and a Shout Out to Kacen Callender)

Whether you're nearing your NaNoWriMo novel finish line, or if you're only just learning that "NaNoWriMo" stands for "National Novel Writing Month," they've lined up some encouraging "pep" talks for all of us writers.

Kacen Callender's is really poignant, speaking about their struggles with writing a YA fantasy novel. Posted on November 15, 2020, it is vulnerable and honest, a pep talk for both Kacen and all of us reading.

 

What's so cool is that only days later, Kacen won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature for King and the Dragonflies!

In their virtual acceptance speech (reported by Publishers Weekly), Kacen gave another kind of pep talk, saying,

"I know I'm not the only one who believes that these next generations are the ones that are meant to change everything," Callender said, upon accepting the award. "Young people already have changed the world in so many ways, and it is an honor and a privilege to be given a platform and the opportunity to help in their guidance through the power of story."

The power of story... that's inspirational!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Will the "Big Five" Become the "Big Four"?

As reported this week by Edmund Lee in The New York Times, among the top bidders for Simon & Schuster are:

"News Corp, which already owns HarperCollins," and 

"a leading bidder is Penguin Random House... the largest book publisher in the United States, [which] is owned by the German media giant Bertelsmann." 

Additionally, "The French firm Vivendi, a minority owner of Hachette through the publisher Lagardère, has also made a bid." 

It should all be settled (or not - if there's no deal) in the next few weeks. "Final bids are due before Thanksgiving, and ViacomCBS could announce a winner some time after that."

Ongoing consolidation affects the overall business - and is important to know about. You can read the full article here.

Illustrate and Write On,

Lee

Celebrate World Kindness: The November Theme for the SCBWI Recommended Reading List 2020

Over 250 books from SCBWI PAL members ranging from YA, middle grade, graphic novels and picture books, have been submitted to take part in this member opportunity. Each month SCBWI will focus on a theme and curate the books to help parents, caregivers, librarians, booksellers – everyone who loves children’s books and YA – find the right one for them, their kids, or their customers.

November kicks off with the theme of World Kindness through books that focus on warm-hearted, humane, and sympathetic stories. Also, each month, SCBWI will feature an original illustration created by one of our talented illustrator members. Neha Rawat kicks things off with her wonderful artwork.

Check out the books on the SCBWI Recommended Reading List here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Are You Aware of the Two Lawsuits the Authors Guild is Involved in?

This letter from Authors Guild president Douglas Preston explains the two lawsuits the Authors Guild is involved in, and how “the ‘information wants to be free’ philosophy is nothing more than a form of economic censorship. 

Here's an excerpt:

Both lawsuits, in different ways, fight back against a philosophy that arose alongside the internet, the idea that “information wants to be free.”

On its surface, this philosophy sounds appealing. If information is free and available to everyone, the argument goes, it will provide a huge benefit to society. The elitist gatekeepers who profit from selling information are pushed aside, and everyone — especially the disadvantaged and those from underserved and marginalized communities — will have free access to the same information as the wealthy and privileged.

But in reality, this idea simply offers a new route for the monetization of information, by taking income from authors and diverting it to internet companies in the form of advertising dollars derived from providing free information to users. “Free” content attracts users to the platforms, driving up the value of their advertising space. Piracy is the natural outcome of this philosophy. It is a major reason why authors have seen a collapse in their average income over the past 10 years, along with many other creators, such as musicians, songwriters, composers, photographers, playwrights, graphic designers, and small businesses and nonprofits that own copyrights. Since big tech companies fiercely protect their intellectual property, the “information wants to be free” philosophy in their hands is actually “information wants to be free (except mine).”

The full letter is well-worth reading, as the outcome of these lawsuits may effect our very livelihoods.

Illustrate and Write On,

Lee

The Reading Habits Of Generation Z (ages 5-25)

From the BookBaby Blog, theinfographic feature The Reading Habits Of Five Generations, was fascinating - especially in how Gen Z differs in reading from other generations. 

Highlights:

It's well-worth checking out the full information from Best By The Numbers here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

SCBWI Offers More Than 35 Awards and Grants - Have You Looked To See What You Might Apply For?

The Golden Kite Awards may be the most recognizable, but there are so many more accolades and opportunities for SCBWI to recognize your excellent work!

There are awards and grants for pre-published writers, pre-published illustrators, published authors and illustrators, for translators - there are community grants, and grants for students, and a couple of partnered grants and awards as well!

Check out the full list here.

Illustrate and Write On, and Good Luck!
Lee

Check out the SCBWI Conference Blog for Live Updates from SCBWI & Smithsonian's Online Nonfiction Workshop!

This Friday Nov 6 and Saturday Nov 7, 2020, this Nonfiction conference promises a panel of editors, a panel of authors, five keynotes from acclaimed authors Kevin Noble Maillard, Elizabeth Partridge, and Carole Boston Weatherford, editor Emily Feinberg, and Eduardo Díaz (Director of the Smithsonian Latino Center), and much more!

To find out more and register, check out: https://www.scbwi.org/events/nonfiction-workshop/

And bookmark the official SCBWI Conference Blog at: https://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

DW 3.6: James Ransome

 

James Ransome — Picture-Making From a New Perspective: Crafting Illustrations that Captivate an Audience

        There are two things you need to know in case you missed last week's Digital Workshop with James Ransome. 

One: If you think award-winning, Children's book illustrators move on to forgot the high school art teachers who made them... think again. James workshop begins by highlighting his teachers, and the importance of art education in schools. We agree, James. We totally agree. 

Two: It's all about the journey. It is so easy to think that someone like James Ransome (3 Coretta Scott King awards and a NAACP Image Award) always knew what his medium was going to be, and how he was going find success. This workshop was special, in the fact that James walked us through the steps he took in order to get to where he is today. 

A common theme of this workshop: mentors. James took many of his best tips from mentor Jerry Pinkney, learning about tracing paper and reference books. Now, they trade and share books all the time. Burt Silverman showed James the importance of shapes. 

James Ransome's work ranges, beginning with oils, then acrylics, sometimes ending in pastels — taking pieces of the lessons he's learned from illustration mentors. If you want to tune into the fine details of James' creative process, please visit our SCBWI Digital Workshop Archive here.

Don't miss tomorrow's workshop with author Eric Gansworth, "Transforming the Personal." Eric will be discussing writing from personal experience, and translating facts into a strong narrative. 

~ your Digital Workshop enthusiast ~ 

Avery Silverberg

SCBWI Admin Assistant 

Let's connect on IG @a.very.fast.reader for YA & MG Book Reviews! 

Registration for #NY21SCBWI (The Online SCBWI Winter Conference, Feb 19-21, 2021) Opens TODAY!

The #NY21SCBWI conference will include incredible keynote conversations between Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli, Christian Robinson and Matt de la Peña, Jerry Craft and Victoria Jamieson, plus a rare appearance from the legendary Patricia MacLachlan. The event will also provide an inside look at the children’s book industry through visits, mock meetings, and an in-depth, state-of-the-industry interview with Jean Feiwel.

The virtual conference will include:

• Dynamic keynotes and industry panels
• A fly-on-the-wall look at the book acquisition and design process
• The Golden Kite Awards Gala
• Online networking opportunities and socials
• The career-launching Portfolio Showcase
• A full-day, optional Illustrators’ Intensive

The conference takes place live on Zoom, but video recordings will be available to attendees through March 31, 2021. Participate live or watch at your convenience.

Check out the full conference schedule, faculty bios, and all the details at the SCBWI website here: https://www.scbwi.org/events/winter-conference-2021/

We hope you'll join us!

Illustrate and Write On!
Lee

Listen to the Latest SCBWI Podcast: A Conversation with Susan Dobinick

Senior Editor at Bloomsbury Kids Susan Dobinick speaks with Theo Baker about the lessons she’s learned as an editor, shares advice for nonfiction authors, and tells us what she’s hoping to find.

Listen to the episode trailer here.

Current SCBWI members can listen to the full episode here (log in first).

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

BookBub Gathers 20 Great Examples of Author Bios - See If You Can Improve Yours!

Diana Urban shares strong examples of author bios on the BookBub Partners blog in this piece, Writing Your Author Bio? Here Are 20 Great Examples. (Plus a Checklist!)

Review and consider- what makes you unique and credible? Have you made it easy for readers to find you online and in social media? Does it express your personal style? Is there an author mission coming through? Does it match the tone of your work? And with all that, is it concise?

It's well-worth checking out.

Illustrate and Write On,

Lee

DW 3.5: Elana K. Arnold and Brandy Colbert

 

Revising for Plot: Elana K. Arnold and Brandy Colbert 

  Let me fill you in on a little secret: both my copies of What Girls Are Made Of (Elana K. Arnold) and Little and Lion (Brandy Colbert) are annotated, worn from turning the pages, and well-loved. So naturally, coming into Elana and Brandy’s workshop, I was well prepared for the level of inspiration I was about to receive from both best-selling authors. What I wasn’t prepared for? The amount of brand new writer’s knowledge I walked away with, ready to be added to an arsenal of fresh tools. 

For a gal like me who despises math, I found myself loving it during Digital Workshop #5! Elana and Brandy introduced the concept, “Revision Math,” including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of the revision process. “Revision is a lot like analyzing; writing is the craft of playing…” says Elana. Revision is, “why did I do this?” and, “how can I make it better?” 

Brandy on addition versus subtraction: “You want every part of your book to serve the story. Nothing should be filler. Look for specific instances that you think can enrich the scene. Anything that you think can enhance it.”

When it comes to adding, the authors encourage us not to be afraid of “trying too much.” Brandy encourages the audiences to experiment with adding a community of characters, building empathy, and a feeling for strangers. Sometimes we are afraid of adding characters who don’t stay for the entirety of our novel. “Community becomes a character,” says Elana. “They are like the Greek Chorus.” 

Last week with Kendra Levin, we spent time discussing how anxiety impacts our creative lives. It was a fitting note to end on, having Lin ask each author about how anxiety affects their own writing. Elena K. Arnold even admits to having what she calls her "anxiety chair" (helpful tip!) where she talks to her anxiety — “Yes you are a part of me. When I want my character to feel anxiety, I will give you the keyboard.” 

*Hey, Alexa: Please search ‘anxiety chair’ on Amazon*

Until next week ~

Your Children's Book loving, SCBWI Admin Assistant

Avery Silverberg

Follow me on Bookstagram for YA/MG Book Reviews @a.very.fast.reader

Twitter @averyfastreader

Getting it Right: Don Tate Shares His Visual Research Process for Illustrating "Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions"

In this blog post, “Whoosh!” Research and texting with Lonnie Johnson, illustrator Don Tate considers the challenges of illustrating this nonfiction picture book (written by Chris Barton), and shares how Don ultimately connected directly with the book's subject to get things right.

Just one example: 

The beginning of the story begins with young Lonnie Johnson being creative in his make-shift kitchen workshop, with various things from the junk yard spread across the table. An early version of the manuscript mentioned a Chinaberry shooter in the scene. What in the heck was that? A quick Google returned several results. I created a sketch, but I was unsure. Below was my guess as to what his shooter might have looked like:

The text between images reads:

After our phone conversation, I realized my guess was wrong. I created another quick sketch and texted it off to Mr. Johnson. He answered my question with his own sketch of what his shooter would have looked like and how it would have worked. I wasn’t too far off, but now I had what I needed to be 100-percent correct!

While Don's ultimate solution of texting back and forth with his book's subject is unique, it does make the point that illustrators have to do their research as well - and sometimes, it's even more specific than the research writers need to do!

Read the full blog post here - it's well-worth it.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Learn How To Draw a Face -- and Eyes! -- From Caldecott Award-winning Paul O. Zelinsky (courtesy of the Society of Illustrators)

Check out Paul's art tips in this remarkable video (it says it's part of their "Draw Along Videos" for kids but really it's for anyone interested in drawing people -- at whatever age you are.)

A Screen Shot from "Draw This! Paul O. Zelinsky"

The bit about where the pupil goes and how the eyelid is affected made me realize three things:

1) Paul is a seriously amazing illustrator.

2) To draw well, you really need to observe carefully - and illustrate what you see, not what you think you see.

3) I could observe faces more carefully.

I hope you'll enjoy this, too! (Click to learn more about Paul and watch the video.) 

Illustrate and Write On,

Lee

DW 3.4: Kendra Levin

 

    When is the last time you started a writer’s workshop by taking a deep, relaxing breath instead of holding one in?

    If you attended last week’s Digital Workshop 3.4 with Simon & Schuster editor director Kendra Levin, you did. And for the first time in all of quarantine, you most likely felt relaxed about your creative pursuits, as well. When Kendra Levin takes her editorial director hat off, she has quite a few others to put on — life coach and author too. It is because of her many jobs that she has acquired the tools to help writers with the creative process. 

    “The hero’s journey is a metaphor for the creative process,” she says, comparing the feeling of embarking on a journey/ the hero’s call to adventure to a writer starting their project. The writer — or in this case, the hero — ends with a boone, a precious project, and the feeling of accomplishment. "Seeing yourself as a hero on a journey is helpful as a powerful tool of self-actualization," says Kendra Levin. She relays the experience to the 3 key elements of a happy life: meaning, hope, and purpose.

Kendra also provided tools for fighting writing anxiety — something we all know too well right now, especially under the state of our current world. "If you are feeling anxiety, turn down the volume on everything else, listen to the voice, and think: Is this an internalized voice from childhood? Is this a voice you developed as a protective measure?" Identifying where these voices are coming from (just like we would in a manuscript!) helps relieve anxiety, and places it somewhere other than ourselves. 

Remember: you can relive Kendra Levin's workshop for the next month on our website here. When the voices kick in, telling you: "you're writing a book?!? Are you KIDDING me?" — listen to Kendra's words, and believe you are the only one on this earth capable of telling your story. Some of us go to therapy, others write books. Maybe you do both. After all, as Kendra Levin says: "therapy is the story we tell about our lives." 

Until next time for Digital Workshop #5 on "Revising Plot" with Brandy Colbert and Elana K. Arnold... 

Avery Silverberg 

SCBWI Admin Assistant 

SCBWI Members can submit a short story for "The Haunted States of America"

It's going to be a trade book connecting SCBWI member-takes on spooky state stories!

Here's the project description:

Godwin Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, in conjunction with SCBWI, is putting together a collection of fifty-two short stories, one for each of the fifty states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Nationally known or relatively unheard of, based in fact or based entirely in local lore, these stories should capture the spooky side of the U.S. All story authors will be chosen from the SCBWI membership.

We’re actively looking for authors from underrepresented communities as well as traditional communities—our goal is to have a diversity of creators and a diversity of tellings. We hope you will put your own spin on the story, your own voice and/or background, to ensure that the story is relevant to our contemporary times. We welcome submissions from both first time and more established authors.

Some guidelines:
•Up to 1,300 words
•For a middle-grade audience (nine- to twelve-years-old)
•Inspired by local/regional events or myths
•Written by someone who has a personal connection to the state featured in their story (i.e., lives in that state currently or previously lived there for at least three to five years)

Get all the details here, and good luck with your submission!

Illustrate and Write On,

Lee

SCBWI & Smithsonian Team Up To Present An Online Nonfiction Workshop - November 6-7, 2020

 

This digital collaboration between SCBWI and the Smithsonian Institution for nonfiction children's book writers sounds amazing! 

Hosted on Zoom, with the video recordings available through November 22nd, the schedule includes:

Keynotes (from the likes of Carole Boston Weatherford,  Kevin Noble Maillard, and Elizabeth Partridge, 

Panels on aligning your book to curriculum, age, and reading level, an editors panel on the current market for Nonfiction, another editors panel where they'll give feedback on query letters, an authors panel on creative approaches to writing nonfiction and another authors panel on nonfiction writing as a personal journey, and 

breakout sessions on STEM, History/Social Science, Culture, and Biography!

Click here to read about all the programming, and sign up if it sounds right for you!

Illustrate and Write On,

Lee

Creating in the Face of Challenges - The ALA's List of the "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books of the Past Decade"

 

The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom has tallied the numbers, “reviewing both the public and confidential censorship reports it received.”

Noting that they estimate 82-97% of challenges remain unreported, they list the Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books from 2010 through 2019.

Here are the top 20:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Looking for Alaska by John Green
George by Alex Gino
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
Internet Girls (series) by Lauren Myracle
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I Am Jazz by Jazz Jennings and Jessica Herthel
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Bone (series) by Jeff Smith
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss
Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg

Books for kids and teens, classics, books celebrating diversity, books including LGBTQ characters and themes... Take a few minutes and read the full list. And then, go create what you think kids and teens need to read anyway.

Because we can't let the prejudices of some prevent everyone else from finding the books they want, the books that could make their lives better.

As Ellen Hopkins - who has FOUR books on the top 100 list (Crank, Burned, Glass, and Tricks) - said in an interview back in 2009, when asked, “Why do you think people want to stop others from reading something they don't like?”

“I think some of them have the purest of motives... maybe we can make "those bad people" become "good people like me." Or, they think they can protect kids by not letting them read about the bad things in life. Uh, seriously? Get real. As I say in my Manifesto poem, ‘ignorance is no armor’ against the things kids see/face/deal with/ choose to do or not to do every day.” –Ellen Hopkins

       

Illustrate and Write On,

Lee

DW 3.3: How and Why We Translate Books for Children

Stories make up who we are and where we come from. Naturally, the same story is going to be dramatically different, depending on who is the one telling it. For the first time since we’ve begun our Digital Workshop series, our hosts are Children’s Book Translators, Emily Balistrieri, Helen Wang, Cathy Hirano; Moderated by Avery Fischer Udagawa. The intended audience for this workshop wasn’t other translators, but rather, the entirety of the children’s book community. In this workshop, viewers gained a deeper understanding and perspective into the creativity such as the process of translating a children’s book from one language to another. 

Literary translation is the art of conveying a story in a new language, and conveying the text as moving as the original; this involves translating cultural context that may be unwritten. All translators mentioned that being in the mindset of the author is essential. It is an art, matching the rhythm, word choice, and timing to that of the original pages. 

Children's Books in English Translation Published in the US 1994-2019 

If you are an author whose work gets translated, I hope this panel has opened your eyes up to the humanity of this process. Children’s book translation is an art. Just as you get a different story from a different author -- when you see a children's book translated by a different person, you will get an entirely different book!

SCBWI members who missed this workshop can view it on our site here for the next month: https://www.scbwi.org/scbwi-digital-workshops-archive/. Please join us this coming Thursday for Simon & Schuster editorial director, Kendra Levin: "Tools for Being the Hero of your Creative Process During Challenging Times."

Your trusted, Book-Obsessed, SCBWI Admin Assistant

Avery Silverberg

follow me on IG for YA/MG book reviews! @a.very.fast.reader

The 2020 SCBWI Narrative Art Award is Open for Submissions (Until October 20, 2020)

Here's the Assignment:

Submit a narrative sequence based on the theme, “Silver Lining.” For anyone unfamiliar with the expression, Merriam-Webster defines it as “a consoling or hopeful prospect.” It stems from the phrase “every cloud has a silver lining.”

– The submission will consist of three sequential images, without text.

– Your art style and visual story must be appropriate for one of these two specific audiences/book genres (Choose one):

Full color, intended for a picture book for 4 to 7-year-olds
– OR –
Black and white, intended for a Middle Grade book for 8 to 11-year-olds

Criteria

The judges will look for images that tell a visual story or incident with clarity and nuance. The images should reflect a range and progression of mood and emotion. The narrative qualities of the submission will be considered, as will the effectiveness of the design and composition of the image.

Prize

The prize is free tuition to the Virtual SCBWI Winter Conference. The winning illustrations will be displayed during the online Portfolio Showcase (in conjunction with the conference), and the winner will be acknowledged during the live awards ceremony at the Winter Conference, as well as on social media.

Good luck!

Illustrate On,

Lee