Thursday, February 28, 2019

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep - A New Blog Series Hosted by Melissa Stewart on "Celebrate Science"!

Inspired by this quote from Laura Purdie Salas,
“There’s a common, crushing misconception that fiction is creative writing drawn from the depths of a writer’s soul, while nonfiction is simply a recitation of facts that any basic robot could spit out.

The reality is very different. I think my personality, my beliefs, and my experiences are deeply embedded in the books I end up writing ” —Laura Purdie Salas

Melissa turns the spotlight on 33 other authors of nonfiction for kids in this ongoing series "Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep." It's packed insights into their process, tips, and inspiration, and is well-worth checking out!

As Melissa explains in this launch post,
“Again and again, what you’ll hear is that crafting nonfiction involves much more than just cobbling together a bunch of facts. The books we choose to write and the perspectives we choose to explore are often closely linked to who we are as people and our experiences in the world. Nonfiction writers—all writers—have to dig deep. If we don’t, our writing will fall flat, and no one will want to read it.

Our passion for a project, our author purpose, is what drives us to dedicate years of our lives to a single manuscript. It spurs us on despite the obstacles and setbacks, and of course, through the inevitable criticism and rejections.” —Melissa Stewart

Some highlights from the series so far:




Laurie Wallmark

“Writers are often told to write what they know. As far as I’m concerned, we should write what we’re passionate about. We can always research (and who doesn’t like research?) a topic, but if we’re not interested in it—boring!

Which brings me to why I write about women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). Doing so lets me combine two of my passions—STEM and equal opportunity for all.” —Laurie Wallmark

And Laurie Ann Thompson, who shared about the long process behind writing Emmanuel’s Dream,
“At one point, my well-meaning and incredibly supportive husband said something along the lines of, “Why are you [an able-bodied white woman from Wisconsin] writing this story anyway? Maybe it’s time to move on to something you know more about.” I had to wonder if maybe he was right. What did I have in common with Emmanuel? Why was I writing this story in the first place?

It turns out these were just the questions I needed to ask to come up with an approach that finally worked. You see, I’d had all the facts lined up in a satisfying order, but what was missing was… me. I’d been so focused on writing the facts that I’d carefully removed all of my own feelings about it. But isn’t authentic human emotion just another kind of truth? And isn’t it, perhaps, the most important kind of truth we can share with one another?

When I finally sat down and got clear about my “why” for telling that story, the “how” to best tell it revealed itself almost immediately. For me, it isn’t really a story about having a disability or even Emmanuel himself. It’s about being left out and overlooked, feeling frustrated by injustice and inequality, and wanting to make the world a better place.

Those are all things I felt deeply as a child, and things I can still relate to as an adult. The book reveals as much about me, I think, as it does about Emmanuel.” —Laurie Ann Thompson


And Steve Swinburne, who shares,

“I wrote Safe in a Storm (Scholastic, 2017) shortly after the 9/11 attack on the United States. I felt like we’d been struck by a storm that day. As I thought about what I could write after the initial shock and grief subsided, I began, as I often do, to view writing ideas through the lens of nature.

How do animals survive storms? For instance, how do a whale and her calf ride out an ocean squall?

And, yes, it took 15 years to find a publishing home for Safe in a Storm, but I never gave up. I kept on believing in this story about how animals find cozy places to keep them safe and warm, no matter how loud the storm rumbles or how dark the night gets. Bear cubs huddled together in a den, mom and baby owl nestled in a sturdy tree, and a bobcat family sheltering on a ledge, all while the winds and rain bluster and blow. I kept on believing in the protective, healing power of home and family.” —Steve Swinburn
It's a wonderful series. Check it out here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

A Conversation with Jenny Bent - Listen to the latest SCBWI Podcast!


Jenny Bent founded The Bent Agency in 2009. The agency now has nine agents, offices in New York City and London, and a focus on international rights. Jenny speaks to Theo Baker about the difference between Y.A. and Adult, what she's looking for, the decision to launch her own agency, what happened that changed her approach to agenting, 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

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Lindsey Lane Writes About "Reframing the Reality" of Books Going Out Print

Hosted on Cynthia Leitich Smith's indispensable Cynsations website, Lindsey Lane dives into the reality of books going out of print in this four-part series.


Part One dives into some publishing numbers and the culling of books from library collections. The bottom line, when going out of print happens to your book, is that it shouldn't be a surprise.

As Lindsey writes, a book going out of print “is part [of] its life cycle.”

Check out the whole series as it publishes on Cynsations. Well-worth reading.

Links to help:

Part One - An overview

Part Two - Six authors, illustrators, and author/illustrators weigh in with their perspective 

Part Three - Three agents weigh in

Part Four - Three editors share their take

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Craft Wisdom from Stephen King



"Description begins in the writer's imagination, but should finish in the reader's." —Stephen King, pg. 137 of "On Writing"

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is well-worth reading, or listen to the audiobook. (I don't know that I'll ever look at adverbs the same way again.)

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Daniel Stolle's "50 tips that will make you a better illustrator"



Find what resonates for you among these pearls of wisdom from Daniel Stolle's article on Creative Bloq.

From:
Paper is one of the oldest technologies we have. Cultural creation has been based on it for millennia. Let's not abandon it just yet, especially in the early stages of a project.

to
While you're studying illustration – either formally, or by yourself – you are exposed to great work by others. You feel jealous of your peers and in awe of the masters. You're inspired, you're confused, you try to create, and then you're frustrated by what you produce and how badly it compares. And in spite of it all, you're still driven to make something, so you try again. Although you are dealing a lot with your emotions in that whole turbulent process, you might not have learned to observe yourself and what you are doing yet. To be successful, you need to find out a lot of things about yourself first: What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? This is easier said than done, but start with simple things first. For example, what are your most productive working hours? Whether you work best at 6am or midnight, don't miss out on these hours, and try to plan the rest of your day around them. Once your needs are taken care of, you will become less anxious. You are the person you have to work with for the rest of your life, so get to know yourself. Be disciplined, of course, but also be accepting and tolerant.
it's a list of advice that's well-worth checking out.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Ten Inspirational #NY19SCBWI Highlights from the SCBWI Winter 2019 Conference!

So many amazing moments, so much wisdom shared, and so much inspiration...

#10

“What a privilege I have to be welcomed into the imagination of kids. What a responsibility I have to give them my best work.” - Jarret Krosoczka

#9

‘Don’t just plot the story. Plot the characters.’ — Varian Johnson

#8

"don't just change the skin color and think you've drawn diverse characters" talking truth around in and to draw difference with accuracy and empathy


#7

Write for your audience. "Other people will learn to read it." — Elizabeth Acevedo

#6

“...remember that you, that I, are worthy of every poem.” Elizabeth Acevedo

#5

I love this distinction by Marla Frazee on picture books: It’s not the author and the illustrator who collaborate. It’s the *words* and the *pictures* that must collaborate.

#4

"The goal is to construct the kind of art that can change outcomes." We children's book creators create opportunities. When kids see it in our books, they can imagine creating opportunities for themselves. — Cornelius Minor

"You can't be what you can't see." — Julia Torres

#3
"You need multiple conflicts." — Alvina Ling

#2
"There needs to be a purpose for every character in the story." And for each character in each scene. — Emma Dryden

#1
"Voice = Word Choice + Rhythm.
 Rhythm  is two things: Punctuation and Sentence Length."
It may be hard to do, but it's not hard to define. — Linda Sue Park

What are your highlights? Share them in comments...

Thursday, February 7, 2019

#NY19SCBWI Starts Tomorrow!

With the Golden Kite Awards ceremony kicking things off Friday night, Saturday and Sunday should be a whirlwind mix of keynotes (Elizabeth Acevedo! Jarrett Krosoczka! Christopher Paul Curtis!), an agent and editor panel (Maria Barbo! Sarah Davies! Kate Egan! Tanusri Prasanna! Alexander Slater! Mekisha Telfer!), intensive breakout sessions, networking, peer critiques, socials, and book signings!

Follow along (and chime in) online with #NY19SCBWI

And check out the SCBWI Conference Blog for live blogging the keynotes and panel!

Illustrate and Write On!
Lee

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

K.M. Weiland shares "The 10 Rules of Writing Large Casts of Characters"



Check out this useful article by K.M. Weiland on managing the writing of large (and maybe even small) casts of characters. Here's a taste:
Rule #1: Characters Should Exist to Represent Theme and Move Plot (Preferably Both)

The first and single most important principle to consider when evaluating the size of your cast is this: does each character matter to this story?

Characters, like any element in a well-thought-out story, should never be throwaway additions. Each must contribute to the story. Sometimes this contribution may necessarily be as small as a few catalytic or informational lines in a one-off scene. But the more screentime characters have, the greater your responsibility to make sure they contribute to the story on a larger scale.

It’s not enough for prominent characters to exist in the story merely to move the plot; they must also influence and comment upon the thematic argument, either symbolically or by directly impacting the protagonist’s personal arc of growth.
Read the full article here.

My thanks to K.M. for sharing, and to Cynthia Leitich Smith's indispensable Cynsations blog for the heads-up on this gem.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee