Writing
More Notes From The SCBWI Regional Conference
I attended the Society for Children Book Writers and Illustrators regional conference last Saturday. I’m almost a week away from that conference and am beginning to go through my notes and order the suggested books from the library. I have already posted about Ruth McNally Barshaw’s presentation and about one of her influences David Small’s book Stitches.
The conference was inspirational. It was my first time attending.
This is a list of our presenters and presentations—
Ruth McNally Barshaw- Author-Illustrator
Drawing on the writer’s inner life.
I wrote about this in another post, but an element I wanted to remember was to sing to worms. Her book suggestions are also listed in that post. there is also a separate post on one of her suggestions the book Stitches.
Lea Hultenschmidt- Senior Editor Sourcebooks
- Hook-what is new what is different?
- Description, pretend your writing the back cover.
- Wants to know marketing pros cons’
- What are the digital opportunities?
- RESEARCH! Give them marketing strategies.
- YA 60-90,000 words
- Unforgettable characters
- Credible world building
- Romantic element
Author info they would like
- Awards wins
- Endorsements from published authors
- Industry contacts and affiliations
- Online presence
- Previous book and sales history
- Where do you live?
BOOKS Mentioned or suggested
Silverlicious
Isabella
Dream big little pig
I drakula (Story told through messaging)
Laurent Linn-Art Director Simon & Schuster
Creating Real Worlds with Art & Words
- Unfiltered story telling- filtered through reading
- Emotional connection- what is the emotion on each page
- Scenic EVERYTHIGN IS A CHARACTER! Everything in the environment can tell you about the character
- Always be creative never generic. Tree as a character ( BRIDGETTE TAKE NOTE pine cone on tree when you were litte.)
- Create an environment in the shadows.
BOOKS Mentioned or suggested
Name of the Rose
Christian, the Hugging Lion
Bait
Sara Megibow-Nelson Literary Agency
Creating a Wow Inspiring Beginning to Your Novel
She is looking for a unique concept with superior writing.
Says she received 36,000 queries a year (Did I write that down correctly?)
Two different speakers talked about Miranda Kenneally’s book Score
- Show vs telling
- Incite incident—the moment which propels the novel forward
- Compelling characterization
- Mastering mechanics
She suggested to give a friend a red pen and ask them to put a red dot on the first few pages of the novel every time they go “ooooh” . More dots, better it is.
Brenda Murray – Senior Editor (Scholastic)
10 Hot Tips for Nonfiction Writing
My absolute favorite book that she showed was the Zombies Guide to the Human Body. So cleaver. Other cleaver examples Xtreme X-ray- everything is X-rayed.
1. Know your audience
2. Research the competition
Things they always can use are books on dogs, sharks, dinosaurs, and how stuff works.
3. Make it interactive
4. Keep it brief
5. Speak their language
6. Consider a narrative – Suggested reading Ghosts in the fog about Japan attacking Alaska
7. Tell them something new – interesting little known facts
The boys book how to be the best at everything
8. Grab their attention – emotional element, gross, shock, funny
9. Don’t assume previous knowledge
10. Bonus material, maps illustrations articles, interviews
Kate Fletcher -Editor Candelwick Press
A Day in The Life of a Candlewick Editor
Anna Webman- Curtis Brown
Crafting an Inspired Author Agent Relationship
- Questions to ask a potential agent
- How do you balance my project with others?
- How do you work editorially?
- Do you take on digital rights?
- ? The next question— I cannot read my own writing. I swear it says “different tie on girdles,” but I know that is not correct.
- What is your submission process?
Abby Ranger – Editor at Disney Hyperion
What Movies Taught Her About Craft and Fiction
My favorite line from Abbey’s speech was as she was telling about her husband being from Texas and how they now live in Canada- You should never use aye and ya’ll in the same sentence.
BOOKS Mentioned or suggested
Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus Moe Willems
Save the cat
The Talented Clementine Sarah Pennypaker
Graceling http://www.amazon.com/Graceling-Kristin-Cashore/dp/015206396X
Hugo Cabaret Brian Selznik Amazon book
Video about Hugo Cabaret
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Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Some Thoughts on SCBWI Speaker Ruth McNally Barshaw
Yes, this is also the way I kept notes in school.
Now these scribbles are translated below.
I just returned from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Houston 2011 Conference. The next few posts will be a bit about my experiences.
With seven different presenters for the regional conference there was a continuous flow of information and inspiration. My notes look a little creative, as did my notes when I was in high school. Pages are filled with doodles and thoughts that are not always written in horizontal lines, even if there are horizontal lines as guides page. I’d like to share some of my thoughts and notes as I see them from the SCBWI conference.
Illustrator of the Ellie McDoodle books Ruth McNally Barshaw was the first presenter. Quotes and notes from this lecture are scribbled amidst my own doodles.
• She had a quiet little funeral for the characters that her editor had slashed.
• Pay attention to the annoying part of the you that never grew up
• (On success) Do every part of the job and you will find it.
• I finally got to the point I could dream in Spanish
• First book about camping ( PERSONAL NOTE: Bridgette take note of what this brings up visually in your mind.)
• “I grew up in the most dysfunctional pirate family” (She did say pirate and not private?)
• Don’t let the perfect page get to you. Make a mark on it so it is not clean.
• (Comment after she met Richard Peck in 1993 and he gave her his editors card and she did not follow up. Then she met him again.) “You act on things when you are ready. It is o.k.”
• My process changes with each work. Get an idea and then draw 50 thumbnails.
• Pick a scenario and figure out how your character would react. ( PERSONAL NOTE: Bridgette how would the Caroline in your novel pick apples?)
• (Concerning her first time at the publishers after her first book was published) “It’s like being in love.”
• Family was not supportive “how dare you pursue your dreams?” “I pretended they were all dead.”
• After getting published, the quiet desperation does not end, nor do the rejections.
• Winners are ordinary people who keep trying.
PERSONAL NOTE: Bridgette books, authors and illustrators to look at:
Stitches by David Small
On quick glance this appears to be a very intriguing story with wonderful illustrations. Must look deeper into this one. The website for this book is fascinating. Once there I had to write a specific blog post about it. Reader see previous blog post on this.
Newberry award winning books by Richard Peck
A year down Yonder and A long way from Chicago
Tomie DePaola
1976 Caldecott Honor Award for STREGA NONA
2000 Newbery Honor Award for 26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE
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Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
An Incredible Graphic Memoir
Illustrator/authorRuth McNally Barshaw introduced me to the work of David Small at the Society of Children’s book Writers and Illustrators regional conference 2011. David Small’s story Stitches is about a 14 year old boy who goes to the hospital for a “harmless operation. ” He awakes with a long scar on his neck created from the removal of his vocal cord. After snooping around, he later finds out, it is because he had cancer and that he was not expected to live.
Later, he discovers it is his father that has given him the cancer. His father was a radiologist and thought that massive doses of radiology would help with a sinus infection.
This horrific tale is not a story; it is a graphic memoir of the author David Small. I have not read the book yet; it is, however, ordered. Small’s graphic black and white scenes strike me. the story telling from a man who, later in life, finds healing through the telling of his story.
Anyone who has had childhood difficulties, trauma, etc should watch these videos and put the book on their reading list. It is important to note that healing from these things, can often be extremely hard, and as you go through it, you feel restimulated. Small talks about drawing his mother,
“I think the worst thing, the worst part was when I started drawing things out, they really got worse for me… when I began to draw, especially my mother, when I saw her face on the page…. It was if she was with me again… I began to get very, very anxious. When I brought her back to life….”
I’m astounded with the emotion found in the story and the drawings. I’m drawn to it as I work on my own novel. I am trying desperately to think and feel as a 15 year old boy who feels he is betrayed. Small says, “teenagers are feeling like they are not being told everything about the adult world, that there is a deep hypocrisy, that they are desperate to know about.“
Here are a few videos–the last being an interview with the author/illustrator. I’m thankful to be introduced to the young adult literature and images of David Small. I wonder how it will help form my own character in my novel, and I’m interested in hearing other’s thoughts on the book Stitches and the author.
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Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
How to Create an Ebook.
At every writers conference, the topic will eventually turn to self publishing and e-books. You can bet you will see a lot more posts on this blog about just how to do that. I am learning quite a bit about e-publishing. There are e-publishers out there who will take your manuscript and publish it for you as an e-book. Are there ways you can do this yourself? That is what I will be looking at on this blog.
Be warned, if you plan on creating an e-book and self publishing everyone says the same thing. Be prepared to do a lot of work on marketing that e-book. Traditional publishers expect their authors to market themselves as well. A page on Simon & Schuster talks about just that.
Here is another warning. Be sure your book is good and is proofed. Everyone has been paying attention to Amanda Hocking and her success in e-publishing. I have read a few of her things online and one thing keeps coming up EDIT! As I am working through the edits on my first novel I realize that this cannot be stated enough, edit, and then edit again. Here a quote from Amanda’s blog
“My biggest word of advice to any new/future writers thinking about diving into Kindle: Edit. I don’t care what you think, you didn’t edit enough. Some people won’t care that there’s errors, it’s true, but enough of them will. And they paid for it, so they have a right to. So edit more. And then again. Really. “
My first focus on creating an e-book is what software do I need? I was ever so surprised to find out that my investment into Srivener, the software that I purchased to do my first novel and to write my college thesis, can actually prepare your e-book in several different formats. Here are some videos on using Scrivener to prepare your e-book for publishing one by Avery Breyers.
I’m thrilled about this, now to get that novel finished, and edited a few hundred times. I’ll be posting more on self publishing e-books so do check back. It is a very exciting time to be a writer.
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Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Considering Illustration And Looking At How Things Have Changed
I am making the decision to get back to illustration. It has been over 20 years and things have changed.
As I think about illustrating I wonder do I have a style? If so, has my style changed over 20 years. Do the materials that are available to me today, for example, the 3d design programs like Mudbox or Zbrush or programs like Illustrator and Photoshop change the way I create?
I thought I would first take a look at some of the illustrators that I admire or illustrations that I am attracted to.
Franklin Booth (1874-1948) Is one of those celebrated artists
Research
Researching illustration today is much easier than it was 20 years ago. You simply do an Internet search and have tons of reference. While looking at illustration I stumbled upon a wonderful article by Paul Giambarba about the American Illustrators commemorative postage stamps. There are many links in the article and researching the work of these great illustrators can take some time.
I had wanted to work on some pen and ink, though I vacillate between incredibly detailed like Booths work and very simplistic. I am finding inspiration by the reviewing of these legends.
Coles Phillips (1880-1927)
I did like the work of Coles Philip especially that the clothes faded into the background or “fade-away girls” and wondered if I could copy this style or have Phillips style influence me on an illustration I am working on called “Make it better.”
Howard Pyle 1853-1911 is featured as the father of American Illustration. The work is good, but not one that I am drawn to. However, the depth created by the varnishing techniques of Maxfield Parish 1870-1966 has always captivated me. I can’t help but wonder, can you get this depth of field look, created with varnish using digital technology?
It was wonderful to see women artists featured on this list of stamps. Rose O’Neill (1874-1944). Though the style of O’Neill’s work doesn’t hold a personal attraction to me I am drawn to her because of her Kewpie dolls. They are a part of my childhood.
As an aspiring illustrator for my own children’s books it is interesting to read the history and styles of these illustrators. Arthur Burden Frost (1851-1928) illustrated over 90 books. I admire him for his accomplishments. A good watercolor will always get my attention.
Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935) I’m always drawn to the emotional aspect of art
I have always delighted in the artistry of Jessie Wilcox Smith. She has mastered the artistry of capturing the essence of childhood or the wonders of emotional interaction.
I have loved Normal Rockwell as long as I have loved art. (1889-1958)
Others featured in the stamp collection and in the article are:
Edwin Austin Abbey (1852-1911)
Frederic Remington (1861-1909)
Rockwell Kent (1882-1971)
Newell Convers Wyeth (1882-1945)
John Held, Jr. (1889-1958)
James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960)
Robert Fawcett 1903-1967)
Al Parker (1906-1985)
Harvey Dunn (1884-1952)
Jon Whitcomb (1906-1988)
Nora McMein (1888-1949)
Dean Cornwell (1892-1960)
Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
New Year- Getting Organized
The new year is already around the corner and I find myself compulsively trying to get reorganized. 3 tasks sit ont he forefront of my to do list.
1. Backup Big Mac-
I have ordered a new internal hard drive for my Mac. I have encountered a failing hard drive and will be backing up items both on discs and through time machine. This job is really a housecleaning project.
2. To Do List?
I’m not real happy with the way my mac organizes my day. Or maybe it is me organizing my day. I want to set up goals and project and have a step by step way of completing them. I am a list maker and love to see things corssed off. Hubby says, “What is wrong with a notepad?” That does work to some extent but it gets messy very quickly and the pages get torn off and lost. So I’m reviewing software that will help me stay organized. The software of choice Ominfocus.
3. Novel Writing Software.
It has come to my attention that Word just is not doing what I need it to do when trying to complete or clean up a novel or book. I have about 3 book projects going at this moment. The two software programs I am looking at for this job is Storymill and Scrivener.
I guess I’m leaning toward Scrivener as everyone seems to rant and rave about it, plus instead of having just a educational discount they are offering a 50% discount for all of those who participated in National Novel Writing Month and finished. I’m proud to say ia m one of those. I’m also looking at Story Mill, as I really like their timeline feature.
I must not be the only one that really likes the timeline feature in Story Mill. As Tom Borowski says in this this comment thread on an article that compares Story Mill and Scrivener.
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Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Waking Up in Galveston- Question Mark
I could hear the waves as the cool morning air came through the open door leading out to the patio from the room where I slept. I awoke several times at night. I had my blinds open, wanting desperately to watch the sun rise through my bedroom window in this wonderful birthday retreat.
This morning my girls and I gathered in my room 15 floors up on the beach in Galveston, Texas. Ann peeked in first.
“Are you awake?”
I had already turned around upside down on my bed and covered my legs, grabbing my camera, not wanting to miss the sunrise. “Come in” I replied, “ This is incredible”
“I didn’t want you to miss it.” She said.
Wrapped in a red flannel blanket and walking in slowly, reverently Ann knelt down before the large picture window and balanced her elbows on the ledge as if she were going to pray. Perhaps she did in her own way. Sunny showed up next, climbing up onto the large bed. It is a task getting into it, but I’m happy for it’s height, for there is a purpose. It raises me so that I can sit in bed, and watch the surf, the horizon, the many ships passing in the shipping lane so far out, and the little tiny dogs running and sniffing on the beach.
The waves come into shore in scallops, coming and coming and coming again. Four lines of white foam are constant, never moved by the scalloped edges. Farther out white caps peek up and down again as if they are in their own private game of hide-go seek.
What made the morning complete was a cup of hot tea. Started by my friend. “Let me make you your first cup of tea that you drink in your 50’s” she said.
As we three girls sat and watched and waited, a small single little cloud in the shape of a tiny question mark glistened brightly just above where the sun was going to rise. “ Happy birthday. What do I have in store for you?” God seemed to be saying. It was not an ominous question but a playful question, one that you can’t wait to unwrap, to figure, and to explore. We wait a good 45 minutes watching the sky go from mauve to pink to a hint of red and then applauded a simple rising of a sun. Something that happens every day, but this morning it was an event. Our faces shone a bright red as the ceremony reflected upon our own countenance. Once it was over, the three of us retreated into our own rooms They to sleep, me to write. The dust flecks glistening like stars on my computer screen with a sun that is now fully awake.
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Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer and educator as well as a public speaker. Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com. She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a listing of all podcasts Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Great Article About Art Student’s Mental Health
I like this article posted on the Chronicle of Higher education called Art Students’ Mental Health: A Complicated Picture by Daniel Grant. I applaud the writer for bringing some of these things to our attention. Though I want to encourage all the readers to brows down to the middle/end of the article to see why there is so much stress on artists. It is not because, as stereotype indicates, we are temperamental. But this short description taken from the article does get to the heart of things.
“They have to be creative on demand,” says Patricia Farrell, director of the counseling center at the Maryland Institute College of Art, “and they then have to handle a public critique.” Critiques are assessments, in-class but sometimes open to anyone in the college, of student work. They can be quite harsh, far different from the experience of being handed back an assignment with a grade on it.)
I encourage individuals who are entering art college to read this article and think about some of the things that you may not have thought about up until this point.
Show-Don’t Tell
An aspiring writer asked me if I could jot down examples or tell her more about “Show Don’t Tell”
I thought I would put some things here to help her to learn the process. Lord knows I have to practice it quite a bit in my own writing. According to Wikipedia “Show, don’t tell is an admonition to fiction writers to write in a manner that allows the reader to experience the story through a character’s action, words, thoughts, senses, and feelings rather than through the narrator’s exposition, summarization, and description.”
So don’t just tell me your mother is an invalid and sick in a nursing home, show me. Describe it so it makes the reader “feel.” So, how do you get the reader to feel? I like Tara K Harper’s article on the subject- Show, Don’t Tell, the Story.
In Daily WritingTips Erin gives 4 tips on how to show not tell, including 1. Dialogue, 2. Sensory language 3. Be descriptive 4. Be specific, not vague. Be sure to check out the details in this article.
If you love Grammar Girl, and who does not love Grammar Girl, you can hear Mignon Fogarty talks about Show, Don’t tell. So check out the October 2010 podcast.
Of course “showing” often takes more words, and a lot more time. Frankly I think I have written non-fiction for so long that putting my hands to the typewriter “telling” comes much easier than showing. Which brings up a point. Is Showing only important in Fiction? Many believe a certain amount of showing is good in nonfiction as well. In this article 5 Non-Fiction book Writing Mistakes and Solutions Judy Cullins offers some suggestions for nonfiction writers.
Now on to writing and rewriting to show not tell.
An Exploration Of The Self And Sacred
As part of my graduate studies I would like to present this video. For those of you who are not aware, I am travel to Goddard in Vermont twice a year for graduate school. I have a dual graduate study of writing and sculpting for a Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts. (MFAIA) This semester I tried to go “outside of my box” a bit by creating this altar or sorts. Of course this piece of artwork is only a part of this semester.
Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer and educator as well as a public speaker. Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a listing of all podcasts
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast