Tag Archives: Writer's Conference

Finding A Picture Book Tip from Mary Kole

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So, yes, of course, you can find lots of tips from Mary Kole if you check out her Kidlit.com, “a place for people who love, read and write children’s literature.”

And I’m pretty sure you’ll get your money’s worth of tips if you sign up for her Picture Book Craft Intensive this week. Because not only will you get her tips, but you’ll get a critique of your picture book. That is HUGE.

(I attended the Harriette Austin Writers Conference in Athens this past weekend, and Mary Kole evaluated my manuscript. With a fine tooth comb. All I can say is that I’m glad she wrote stuff down, because seriously. That woman talks fast. But it was amazingly thorough and if I had a great picture book manuscript, I’d risk getting a creepster stalking reputation and send 90 bucks right this minute. )

Anyway, she said something during her talk at the conference that I hadn’t considered. Or if I’d heard this tip, it hadn’t connected. So here’s the tip: Your picture book should have multiple hooks. I’d never thought about it, but I suppose most picture books have more than one hook. Take Green Eggs and Ham, one of my kids’ absolute favorite books.

There’s the message hook, about trying new things. There’s a rhyming hook, and of course, there’s that unique Dr. Seuss zany humor hook. And really, there’s also the illustration hook. I’m not sure if Theodor Geisel consciously thought about all those hooks or if they grew organically out of his creation process. But somehow, he managed multiple hooks in every book.

Looks kinda simple, when you read Green Eggs and Ham. But I have a sneaky suspicion that it’s much harder than it looks.

(P.S. That’s Mary Kole, holding Cathy-on-a-Stick, with Donny Seagraves, another presenter, standing next to ’em. I’m not sure why the pic’s a little fuzzy. Maybe I was quaking in my boots around that threesome of talent.)

What I Saw and How I Learned (At Springmingle!)

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So, remember a post or two back when I asked about SCBWI?

Several people commented about the SCBWI conferences and the value thereof. And this is the post in which I’ll share my very own personal observations and such about the conference I just attended. To wit, Springmingle ’10, sponsored by Southern Breeze.  (You know, that sounds awfully impressive. And I’m not gonna lie. Springmingle ’10 kinda was.)

From keynote speaker and prolific author, Jane Yolen, I learned that the truth about children’s publishing may not always be rainbows and puppy dogs, but it’s worth enduring. I found that she (thankfully) has a great sense of humor (see Cathy-on-a-Stick’s latest adventure). And I’ll keep her wonderful comment from my First Page critique for a rainy, rejection day. (Okay, you might as well know that I’ve written her comment down and it’s posted over my computer. Because c’mon,  it’s Jane Yolen.) I put one of Jane’s recently released books on my “To Buy List”: My Father Knows the Names of Things because when Jane read it, I got a little flekempt.

From Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor at Arthur A. Levine Books, I learned alot about revising and character development.  And I also learned that when speakers give handouts,  I remember more. Here’s a revision technique straight from the handout that’s helpful for any writer: Cut as many adverbs, telling uses of the word “feel” or “felt,” and non-“said” dialogue tags as you possibly can. “I felt like I learned something there,” I whined pitifully.

Josh Adams, agent, from Adams Literary Agency, filled us in on the agent side of children’s publishing, sharing lots of agent secrets. I learned that yeah, you need an agent. And that yeah, it’s not easy.  I could share those tips ’cause they’re not so secret.

From my manuscript critique, I learned that Jessica Alexander (from Peachtree Publishers) made a most excellent point about my main character.  I also learned that  a major rewrite is now in my immediate future.

From Meredith Mundy, senior editor at Sterling Publishers, I learned that when you (and by you, I really mean me) win the opportunity to sit next to someone (and by someone, I mean Meredith)  in the children’s writing business, you can’t get any luckier (and by luckier, I mean Meredith was gracious and generous and put up with a lot from, um, me) than Meredith Mundy. Oh, and I also learned from Meredith that Sterling is always looking for humor. (Wheee!)

And finally, I learned that you really can’t beat  SCBWI for writer value. Not to mention that whole “making new friends” value.