Tag Archives: writing tips

HarperCollins Editor Karen Chaplin on Defining Voice, Trends, & Time Management

27 Wednesday Dec 2017

Posted by in Editor's Perspective

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Karen Chaplin began her publishing career at Scholastic. She was an editor at Puffin Books/Penguin Young Readers Group for six years before she moved to HarperCollins Children’s Books, where she is currently a senior editor of picture book, middle grade, and young adult fiction and nonfiction. Karen received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Delaware, and her MA in English from Simmons College. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, finding DIY projects to do, and dabbling in photography. She also has graciously offered to do a Q&A with us!

Sarah Parker-Lee: As an editor, it’s your job to take a writer’s labor of love and not just fine-tune it but take it to the next level. What are you looking for when you first begin this process?

Karen Chaplin: One of the first things I look for in a manuscript is voice. The voice of the story, of the main character, of all the characters, really needs to draw me in from the first few pages, and if that happens, then the author has got me hooked. Plot points, character issues, the ending—all of that can be modified. But the voice is difficult to accomplish, and if an author nails that, it’s a fantastic start.

SPL: Any advice for writers working with an editor, whether they are first-timers or old pros? Continue reading →

SCBWI Central Coast Regional News, Fourth Quarter 2017

20 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in Central Coast, SCBWI Summer Conference, Tips and Tools, Tri-Regional News

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By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

SCBWI Summer Conference Report, by Tricia Candemeres

The 46th SCBWI Summer Conference was quite a special one. I won an SCBWI grant that covered the expenses, and I wanted to both live up to the honor and embrace the opportunity.

Vanessa Brantley Newton started us off and lifted us up – first with the hokey pokey, then with her stories of diversity, adversity, and dreaming bigger, and ended with the most stunning rendition of “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught.”

From that high bar, it became one amazing keynote or breakout after another. My friends and I split up and compared notes later.

Some highlights:

  • Sean Qualls reminding us to keep showing up.
  • The “Transforming Life into Art” writers sharing tough, deeply personal stories.
  • The sneak preview for the movie based on “Shades of Gray” by Ruta Sepetys.
  • Marvin Terban’s funniest words for kids: underpants, poop, and fart!
  • The awe-inspiring Portfolio Showcase.
  • And of course, tea with Judy Blume.

Illustrator Raúl Colón demonstrates his color layering technique during his intensive.

So much to take in. I’ll just fill in some of the gaps with favorite conference quotes:

  • “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.” – Vanessa Brantley Newton
  • “Teach children humor as a vital life skill.” – Marvin Terban
  • “The secrets that make you feel alone in the world are the very things you need to share in stories.” – Kat Yeh
  • “Storytellers have been part of the human experience from the very beginning – and I truly believe that even the ones drawing the pictures on the wall of the caves had imposter syndrome.” – Zareen Jaffery
  • “Your story matters. Great minds don’t think alike.” – Nancy Paulsen
  • “Will I still love this manuscript AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN?” – Rubin Pfeffer
  • “Kids are ready to take stuff on – go there.” – Alex Gino
  • “Make the Mommy Promise. Mommy will not save the day in my story.” – Tammi Sauer
  • “You can have all the talent in the world, and if you’re not determined, you’re going to let something stop you from doing it.” – Judy Blume

And finally:

“Team Marla” and friends: Top row: Danielle Heitmuller, Heidi Aubrey, Gail Buschman, Nicole Allin, me (Tricia Candemeres), Judy Faulkner, Molly Ruttan, and Nina Moldawsky,  Front row: Helen Yoon, Joy Dabby, Annelouise Mahoney, and April Zufelt

• Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is that quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” – Mary Anne Radmacher, as quoted by Laurie Halse Anderson in her closing keynote.

On Monday, the Illustrator’s Intensive was an information packed day of demonstrations and hands-on activities, featuring Ramon Hurtado, Vanessa Brantley Newton, Marla Frazee, John Rocco, Leuyen Pham, Raúl Colón, and Javaka Steptoe.

Over the past few years I’ve connected to a tribe of incredibly supportive SCBWI illustrators and authors, (we all met through a Marla Frazee workshop, so we call ourselves Team Marla), and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing this conference with them. We really are all on this journey together!

Tricia Candemeres is a children’s book author and illustrator living in southern California with her husband and two children. She worked in broadcast and graphic design before making the leap to illustration. A NYC transplant, she studied at FIT and School of Visual Arts in NYC as well as Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. You can visit her work at triciacandemeres.com and follow her on Instagram @tcandyart.

 

CenCal Writer Retreat 2018:

Bravely Crafting Picture Books with Heart
January 12-14, 2018
La Casa de Maria Retreat and Conference Center, Santa Barbara

Join Tammi Sauer, award-winning author, for a productive and fun picture book retreat. She will unveil her favorite picture book writing secrets. You will delve into the most important picture book components (character, conflict, word choice, among others) through discussion, examples, and engaging exercises.

Learn to build heart and humor into your manuscript.

For more information, go to https://cencal.scbwi.org/events/cencal-writers-retreat-2018/

 

SAVE THE DATES!

For information, go to http://cencal.scbwi.org

December 2, 2017
Holiday Party, Bakersfield

December 10, 2017
Holiday Party, Santa Barbara

January 12-14, 2018
Writer Retreat: Bravely Crafting Picture Books with Heart, Santa Barbara


BOOK TALK ONLINE

Book Talk is a monthly book discussion group taking place on the SCBWI Central-Coastal California listserv. Discussions begin on the first of each month, facilitated by Lynn Becker. To become a member of the listserv, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/SCBWI-CCal/

NOVEMBER: Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, by Rita Williams-Garcia (MG)
Clayton wants to play harmonica in Cool Papa Byrd’s band but, when his grandfather dies, his mom forbids him to play the blues.

DECEMBER: My Sister Rosa, by Justine Larbalestier (YA)
Che loves his brilliant younger sister, even though he seems to be the only one who knows how dangerous she really is.

JANUARY: Leave Me Alone! by Vera Bristol (PB)
An old woman wants a quiet place to knit, but grandkids, goats, bears, and aliens won’t leave her in peace.

For more fantastic content, community, events, and other professional development opportunities, become a member today! Not sure if there is a chapter in your area? Check here.

 

Images provided by SCBWI Central-Coastal Region and Tricia Candemeres.

Author and Illustrator Mary Ann Fraser’s Lessons After 60 Published Books and Counting

18 Wednesday Oct 2017

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Illustrator's Perspective, Tips and Tools

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mary_ann_fraser_400Mary Ann Fraser is the author/illustrator of 60 fiction and non-fiction books for children. Her latest picture book, Alexander Graham Bell Answers the Call (Charlesbridge), was published in August.

Fraser is also the Regional Advisor for SCBWI’s Central-Coastal Region. She talks to Kite Tales about her prolific career and shares lessons learned over the years.

Erlina Vasconcellos: Congratulations on your new book, a nonfiction look into the childhood of Alexander Graham Bell. How did you choose him as the subject?

Mary Ann Fraser: First, thank you for the opportunity to share my journey toward this latest book. As always, I am so grateful for the support and encouragement of my friends and peers that make up this amazing community we call SCBWI.

alex_graham_bell_jkt

In 2012 my husband and I visited the Alexander Graham Bell Historic Site in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. I was amazed at Bell’s endless curiosity, inventiveness, and desire to help others, particularly the deaf, and was struck by how his life’s work seemed inevitable from the time he was a young lad. His mother was deaf and his father and grandfather were speech therapists. At the museum bookstore, I asked if they had any picture books on Bell. The cashier said they didn’t but wished they did. That’s when bells (excuse the pun) started ringing, and I realized I had my next project.

EV: After 60 books, how do you stay inspired and keep things fresh? Is your method for generating ideas different from when you began?

Continue reading →

Author & Screenwriter Holly Goldberg Sloan on Writing Multiple POV’s & Unreliable Narrators

06 Wednesday Sep 2017

Posted by in Author's Perspective

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By Karol Ruth Silverstein

Holly Goldberg Sloan is the author of five children’s novels, including New York Times bestsellers Short and Counting by 7s, and the highly acclaimed young adult novel, I’ll Be There. She has also written a number of successful family feature films, including Angels in the Outfield, The Big Green, and Made in America. Her latest movie is Pure Country: Pure Heart, and will be released by Warner Bros on August 1, 2017. The mother of two sons, Holly lives with her husband, Gary Rosen, in Santa Monica, California. She spoke with Karol Ruth Silverstein about transitioning from film to kid lit, writing from multiple points of view, and the inspiration for her work.

Karol Ruth Silverstein: First, thank you so much for doing this interview! After a successful career as a screenwriter and director, what prompted you to get into writing children’s books?

Holly Goldberg Sloan: I stumbled into writing books. I was on vacation in Mexico. I was working for DreamWorks at the time on an animated project. I couldn’t get email, so I was not able to get the studio notes I was waiting for. I had a lot of free time. I started writing a story. When I got home to Santa Monica I kept working on it. I felt free writing with no plan, no deadline. Six months later that story became the novel I’ll Be There, which was published in 2011 by Little Brown.

KRS: All of your novels are told through multiple points of view – and not major characters, but dozens of different characters, some of whom only appear briefly. Can you explain why you’ve chosen to use this literary device? Continue reading →

Authors Judy Enderle and Stephanie Gordon on Founding the Working Writer’s Retreat, Making the Most of Critiques and Writing with a Partner

16 Wednesday Aug 2017

Posted by in Writers' Retreat

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wwr2016_judystephSince they met during a UCLA writing class in 1979, Stephanie Gordon and Judy Enderle have led prolific careers as writing partners, publishing more than 20 picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels like Smile! Principessa! and Where Are You, Little Zack?  They have also published books individually and under the joint pen names Jeffie Ross Gordon and J.R. Gordon.

They were also the co-editors of the Fox Broadcasting Children’s Network magazine, Totally Fox Kids, and story editors and writers for the first season of the Fox children’s television program Rimba’s Island. They have been lecturers, teachers, and editors for Boyd’s Mills Press, and are still famous for saying, “yes.” Today, they also run the manuscript critique and editing business Writers Ink.

Enderle and Gordon have crafted writing communities, founding SCBWI’s Southern California chapter (which would later be segmented to include the Los Angeles Chapter) and were the first Regional Advisor Chairpersons, taking SCBW(I) from six chapters to sixty and international, as well as launching the Working Writer’s Retreat. The retreat returns this year, Sept 15-17, with Enderle and Gordon again serving as faculty.

We asked them about their careers, working with a writing partner, and making the most of a critique. Continue reading →

Author Catherine Linka on Community for Introverts, Critique Tips, What Sells, & Balancing Romance with Wonder Woman

05 Wednesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Tips and Tools, Writers' Retreat

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Catherine Linka, author of the A Girl Called Fearless series, joins this year’s LA SCBWI Working Writer’s Retreat faculty. She is a world traveler, former buyer for an independent book store, and was almost thrown out of boarding school for being “too verbal.” She spoke with me about her work, your work, Wonder Woman, and the kid lit community’s place in the world.

Linka first became involved in SCBWI “forever ago.” It was the first time she’d found people interested in the same kid lit things as her. Later, she added her Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA community and then the debut author community. “Everyone was so generous and warm and inclusive.” That’s why she believes it’s so important to give back. “It costs me nothing but time to help someone else out, really, so why not?”

True to that ideal, Linka is a huge supporter of SCBWI and an active SCBWI mentor and member. She knows every writer needs a supportive community. “It can take years to develop your craft, and you need people to cheer you on, point out opportunities, open doors, celebrate successes and mourn defeats. We really can’t do this alone, and it is so much more fun and satisfying to do it together.”

Linka acknowledges that writers who are often introverted, herself included, may feel overwhelmed in social situations, even when taking advantage of SCBWI’s group activities and professional development opportunities. This can also make it harder when we eventually have to do our own marketing. Her biggest advice: Continue reading →

SCBWI Los Angeles Launches New Critique Exchange

07 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Critique Day, Tips and Tools

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By Jill Tuckman

If you missed the registration deadline for the Critiquenic, taking place Saturday at the Skirball center, fear not! We have other ways for you to find critique partners. Read on as Jill Tuckman, our webmaster, tells you all about our new and improved Critique Exchange.

Many authors and illustrators talk about how valuable their critique groups are to their careers, and I can (but won’t, fear not) go on about how helpful my critique groups have been to me. But finding a good critique group is not always easy. Continue reading →

Clelia Gore: Agent’s Perspective, 2017 Writers & Illustrators Day Faculty

22 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Agent's Perspective, Writers Days

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cleliagore Clelia Gore is a lawyer-turned-literary-agent who heads Martin Literary Management’s kid lit division. She represents authors and illustrators in both fiction and nonfiction, from board books to young adult.

As faculty for SCBWI’s upcoming Writers & Illustrator’s Day, she will lead a session titled “The Interplay Between Art and Text in Picture Books.” She also will critique manuscripts and will be an illustration contest judge.

Erlina Vasconcellos: What do you want participants to take away from your breakout session at Writers & Illustrators Day?

Clelia Gore: I get two kinds of picture book queries: author/illustrators and authors only. For people who are authors only, they sometimes need a little help seeing how the art and writing can work together to tell the story. A lot of picture book writers who are early in their careers don’t understand how the two forms of art interplay in telling the story.

For authors who are illustrators, it’s honing in on things to think about when crafting their story…Hopefully people will leave inspired and it will lead to thoughtfully crafted books.

EV: What question are you asked often? Continue reading →

Illustrator’s Perspective: Olivia Aserr

23 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by in Illustrator's Perspective

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peter-panI mainly work in visual storytelling, which is a fancy way of saying I like to draw pictures that tell a story. Throughout the years, this has meant working in animation, editorial, and now, children’s books. Drawing and writing for kids is something I’ve always wanted to do, because when I was a kid, I loved stories and movies and books, but I wanted more of them to look like me (rather selfishly, I admit). This is a pretty common thread amongst a lot of creators and storytellers I meet. We become artists so we can add to the mix and enrich the narrative with our perspectives and experiences and dreams. Continue reading →

Kid Lit, Day Jobs, and Paying the Bills

14 Wednesday Sep 2016

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17121706878_0b0d1e7a11_zI’ve always wondered how artists and illustrators pay their bills and still have time to create. Some artists like myself, who need extra income, have little information on finding art and writing jobs other than by asking other artists/writers and checking newspaper job listings for part-time paid positions or freelance jobs. But the Internet is such a wonderful vehicle to use when you need to find information or even jobs that you wouldn’t be able to find locally, so the Kite Tales team and I decided to do some research.

Continue reading →