Taking a Blog Break

                                                               

In 2008 when we started The Paper Wait, the social media arena was very different. Blogs were "the thing," and a critique group blog was unusual. The scene has changed. Facebook and Twitter hold sway now and we're ready for a blog break. Five years of thoughtful, informative and humorous posts remain that reflect our varying personalities.

My posts often echoed my writing life during the last five years:

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Sound Resources

In the process of revising a manuscript AGAIN, I’ve been digging in to some familiar and newly-found websites to ignite my creative flame. (And, darn it, yes, I am able to make the manuscript better, even though I swore the *#@$ thing was finished.)  I thought others might find some of these resources useful. 

One of my revision goals has been to use more powerful and descriptive words, especially since this story uses a lot of onomatopoeia—sound words.  If words like sizzle, snarl, twang, whallop, belch, boosh, flump get you thinking and describing more vividly, then check some of these sites out. 

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National Picture Book Writing Week

So this past week was National Picture Book Writing Week. Otherwise known as NaPiBoWriWee, created by picture book author, Paula Yoo. 

The challenge for NaPiBoWriWee is to draft seven picture books in seven days. As anyone who has ever attempted to write a picture book knows, this is an incredibly intense challenge.

And this year I decided to give it a try!

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Making the Case for Magazines - Again

                                                                              
Most writers yearn to publish a book. No surprise! Writing conferences, blogs and professional journals are mostly aimed at book publication. Five years ago, I wrote about magazine publication as an option. Since then, the traditional book market (especially for picture books) is even tighter. And the digital/app market for picture books? Unless you are an author/illustrator, or your work is already illustrated, you're pretty much out of luck. Apps are expensive to make and developers usually look for established authors or a branded series.

So why not write for magazines? You'll get some rejection letters, but aren't they're always part of the writing life? For non-fiction articles, you may have to write the dreaded query letter, but don't we all need practice with them? The only other disadvantages are smaller checks than a book advance and your moment of glory only lasts a month.

But consider the advantages:

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Triumph Times Two!!

The Paper Waiters ended 2012 with a joyful bang - book contracts for Robin and Brianna! Their celebratory posts were delightful reading. Full of !!!!!.

Such stunning good news deserves a back story. Now that the confetti has been swept away, the band has packed up, and the fireworks are ash,  I'd like to ask Robin and Brianna a few questions.

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New Year! New Book!!

Happy New Year, Paper Waiters! I am so excited to be starting off the new year with some good news... some VERY good news! My picture book, Mystery at the Miss Dinosaur Pageant has been... acquired by Caroline Abbey of Bloomsbury Children's Books!! Yay!!!!

I am so excited I finally get to share my good news. This fun and wacky picture book is near and dear to my heart and I would like to extend a huge thank my awesome Paper Wait critique group for guiding me through revisions (and for believing in it when they first saw an early draft!). And a huge thank you to my awesome agent, Teresa Kietlinski, for believing in this story and helping it to find the right editor!

So please help me celebrate! Take a piece of cake, a scoop of ice cream and join the party!

Can't wait to celebrate lots more good news for all the wonderful Paper Waiters in 2013!

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The Caldecott Is Coming . . . Soon, Soon

One of my favorite blogs is Calling Caldecott. It's co-written by Robin Smith (a second grade teacher and reviewer for Kirkus and Horn Book) and Lolly Robinson (who teaches children's lit. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is designer/production manager for Horn Book.)

November was Picture Book Month at the Horn Book and two exceptional articles in that section of the blog are "Over and Over," an emotional tribute to Charlotte Zolotow written by her daughter, Crescent Dragonwagon; and Patricia Gauch's article "The Picture Book as an Act of Mischief."

Moving on to the reviews of possible Caldecott Medal candidates, here are a few of the books they've featured:

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Resolving to Write

With the New Year just around the corner, resolutions for 2013 come to mind.

I resolve to write one picture book manuscript each month. How will I keep that resolution, you may ask?

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Fineena's Final Choice

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=498079276887576&set=a.149988051696702.25673.121397914555716&type=1&theater

In our village in Ireland this summer, a 58 foot fin whale swam into our harbor, settled in to a corner where shore meets pier and rested in shallow water. The chest-high cement wall along the pier overflowed with villagers craning their necks to see over and down towards the water below.

With her nose into the apex of cement walls, able to submerge just inches beneath the surface, she rose and blew, spraying seawater from her blowhole and puffing every few minutes. It was a fascinating spectacle. How often can you watch a whale, and see its face, with protruding gray balls for eyes, and a white horseshoe mouth bigger than my kitchen, up close, for hours on end?

Sadly, it was soon apparent that our whale friend was not well. 
Muddy red water let everyone know that Fineena, (Irish for ‘beautiful child’, the name dubbed her by locals) was bleeding internally. No one, not the veterinarian, the whale specialist, nor the fishermen could help. This was real life, not a children’s story. Fineena lay ill for three days before dying, enduring tidal shifts which left her slick black skin half exposed above the water, scratched ragged from a gale-force storm which tossed her helplessly against the cement pier and rocky bottom. 

Simultaneously macabre and inspirational, from a writer’s point of view, I wonder where I should take this story. Children’s reactions were as varied as their accents. One teenage boy broke into tears. Others watched wide-eyed with obvious questions. Some just accepted it, with “That’s nature.” 

Can I use this emotive experience to write a happy picture book ending for Fineena? Can I use the powerful death scene I witnessed in a middle grade novel and how? Her behavior brings up so many questions and infinite story possibilities. Why did she choose our village as her final resting place? Why not the shallow creek where the seal colony lives, or another of the limitless, uninhabited coves nearby? Fineena swam past hundreds of boats with low keels, their thick-roped moorings stretching from the water’s surface to the bay floor, creating an underwater maze. How did she manage to cause no damage? Why was she so determined – was it something about the echo of human voices across the water? 

I wrote my initial impressions as the story unfolded. When I look back at that draft, I am struck by the richness of detail and emotion, and authenticity. The voice, using the point of view of the whale, is much more powerful than my remote efforts. So writers, you’ve heard it before: write it down, right away! Take copious notes. It matters. Readers will feel it. 

I don’t yet know what my final choice will be for the story, but it feels like a story worth sharing.

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More About Maurice

Since Maurice Sendak died last week, there's been a flood of accolades and personal memories published. I'd like to add one small story from an interview he gave Leonard Marcus in WAYS OF TELLING: CONVERSATIONS ON THE ART OF THE PICTURE BOOK published by Dutton in 2002.

Leonard S. Marcus: "Once when you were ill as a child, your father told you that if you looked out of the window without blinking you might see an angel. In many of your children's books, characters stare out at the reader. Are they, too, looking for angels?"

Maurice Sendak: "I remember that incident clearly, as if it were yesterday. It hurts not to blink, and I didn't blink until my eyes watered, but I did see an angel. And when I saw him or her or it go by, I screamed and my father came rushing in. And, of course, in WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, Max doesn't blink once."

Do you have any childhood memories woven into your writing?

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Almost There!

Wow! It has been more than two years since I sold my first picture book, and now that book, "Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?" is just two weeks away from publication.

I don't know if it is this way for most first time authors, but for me, time seemed to pass really slowly after the book got accepted. I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what.

Now with just weeks to go before launch day, I suddenly know all I could have been doing. And I'm trying to get it all done!

 
So I thought I'd tell you what I'm doing. And if you've got a debut coming up, maybe I can help you to put a few things on your list a bit earlier. :o)

1. I'm busy running a Truck Bedtime Drawing Contest for kids! This at least is now nicely off the ground, but I want to let people know about it. So please spread the word! And hope your kids create some super truck drawings!

2. I'm busy planning my online Truck Stop Book Launch. Eek! The general outline is laid out, but there is still a lot of work to do, to turn it into the "party" I envision. (Please stop by my website on May 22nd to see if I pulled it all together. :o))

3. I'm busy finishing up the school visit program I have planned. The first visit is on May 24th to the elementary school I attended as a kid. I am super excited and, as with the party, I have the general outline all laid out. But, from my many years of teaching, I know how very important it is to think through as many details as I can so that things will run smoothly. So I am busy working on details.

4. And did I mention the book trailer? Yes, I've been dreaming of a book trailer for two years. I even wrote the text for it right after I sold the book. So I'm also busy putting that together.

5. And then there are the other events that I'm busy trying to organize-- a Touch a Truck Day and a live bookstore launch.

(And if you're heading up on a debut and looking for things you can work on, other to do items I recently accomplished included: creating a Teacher's Guide for my book, putting together a packet of materials to send out to schools I'm visiting, and printing up postcards to hand out to promote my book.)

Now as a writer, I can't help but notice that the word "busy" is definitely overused in this blog post. But I decided that the repetition of that word captures my current state. It is busy and exciting and wonderful! Just two weeks till publication day! And, while I want time to slow down a little, so I can get everything done, still I can hardly wait!

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A Giraffe in my Grasp

In my last post I suggested that it might be “easier to juggle giraffes than to sell a rhyming picture book manuscript” (see “Giraffe Juggling”). That’s still true, but at the moment, I feel like I’ve caught a giraffe and am bracing myself for the toss.

The latest critique of my rhyming PB manuscript left me stymied by a new question: “Have you thought about where you might submit this?” Submit? Really?

Immersed in meter, plot and my thesaurus, I had resolved not to consider next steps. I consulted the wonderful resources you readers suggested (thank you!), and revised, revised, revised. And, surprise -- the manuscript earned a thumbs up from my critique partners.  


I am thrilled to see light at the end of the revision tunnel. Admittedly, the manuscript needs tweaks, but they feel manageable. Today, my efforts to hone this craft made a difference and lifted me to a new level of confidence.

I’m not juggling yet, but at least the giraffe is within my grasp. I know this is just the beginning of a confidence-deflating process (ah, rejections) but still, I'm looking forward to launching that giraffe skyward.

So this is my way of encouraging all you frustrated writers out there: Keep at it! You can catch a giraffe too.

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Inspiration . . . Frustration, Chapter IV

Chapter summary:
2011 - Chapter I. PB truck story finally gets written. (Aug. 11th post)
Chapter II. PB truck story goes to a conference. PB truck story appeals to an editor and she takes it with her. (Sept. 28th post)
Chapter III - PB truck story is revised twice (based on editorial suggestions) and resubmitted in November. Email from editor saying "looking forward to reading it over the long weekend." (Thanksgiving)
2012 - Chapter III, con't. Email from editor on 1/20, "looking over it now . . . more thorough response soon." (Feb. 16th post)

Last Thursday, tired of waiting for a response, I called the editor and left a message. Two hours later, I received an email

REJECTION . . "most likely not going to work . . . the plot has become too complex . . . the sweetness and charm of the first draft has been obscured. One thing I regret about our earlier revision talks is that I think I may have been too forthcoming with my own ideas. I would be happy to see another draft, but you know what my hesitations are so it's up to you whether you want to put in more work." She wrote a long and thoughtful rejection letter and I agree with some of her comments.

For months I felt disassociated from this story. It belonged to the editor and she controlled its fate. The worst part about a rejection? Now the story's mine again. I'm forced to face the fact that my first draft needed work, but the changes I made last November damaged the tone of the story.

Revision is a tricky! But that won't stop me.

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Mostly Good News

Writing conferences stimulate my creativity, so I try get to at least one every year. But in recent years, market reviews were so discouraging -- fewer publishers acquiring fewer books for fewer bookstores -- I left wondering about my choice of profession.

The SCBWI Winter Conference in January was different. The air bubbled with fresh optimism and renewed enthusiasm (amid familiar cautions, of course).

GOOD NEWS

• The children’s market is ‘very robust’ (Ken Wright, Agent, Writers House). Kids are still reading real books (Chris Richman, Agent, Upstart Crow Literary).
• Imprints for YA have increased in the last three years (Regina Brooks, Founder and President, Serendipity Litereary Agency, LLC)
• MG is the new YA (Regina Brooks) with rising popularity and market potential. YA and MG will continue to grow.
• Picture Books are ‘alive and well’ (Nancy Paulsen, Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin). Digital books, so far, seem to be an incremental purchase rather than a cannibalistic one. Parents like a book which is already on their bookshelf, and buy a digital copy for travel purposes.
• Non-fiction is underestimated (Ken Wright). National Geographic and Discover are doing more, and make NF commercial enough for Barnes & Noble. A number of NF titles have appeared in the National Book Award lists.

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Inspiration . . . Frustration, Chapter III

(Chapters I and II appeared on August 11th and September 28th of last year.)

LAST YEAR - PB truck story finally gets written and goes to a conference, PB truck story appeals to an editor and she takes it with her, PB truck story is revised twice (based on editorial suggestions) and resubmitted in November. Email from editor saying "looking forward to reading it over the long weekend." (Thanksgiving)

THIS YEAR - Email from editor on January 20th, "looking over it now . . . more thorough response soon."

Okay, so what explains nearly a month of silence?

I figure there are three possibilities:

1. My story is circulating among the editors.

2. It's sitting at the bottom of a pile, buried by more urgent business.

3. I didn't hit the mark with revisions and the editor is putting off writing a rejection letter.

QUANDARY - Do I email her now, or do I wait, wait, wait some more?

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Robert McCloskey

Just finished reading ROBERT McCLOSKEY: A PRIVATE LIFE IN WORDS AND PICTURES, by his younger daughter Jane. It’s an engaging read about the family, their pleasures, troubles and travels. The illustrations are not only from his books, but also his watercolors and paintings of family members and scenes of the various places they lived. Jane and her older sister, Sally (of Blueberries for Sal), spent childhood time on their Maine island, in New York, Mexico and at a private school in Switzerland.

I do wish Jane had written more about her father’s writing process – for example, how long did he work on some of the books? However, she points out he was a very “private and shy man,” and much of her “understanding” came from “detective work, watching him and thinking about him and what he said and didn’t say.”

Miscellaneous facts from the book:

1. The children called him Bob. He did not like to be called Dad.
2. McCloskey suffered with depression, had a nervous breakdown and spent time in a sanitarium.
3. There was a real Burt Dow and his tombstone reads: Burt Dow, Deep Water Man.
4. McCloskey worked a long time on puppets for a TV show, but they were never used.
5. There was a Robert J. McCloskey (State Department – Intelligence) who occasionally received fan mail for the author. The book has photocopies of a humorous exchange about this.
6. And finally: when people approached him saying they had a great idea for a children’s book they wanted to write, his reply was, “Don’t talk about it. Do it.”

Great advice.

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Why the ___ Didn’t I Write That Book First?

Okay, I’d guess by now that a good number of our Paper Wait readers have read Adam Mansbach’s hilarious bestselling picture book, Go the F___ to Sleep.

If not, here’s a snippet…

The cats nestle close to their kittens,

The lambs have laid down with the sheep.

You’re cozy and warm in your bed, my dear.

Please go the ____ to sleep.

Although a PDF of the book, leaked by industry insiders, went viral months ago, the actual print version debuted his week. Despite causing some controversy among readers who thought it was in bad taste, the book has been wildly successful. It has already sold hundreds of thousands of copies—in time for Father’s Day gifts, no doubt--and is now number one on The NY Times' bestseller list. Can you guess under which category it’s listed? Hint: It’s not picture books.

And the answer is….Hardcover Advice and Miscellaneous. That categorization made me laugh. I suppose some readers, primarily sleep-deprived, grumpy, borderline-lunatic parents, might think this parody really does offer up helpful advice. I was one of those parents myself, not too many years ago, and I definitely let a choice word or two slip out when all else failed. I remember it being helpful to me at the time.

I read that several spinoffs of Mansbach’s book are already in the works. This makes me wonder where he’ll take his irreverent take on parenting next. How about... What the _______ is That ______ in Your Diaper?

So, who out there has read the book? Did you love it or hate it? Just for fun: What kind of spinoffs would you guess are in the works?

p.s. Happy Father’s Day, Dads!

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Revising... and Revising... and Revising!!!

I've been busy revising a manuscript these past few weeks. It is a manuscript that I have revised many times before. Each time I see it getting sharper, better, funnier (at least, I hope it is). But it still amazes me how many times I can revise a manuscript that now (thank goodness!) weighs in at less than 500 words.

Characters can be cut. Storylines and wording can be simplified. Humor can be added (or at least I can try to). I'm sure there are more things I've worked at, but these are some of the most recent. It's overwhelming and exciting all at the same time.

Hopefully the new manuscript that emerges will be better than what came before. Right now I'm so immersed in the process I can't quite tell how it's going to end up. The excitement of being a picture book writer!

So how does your revision process go? Does it feel crazy too?

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"It Just 'Happened to Happen' and Was Not Very Likely To Happen Again."

Strange how life works. You spend time in a publishing desert and then, by a quirk of scheduling, you have books published two months in a row. Happy dance? Oh, yes!

This week, Okenko Books released my picture e-book app FALLING LEAVES AND FOOLISH BROTHERS.
Last month it was TEN KINDS OF CHAIRS TO COUNT. (See my post on 4/8)

Now if I could persuade a certain print magazine to publish the four pieces they're holding, maybe this publication-a-month streak could continue for a bit. Ha! Not very likely!

I know two in a row won't happen again, but the digital world does seem to run on an express timetable. I waited four years to see my traditionally published picture book. With Okenko Books I also waited for illustrations, but in each case, it was only one year from contract to publication!

Is digital publishing of original picture books always this fast? Or was I just lucky? Could anyone with more digital publishing experience take a guess?

(My post title thanks to Dr. Seuss and Bartholomew Cubbins)

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Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Everyone has their favorite Dr. Seuss book or Dr. Seuss line. Here are some of my favorite quotes. Please share some of your favorites!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”

“If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good.”

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

“I know up on the top you are seeing great sights, but down at the bottom we, too, should have rights.”

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not."

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!"

'The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.'

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try !"

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells."

"Be who you are, say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind"

"A person’s a person, no matter how small."

“I’m afraid sometimes you’ll play lonely games too, games you can’t win because you’ll play against you.”

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”

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