Writing Advice/Opening Doors with Ruth Spiro

My bubble is about to burst (grin) as I happily introduce to you Picture Book Author and Bubble Gum Day (a FUNdraising holiday) Founder, Ruth Spiro!

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The “Door Opener” - Your Ticket Out of the Slush Pile
By Ruth Spiro

One of my favorite picture book manuscripts has made its way through a long list of publishing houses, and it’s been rejected by all of them. But I don’t hide my rejection letters in a drawer. Instead, they’re displayed on a bulletin board above my desk, so I can read the delightful notes hand-written at the bottom:

“You’re welcome to send other manuscripts…”

“Please do consider us for future submissions!”

“Got anything else up your sleeve?”

Did you hear that?

Click. 

It’s the sound of a door opening.

I’ve received nearly a dozen “good” rejections to this one manuscript – personal letters from editors passing on it, but inviting me to submit others. I think of the letters not as rejections, but as invitations. So, although it remains unsold, I fondly consider this manuscript my Door Opener.

My first picture book, Lester Fizz: Bubble-Gum Artist, was the first manuscript I ever submitted, and it was acquired by the first editor who read it. (Yes, that’s a lot of “firsts!”) Unfortunately, subsequent sales haven’t come as easily. That picture book editor is now focusing on YA at another house, and since I don’t have an agent, my submissions to other publishers usually landed in the slush pile.

But, my Door Opener became my golden ticket out of that pile. Now I have invitations to send my work directly to those editors, and replies come quicker, sometimes even with helpful comments.

A Door Opener is not a sub-standard manuscript. It’s the very best representation of your writing ability. That means a flawless, intriguing cover letter atop a well-targeted, well-written manuscript. Anything less and you’ll probably find yourself with just another form rejection.

Of course, I still hold out hope for finding my favorite manuscript a home. I’m told that editors sometimes pass on a manuscript for reasons that have little to do with the story or the quality of writing. Perhaps the market will change, or a new editor will see its publishing potential. But even if that doesn’t happen, this manuscript has served an important purpose in my writing career by opening doors that may lead to future sales.

Submit your best work, and then listen for the click.

Maybe doors will open for you, too!

Your assignment:  Create a Wish List for your manuscript.

1) Print your favorite manuscript and hold it in your hands. Close your eyes.

(On second thought, read these questions and then close your eyes!)

2) Imagine you’re holding, not a stack of papers, but a finished book. Feel the weight of it.

3) As yourself these questions:

What does the cover look like?

Can you see your name? What color is it? How big is it?

          
In what style are the illustrations?

Soft and soothing? Bright and bold? Realistic? Playful?

What size is your book?

Is it tall? Wide?

With that image in your head, visit the bookstore and the library to find books similar to yours. Note the names of the authors, illustrators and the publishers. If you plan to seek representation, go the authors’ websites to find the names of their agents. Otherwise, compare your list of ideal publishers against the Children’s Writers & Illustrator’s Market or the SCBWI Market Survey (www.scbwi.org) to check submissions policies.

Create your Wish List, and start submitting!

ABOUT RUTH SPIRO:

Ruth Spiro’s first picture book, Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist, is published by Dutton. Her essays and articles have appeared in FamilyFun, Child, Woman’s World, and several Chicken Soup for the Soul titles. Her web site is www.ruthspiro.com.

Ruth frequently speaks at schools and conferences, and is the founder of Bubble Gum Day, a FUNdraising holiday. Read about it at www.bubblegumday.com.

Ruth Spiro Children’s Book Author & Freelance Writer Writing Ruth never imagined she’d be a writer - until she tried it. Now she writes books for children, including the award-winning Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist. Her articles and essays have been published in CHILD, Disney’s FamilyFun, The Writer, and Chicago Parent. Ruth’s stories have also been included in popular anthologies, notably The Right Words at the Right Time, edited by Marlo Thomas, and several Chicken Soup for the Soul titles.
Speaking Students are surprised to hear that as a writer, Ruth trolls the beach for seashells and story ideas, and also plays with toys so she can write reviews about them! Because of her wide range of
publishing experience, Ruth is uniquely qualified to discuss the many “jobs” a writer can have. Her presentations combine a real-life example of the writing process with a discussion of creativity,
individuality, and artistic expression. Ruth’s previous appearances include the Chicago Tribune Printer’s Row Book Fair, Millennium Park Family Fun Festival, Illinois Young Authors Conference, Illinois Art Education Association, Illinois School Library Media Association and the VA Festival of the Book. She has presented programs and writing workshops for students of all ages, and also developed the Writing for Moms™ program.

Background: Ruth graduated with a B.S. in Communications from the University of Illinois and worked for advertising agencies in both account management and broadcast production. She earned an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago, and coordinated several large-scale research studies, including a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Ruth has attended the Highlights Writer’s Workshop at Chautauqua and the Iowa Summer Writer’s Workshop. Her writing has earned awards from Writer’s Digest magazine, Willamette Writers, Half-Price Books, and Byline Magazine.
Contact:" ruth@ruthspiro.com http://www.ruthspiro.com/

Run for those Hills/Not Exactly A Writing Tip by Diane Mayr

I recently finished reading The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr.  It confirmed for me what I've seen in my own life, the internet is changing the way I read and comprehend.  The Shallows is an interesting read.  The implications for the future--what we write, and how we write it--are enormous.

One point Carr made, came as a surprise to me, although it shouldn't have:

A series of psychological studies over the past twenty years has revealed that after spending time in a quiet rural setting, close to nature, people exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory, and generally improved cognition.  Their brains become calmer and sharper.  The reason, according to attention restoration theory, or ART, is that when people aren't being bombarded by external stimuli, their brains can, in effect, relax.  They no longer have to tax their working memories by processing a stream of bottom-up distractions.  The resulting state of contemplativeness strengthens their ability to control their mind. (p. 219)

I've found myself increasingly involved in writing haiku.  Haiku, traditionally has been about the natural world.  Has my interest in haiku been as a result of an unexpressed need to be out in, and observant of, the natural world?  I've become more attentive to nature.  I go for walks and bring along my camera.  I feel good, both in mind and body.  Then I come home to renewed creativity.  I win all around!

The need for nature in the lives of our children has long been recognized in books such as  Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell and Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv.  Louv says, in his introduction,

This book explores the increasing divide between the young and the natural world, and the environmental, social, psychological, and spiritual implications of that change.  It also describes the accumulating research that reveals the necessity of contact with nature for healthy child--and adult--development.

I know I'm the last person on earth to be offering advice about getting away from the computer--between work and home, I spend more hours on the computer than I do sleeping and eating!  But perhaps, by making you more aware of what can happen when you do get a dose of nature, you will be able to act on it and save yourself, and your children.

Here's a haiga that resulted from one of my too infrequent ventures outdoors:   

(c) Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.  First published in Sketchbook, Vol. 5, No. 5, September/October 2010  

Personal info:

Diane Mayr has been a public librarian for nearly 25 years.  She spent about 10 of those years in children's services, which explains her origins as a writer for children. 

Diane has three picture books to her credit, the latest being, Run, Turkey, Run!, which was illustrated by Laura Rader (Walker Books, 2007).  Her first book was nonfiction, The Everything Kids Money Book (Adams Media, 2000). 

The "America's Notable Women" series from Apprentice Shop Books quenches her thirst for research, and she gets to profile some amazing women.   Diane also devotes much of her time to blogging through her library blog, Kurious Kitty's Kurio Kabinet, a quote blog, Kurious K's Kwotes, and her personal blog, Random Noodling.  She also shares a blog with long-time writing buddies, The Write Sisters and maintains the Reads-To-Go blog for New Hampshire book discussion groups.

Recently, Diane, a closet poet for many years, has started submitting her short form poems for publication.  She has haiku, tanka, and haiga (illustrated haiku/tanka) in recent issues of frogpond, The Heron's Nest, Notes from the Gean, haijinx, Berry Blue Haiku (for children) and Sketchbook.  She posts a haiga each Sunday, and a haiku each Tuesday, at Random Noodling, too.

WRITING TIPS: Pruning Your Prose with Jane Sutton

I’d like to make a plug for revision.  Not only does revision enhance the characters you create, but it fights the writer’s biggest enemy: the blank page.  Staring at the blank page (or computer screen), a writer’s inner conversation goes something like, “I don’t know what to write, I don’t know how to start, whatever I write will be stupid or has been done before, in fact done much better than I could write it if I ever get started…” etc., which may morph into “I need to steam clean the living room carpet.”

But knowing you’ll be revising—rewording, adding, tweaking, reordering, and deleting—frees you to start.  Remind yourself that not every word needs to be perfect. In fact, it shouldn’t be.  If you spend too much time on a draft, you will develop a crush on it and be reluctant to change even one comma.

When you read over your draft (aloud!), look for ways to show characters’ personalities and emotions more clearly.  Could you add or rewrite dialogue, thoughts, actions, or descriptions to make characters more vivid?  Could you add another character’s reactions to make the main character’s traits stand out? See if verbs, in particular, can be more evocative (“walk” might be “strut” or “sidle”; “said” could be “roared” or “whispered”; “eat” can be “gobble” or “picked at.”). Even in the limited-word format of a picture book, carefully inserted adverbs or adjectives (not too many, though) can help convey character.

As you revise, look for spots where you can add sensual language…No, I don’t mean that kind of sensual.  I mean, use your senses to help your reader see, hear, etc. what you’re describing and to make your piece more interesting to read.

Oh, and remember to prune. Cut anything that will confuse or bore your reader. If there’s a passage you know is extraneous but can’t shake your crush on, save it for some other project it might be perfect for.

--Jane Sutton

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Jane's latest book, DON'T CALL ME SIDNEY (Dial 2010, illustrated by Renata Gallio) is a picture book about an earnest, big-hearted pig named Sidney, who writes a birthday poem for his friend and decides he has "a way with words." His quest to be a poet is stymied when he realizes that his own name lacks a suitable rhyme. When he changes his name to the more rhymeable Joe, humorous consequences ensue, and he eventually comes up with a crowd-pleasing compromise.  School Library Journal called the book an “…amusing story about a poetic pig's search for his true identity…”  Booklist commented, “After reading or hearing this, young readers may enjoy trying to come up with rhymes for their own and their friends' names.”



To learn more about Jane, visit: http://www.jane-sutton.com/

Article/Saving An Endangered Species with Rob Sanders

How to Save the Newest Endangered Species—Picture Books

By Rob Sanders

Picture books are said to be on the endangered species list. As a child of the 60s I grew up hearing about endangered species. In fact, the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1967. The efforts of endangered species activists have saved many species and some species have even been removed from the endangered list. Yes, of course, some species have been lost, but far fewer than would have been lost without action.

But picture books endangered? Say it isn’t so. Evidently the economy coupled with children moving into chapter books at earlier and earlier ages are to blame. Of course, lack of sales of picture books is the bottom line threatening the species most.

Some of the same actions taken to protect endangered animal species could also be used to protect the endangered picture book.

1.     Nurture them.

Talk about picture books. Use picture books in lessons, lectures, and sermons. Cherish and value them. Laugh with them. Cry with them. Be amazed at them. Tell others about them.

2.     Protect their habitat

Picture books live with families and in schools, classrooms, and libraries.

You can help protect these habitats by:

·        Giving picture books as gifts.

·        Donating picture books to a school media center or public library.

·        Sharing book lists (such as Caldecott or Golden Kite award-winning books) with parents, teachers, school media specialists, and public librarians.

·        Become a volunteer in a media center and volunteer to read picture books to children.

·        Develop lesson plans based on or using picture books. Share the lesson plans on a database, web site, or in other ways.

Another habitat for picture books is book stores—independent and the big-chain ones. Often the children’s buyer or the manager of a store would be open to a volunteer coming in to read picture books to children, setting up seasonal picture book displays, and conducting author visits and signings.

3.     Remember—only the strongest and fittest will survive

Not every picture book can be saved. Just as in the wild, only the strong will survive. For picture books that means the best crafted and most unique books and the ones that resonant with the audience. By strongest and fittest I don’t mean rhyme over non-rhyme or fiction over non-fiction. I do mean quality over quantity.

4.     Intervene to help newborns

Become the champion of new, talented picture book authors. Mentor those authors and refer them to others who can help launch and grow their careers. When you find a picture book that is exceptional, extraordinary, and a cut above the rest, spread the news. Write a column for your local newspaper, tell teachers and librarians, blog about them, feature them on your website, and visit your local book stores to encourage them to stock the books.

5.     Join with others of like mind and let your voice be heard

Endangered species were rescued by the actions of many. The same could be true for picture books. When those of us who know the value of these colorful, carefully-crafted wonders unite to talk about them and when we encourage others to read and value them, we may be ensuring that this endangered species never becomes extinct.

Rob Sanders is a writer who teachers and a teacher who writes. He has just snagged a deal with Golden Books-Random House to publish Cowboy Christmas (available fall 2012). Visit him at his website at: http://www.robsanderswrites.com/

Writing Advice: Rock Those Picture Books!

Today, I'm honored to feature friend and fellow Scholastic author Gayle C. Krause, pictured together here at the fabulous New Jersey SCBWI Annual Conference. I'm sure this information will help your picture books SING!

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ARE YOU A PICTURE BOOK WRITER?

What qualifies me to write a picture book? What qualifies you?

If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a million times. “I can write a picture book. It’s easy.” People hear about my success with “Rock Star Santa” and say I can do that too. I say, “Try it. It’s not as easy as it looks.

The “Big Picture” in picture books is in the author’s head. It’s our job to put that picture into words:

…without talking down to the child.
…keeping adults interested in the story.
…using a unified tone and style.
…without moralizing.
…and keeping a consistent point of view.

Here are a few helping hints.

Jump right into the story.
First line should set the mood.
Second line should introduce the main character if he/she/it was not introduced in line 1.
Problem or conflict should be in line three, if not included in lines 1 or 2.
a. without a conflict, there is no story.

For all those who still think this is easy, have you got that so far? Okay. Now we need the story to unfold.

Is it organized?
don’t jump from the zoo to a pirate ship to bedtime.

Did you limit the description?
no “silver beams of moonlight shined down upon the green fairy as she flitted through the tall grasses that waved goodbye to the sun in the evening breeze.”
instead > The fairy flew home at night.” Let the illustrator set the scene. In a picture book, it’s 50% their story.

Do you have an effective ending?
are all loose ends tied up?
is the reader satisfied?
does the ending relate back to the beginning? (full circle concept)

Can your story be broken down into 29 pages? Don’t count the end papers and title page as story pages.

Did you vary the length of your sentences? For young picture books they should be no longer than 8 words. For older picture books, no longer than 12.

Does your story center around a child’s interest?

Can children relate to the characters?
a. characters need to be well-rounded, with quirks and personality traits that bring them to life. Create characters that children can relate to, wonder about, and come back to again and again.
And what about your language? Is it lyrical? That means play with sounds. It does NOT mean you must rhyme.

Speaking of rhyme, a fellow rhymer, who was a professional singer in her previous life (before becoming a children’s author) offered me this advice years ago.

“If a person can’t sing on key, they can’t rhyme.” Makes sense doesn’t it? I’ve shared that with other children’s writers at conferences and some of them disagree. But think about it… if you can’t keep the beat or find the meter while you’re singing, how can you hear the scansion when you’re writing rhyme? Now, I’m sure there are some exceptions to the rule. There always are, but my advice is:

If you can’t sing it,
don’t try to wing it.
So I propose,
you write in prose.

Choose effective verbs and nouns.

Limit adjectives and adverbs.

MOST IMPORTANT: ALWAYS READ YOUR STORY ALOUD!

Okay, am I qualified to write picture books? Rock Star Santa thinks I am. Are you? Follow this advice and maybe we’ll see your name on a picture book in the library or bookstore. Oh, and I’d join SCBWI and go to conferences. You’ll meet wonderful picture book authors and learn more about writing.. Good luck!

Gayle C. Krause
Rock Star Santa
Scholastic, Inc.

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About ROCK STAR SANTA:

Children await Santa’s arrival on Christmas Eve only they’re not tucked snuggly in their beds dreaming of sugarplums. They’re stomping and clapping at a Christmas rock concert, where Santa is the “rock star.” ROCK STAR SANTA is an original, modern day retelling of a Christmas classic, but what happens on this night before Christmas is rockin’.
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