Digital Media With Emma Dryden, Rubin Pfeffer, and Loreen Leedy

In the Digital Media Track at SCBWI Orlando, Emma Dryden reminded us the iPhone and the Kindle were first introduced in 2007, only four years ago.

Rubin Pfeffer added the prediction that by 2014 consumers would own 250,000,000 tablets.

Emma Dryden told us Laura Rennert, an agent at Andrea Brown Literary, has helped her client P.J. Hoover self-publish!

Even Kirkus has started reviewing apps.

I am left with the feeling we are tettering on the brink of a revolution almost as mind blowing as when the printing press replaced the handwritten book. Since we can't stop the coming changes, the best strategy is to adapt.

Luckily, Loreen Leedy is a wealth of knowledge for authors. The following notes are from her talk:

Why Should An Author Develop an App?

1. As a companion to a print book.

2. To reissue an out-of-print title.

3. To explore a niche market that a traditional publisher may not be interested in.

4. To create something impossible any other way.

What Are The Differences Between A Picture Book And A Picture Book App?

1. A printed book's format is static, but an app can be designed so that a reader chooses what happens next.

2. A picture book usually has 32 pages. The number of pages is optional with an app.

3. A picture book has double page spreads. An app has a single one-sized page.

4. An app has features that a picture book doesn't (e.g. narration/sound, games/activities).

5. An app is much easier to update than waiting on the next print run.

When Designing An App Think Movement

1. Flowers bloom.

2. Birds eat worms

3. Wheels go around and around.

4. Puzzles are assembled.

5. Bikes are taken apart...and put back together.

6. Autumn leaves change colors.

For savvy content creators, the possibilities are endless!

For much more information about picture book apps check out the following links:

Loreen Leedy<

E is for Book<

Plus there's a chat about apps on Twitter Sunday evenings at 9:00 #storyappchat.

What are your experiences with digital media? Have your feelings changed about self-publishing? Do you own an e-reader? Have you purchased a picture book app?

NOVEL INTENSIVE WITH MICHELLE BURKE, KATHLEEN DUEY, MARJETTA GEERLING

I took lots of random notes during the novel intensive at SCBWI Orlando. Here's a quick summary:

1. If your main character wouldn't see or notice something don't describe it.

2. Readers want to live in the moment with the character - show don't tell.

3. Give your character two to three lenses through which he/she sees the world. (e.g. In CATALYST by Laurie Halse Anderson the protagonist sees the world through a scientific lens. "Toby and I are the proton and neutron of our atomic family unit.") The language develops because of the lens.

4. Study HOW TO READ NOVELS LIKE A PROFESSOR by Thomas Foster.

5. Interview your characters. Ask them, "Are you alright?" Though it sounds weird, Kathleen Duey swears by this.

I'd love to hear additional novel writing tips. So leave a comment and let's discuss.

Stephen Roxburgh's Novel Revision Workshop

Wow! Let me just start with a superlative...or two!! I attended Stephen Roxburgh's workshop through the Highlights Foundation on June 19th thru 22nd.

Stephen read my historical novel in its entirety prior to the conference. He scribbled lots of notes in the margins for me to consider, but my real job is "to revise with intent." Each of us, (six participants), left with a detailed plan about how to revise our particular novel. Each plan is different.

My plan includes:

1. Outline the novel now that it is complete. Look at the emotional arc of the story. For every scene ask myself what I want the reader to be feeling at that point. How can I amp up the emotions?

2. Since my novel takes place over two years, Stephen wants me to draw a timeline and make sure the passage of time is as smooth and seamless to the reader as it can be.

3. I am to track every scene with my protagonist's boyfriend in it. Stephen thinks he comes off as a little "too good to be true."

4. For the final polish, I am to clip the pages together in 20 page increments and then shuffle. Pick a pile and start. Only polish until I feel my attention fading. Then stop and pick up another 20 pages after a long break.

He recommended that I read WINTER'S BONE and use it as one of my "guidebooks" on how to amp up emotions. I am feeling inspired to take my novel to the next level!

Perhaps the highest praise I can give this workshop is that I'd do it all over again. I consider the money well spent.

Interview With Newbery Honor Author, Grace Lin

Grace Lin is a talented picture book author and illustrator. But she is best known for her Newbery Honor novel, WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON.

1. Take us back to the beginning of your career. How did you break into the business?

I graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in Illustration, knowing that I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator. I sent out thousands of samples of my illustrations, hoping to break in. Nothing happened for two years, yet I refused to give up. I took an assortment of jobs and kept sending out samples and pounding the pavement. Finally I received a call from Harold Underdown, who was then Senior Editor at Charlesbridge. “I’ve always liked your art,” he said, “but I’ve never had a story that matched it. Do you have a story that goes with your new sample?” I said yes, even though I didn’t (I was desperate!), hung up the phone and began to write. After countless revisions and editorial handholding, the story became my first published book “The Ugly Vegetables.”

2. I read a quote in which you said, “My soul is Asian American.” Explain how your heritage has enriched your work.

As a child I completely disregarded my heritage. I didn’t want to be Asian. But when I grew older, I realized that being Asian is actually something to cherish. When I began to acknowledge my heritage, I was surprised at just how Asian I am and sad that I didn’t know more. Asian culture is interesting to me, because it is like finding hidden parts of myself. Books are my way of rediscovering the culture I lost and sharing the culture I know.

3. After several published picture books, what prompted you to also write novels?

My first book “The Ugly Vegetables” was semi-autobiographical and remains my favorite picture book. As soon as it was published, I wanted to write a sequel and tried and tried. But everything I wrote wouldn’t fit into a 32 page format and I really struggled for years. Finally (about 5 years later) I realized the story I wanted to tell just wasn’t meant to be a picture book and I should just write it and see where it went. It turned into the novel, THE YEAR OF THE DOG. Little did I know that it would begin a novel-writing career for me!

4. Tell us about the inspiration for WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON.

The book had many inspirations, but the most obvious one is Chinese folk and fairy tales. As I said earlier, when I was a child I tried to ignore my heritage as much as possible. However, because I loved to read, my mother was able to sneak in some culture by having me read Chinese folk and fairy tales. At the time, I didn’t think those stories had much effect on me. But when I grew older and traveled to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, those stories came flooding back to me and twisted together to make a new story—the story that became WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON.

5. I enjoyed reading your blog . For those who haven’t read the story, share the excitement of getting “the call” from Newbery Committee Chair Katie O’Dell.

For a week or two before the big announcement, I was getting e-mails and congratulations on the “buzz” my book was getting, (it had won in a couple of Mock Newbery discussions), which was very nice, but a bit aggravating. I tried really hard to put it out of my head as I was afraid of jinxing myself as well as the probable disappointment. However, the night before the announcements, my editor said something about “having to be awake at 5:30 am.” I thought she meant that if I got “the call” it would come then.

So the next morning, I found myself awake at 5 am. The minutes ticked by and by 7 am the phone had not rung and I came to the sad conclusion that the book was not among the honored. I bucked myself up, told myself it was just an award and who cared anyway? It was not a big deal.

Then the phone rang and it was Katie O’Dell from the Newbery committee to tell me WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON had won the Newbery Honor! Suddenly, the award WAS a big deal. My emotions took a big 360 degree turnaround.

Later, I found out my editor meant she had to wake up at 5:30AM to go to a 6:30 AM breakfast to wait for calls that would come (hopefully) later that hour. Basically, I put myself through an emotional roller coaster due to poor listening skills.

6. How has winning a Newbery Honor changed your writing life?

In terms of actual writing and creation, it hasn’t changed too much—except now I feel the pressure of expectations. I worry more that people won’t like my new books—most recently I had a dream that the publisher printed the ARC of my new novel using my horrible first draft and a person flung it across the room in disgust, shouting, “And this is a Newbery Honor author?!” So much for subtleties, even my dreams are getting literal.

But, professionally, it’s been very gratifying. Before the Newbery Honor, my books were always labeled “multicultural.” I’d made peace with that label, even embraced it, but I knew the label also implied limits on readership and appeal. Upon being given the Newbery Honor, the multicultural label faded away. I was no longer “multicultural author/illustrator Grace Lin” but “Newbery Honor author Grace Lin” with the new implication that my books were for everyone. Of course, they had always been for everyone, but the Newbery Honor wiped away the preconceived notions and for the first time I felt like my book was widely read.

For me, there is nothing sadder than when you create something with all your heart and passion and realize that no one (or very few people care). So when the opposite happens, it is extremely wonderful. That was the amazing gift the Newbery Honor gave me.

7. Tell us about your latest picture book THANKING THE MOON.

This book is about the Autumn Moon Festival, a huge Asian holiday that many Westerners don’t seem to know about. Everyone knows about Chinese New Year, but the Moon Festival—which is kind of the equivalent to Thanksgiving—has been overlooked. It is one of my favorite Asian holidays as it is about thankfulness and harmony. I made the book in hopes that people will become familiar with the holiday as well as celebrate it on their own. We can never have too much thankfulness and harmony in the world!

8. You’ve also written an early reader LING AND TING NOT EXACTLY THE SAME. What are the challenges of writing in that genre?

Writing an early reader is the most difficult of all the genres I’ve written for. I felt strongly that this book should be an appropriate early reader book—nowadays some early readers break the rules and use words like “outrageous,” but that can be discouraging for a struggling reader. I really wanted this book to be something that fostered reading.

So, my editor and I checked each word in the Word Dictionary to make sure it was reading appropriate for the genre. We also made sentences contain ten word maximum and limited words that were more than two syllables. I tried to repeat words and sentence structures as much as possible without being too wooden. And above all this, the story had to be fun and interesting.

That is why I refuse to call LING AND TING and books in this genre easy readers. They aren’t easy! Not for the reader and not for the creator!

9. What tips do you have for aspiring author/illustrators?

Read, buy books and encourage others to do the same. If you wish to work in this industry you need to know what is out there and support it. Read for knowledge, to enrich what you yourself will create. Buy for self-preservation. A bookseller recently told me, “I think we’ll be lucky if we have about 10 more years of book selling.” The book industry is struggling, there is no denying it. Do your part to help keep it alive, so it will have the chance to publish your books!

10. Can you give us a preview of your upcoming projects?

My next novel is DUMPLING DAYS. It is a sequel to “THE YEAR OF THE DOG” and THE YEAR OF THE RAT. It is about Pacy’s first trip to Taiwan, her parents’ homeland. It comes out January 2012.

My next picture book is, “LI NA’S LILY.” It follows a taxi driver in Beijing, China who has been given a lily by his daughter. Right now I am in the sketch phase of this book and the ambitions are quite big for it so far. I hope I can pull it off, but I may have to tweak things. It’s scheduled for release in the Summer of 2012, but things tend to change…

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson

I couldn't wait to read THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, after hearing literary agent, Erin Murphy, speak at the Miami SCBWI Conference. Ms. Murphy reads a lot of YA literature, so if it was her favorite book of the season, that was good enough for me.

However, I didn't expect to fall totally, head-over-heels in love. It may be my favorite book of all time. You see, I have something in common with Lennie, the book's protagonist: we have both lost our only sisters.

Lennie's last conversation with her sister was inconsequential. It was over whether Bailey should wear a blue or a green shirt. My last conversation with Robin was over the phone, but not about anything really important either. There is no warning whenever we're speaking to someone for the last time. In hindsight, that is maddening and seems so wrong.

Lennie talks of choosing the dress her sister will wear forever. What a profound way of putting it. I chose the clothes my sister is buried in also, but in Robin's case, I chose pants. She hated dresses and there was no way I was torturing her with one for all of eternity.

I completely lost it when Lennie laments not being a sister anymore. Robin was born when I was three years old. I don't remember a time prior to being a sister, but the twelve years since her death have been extremely painful. We've celebrated many holidays with an empty seat at the table. She is my son's godmother, and I've marked every milestone without her to share them with.

I don't know Jandy Nelson personally, but somehow she knows what is inside my heart. She wrote it all down to share with sisterless girls everywhere.

It's not enough to have THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE on my Kindle. I need to hold this book in my hands. If you've ever lost someone you love more than life, read this book. You won't be sorry.

A Life Of Its Own

My writing has a life of its own. Once I sell a story or article, it's out of my control. I let go, say a little prayer, and wish it a safe voyage. Occasionally small miracles happen.

Last Thursday I received the following email out of the clear blue sky:

Dear Shannon,

I’m doing an article on profiles for The Writer’s Guide. Lonnie Plecha--editor of Cricket--mentioned your article “A Pirate’s Life For Me” as an example of a good profile for Cricket and when I went to your website I saw that you’ve written others as well. Would you be willing to do an interview with me about your process? I could send you some questions you could answer via email if that would work for you or we could set up a time to talk on the phone.

Thanks so much for considering this interview.

All best,

Patty Pfitsch

I wrote "A Pirate's Life for Me" several years ago. Much has happened to it since that maiden voyage. It appeared in the August 2008 issue of Cricket, an updated version was published in the November 2009 issue of Ask, and now bits of it will appear in The Writer's Guide. What a lovely surprise!

Have any unexpected bits of good fortune happened to your writing? Leave a comment and tell me all about it.

The Beta Readers

I finally have a first draft of my latest novel! I've done a couple of read throughs and made minor revisions. Now it's time for the beta readers, each of which brings different expertise to the process.

1. Jeannine Norris - Jeannine is a picture book author, (TONIGHT YOU ARE MY BABY). Because Jeannine writes short, she's great at spotting awkward sentences, overused descriptions, and passages which need clarifying.
2. Diana Sharp - Dr. Sharp is a reading researcher and creator of The Reading Machine, an iPhone/iPod touch/iPad app for beginning or dyslexic readers. My current protagonist has a reading disability and Dr. Sharp will lend her expertise to make sure I handle the disability in a realistic way.
3. Cynthia Chapman Willis - Cindy is a novelist, (DOG GONE and BUCK FEVER). She's great at pointing out what's lacking in my manuscript: passages that need more description, characters that need fleshing out, and plot points that don't hang together.

All of my beta readers bring "fresh eyes" to my work. They'll uncover problems that I'd never see on my own.

I've been letting my life slide to finish this novel. It's time to take a couple of weeks and just breathe.