Picture Book Biographies

My favorite kind of illustrated books are picture book biographies. The ones I adore most are of unsung heroes like Walter Anderson. "He may be the most famous American artist you've never heard of."

Picture book biographies have a rhythm when read out loud. They summarize a person's entire life in usually under 1500 words. One of the key challenges in writing them is finding a focus, determining what to put in, and what to leave out.

Usually these books have an author's note and other material in the back for teachers and librarians. Writing them can take up to a year due to the amount of research required and the arduous task of making every word sing.

There are lots of wonderful picture book biographies out there. My personal library includes: Audubon Painter of Birds in the Wild Frontier, I Could do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote, Patience Wright America's First Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy, Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers, and many more. Have you read a good picture book biography lately?

Writing That First Page

For me writing the first page is the hardest part of writing a novel. I'll compare it to meeting someone for the first time. The conversation is a little stilted. You're in that awkward getting to know you phase. A few chapters in and the awkwardness has faded. You're old friends now who can't wait to catch up and plan your next adventure.

But as writers we must conquer the first page. Sometimes an agent or editor doesn't read any further. In the October issue of Writer's Digest, literary agent, Kristin Nelson uses four first page examples and only one of the four passes muster. She writes, "Trust me when I say that after an agent has read hundreds of thousands of sample pages--as my colleagues and I have at Nelson Literary Agency--we know."

Ms. Nelson stopped reading for the following reasons:

1. Too much dialogue.
2. Overuse of description.
3. Lack of tension.

If you get a chance, pick up a copy of the magazine. You can absolutely see her points.

I was thrilled to discover another article in the October issue called, "Your First 50 Pages The 4 Goals Your Beginning Must Meet." I am in the process of applying these rules, not only to my first 50 pages, but to the very first page. The opening should:

1. Introduce the story-worthy problem.
2. Hook the reader.
3. Establish the story rules.
4. Forecast the ending.

This is a harder exercise than it looks, but I am much happier with my first page from applying the concepts from this article.

A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to receive a critique from Richard Peck. He gave me this bit of advice regarding first pages: Always rewrite the first page after you've written the last one. That really ties in well with #4 Forecast the ending.

What are your thoughts regarding the infernal first page? I'd love even more pointers on how to make them sing!

Writing Conference Blues

An acquaintance of mine confessed that she cried all the way home from a recent SCBWI conference. I am not that girl, but I have been. This business is hard. For every writer that has a dream conference experience, there are hundreds who leave less than thrilled. Most are beginners. It's all about setting appropriate expectations.

I left my last conference in a mellow mood, but then I'm no longer expecting an editor to jump across the table and buy my book. So what exactly are realistic expectations from attending a conference?

1. You'll discover great books that you might not have heard of otherwise.
2. You'll have the chance to meet other writers that share your passion. Some of them will turn out to be lifelong friends.
3. You'll compile market information and begin to know which houses are appropriate for your work.
4. You'll attend workshops and pick up tips to improve your writing.
5. For an additional fee, you can usually have a chapter of your work critiqued.

That's it. That's what 99% of us can expect for our conference dollars. But as a disclaimer, I know four writers who actually met the editors who bought their books during critique sessions. So it can happen, but keep in mind that I've been attending conferences since 2005. My advice is to save yourself a lot of heartache and set realistic expectations. Any good thing that happens beyond that will be icing on the cake!

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…