Writing On My Mind

I hadn't realized it has been so long since I posted here. I post often at my science blog, but have peaks and valleys here. Did you miss me? Or were you thinking that it is like an old friend who calls infrequently, but who you can pick up with like no time has passed. That is how I feel about all of you. 

I tell distant friends and relatives that I may not write super often, but they are on my mind. Actually, that mirrors my writing. I may not turn out a new manuscript often, but it is on my mind A LOT. I read other writers' wisdom, talk with writers, draw, color, photograph, and perform additional creative activities, but then don't regularly bring it back here. Hmm...Not sure if I should be concerned. 

Oh well, it is the start of a new school year and time to focus on the young ones who read our work. Slow down (especially in school zones) and remember why you started writing in the first place. -Q

Book club for Kids

I'm a member of a book club and we read a variety of books and genres suggested by the members. It's fun and exposes me to books I never would have picked up otherwise. Now, I must admit, I don't finish all of them. Time is a valuable commodity and why read something that is REALLY not your thing for a week. But, I finish probably 75% of the books. 

Recently, I got to thinking about a children's book club. Wouldn't it be fun to read picture books and discuss them once a month? Then it hit me, I do that all the time with online critique partners, forums, editor/agent blogs, etc. I read some books I am surprised by and others that leave me giggling. 

As a picture book writer, I go to the library every Saturday and check out 7-12 picture books from the new book shelf or on display in other areas. I pour over the formats and make note of what fits with my style. Definitely learning made fun. I read and finish 100% of the books I check out. 

What ways do you further your skills as a children's writer? -Q

Board Book Bias?

I've noticed over the past couple of years that a lot of popular picture books have been condensed into board books. The art is still great, but the stories and concepts often suffer. Plus, as was pointed out in a Horn Book article from nearly twenty years ago, publishers seem to put much less thought into making original board books (designed specifically for toddlers) than they do repackaging $ making picture books.

Here are a few examples of books that were written for older kids but are now available for toddlers, On the Night You Were Born, Little Blue Truck, and Giraffes Can't Dance. These are great 32 page picture books with colorful illustrations, but I'm not convinced a toddler will understand the concepts (e.g. self esteem) as the author intended when it is shortened to a handful of pages. 

Silly me, but writers and illustrators are directed by agents, editors and publishing contracts to write for a designated age group. A completed story is worked and reworked to fit into the intended category with age appropriate words, art, etc. 

So, it seems important to speak up in support of writers who write original board books! Writer/illustrator Sandra Boynton comes to mind. 

By the way, I admit I have a huge writer crush on Sandra's ability to tell a complete story in a very short word count. (Plus I love her art!) Books like Blue Hat, Green Hat (which we call the "Oops! book" at our house), Doggies, and The Going to Bed Book are wonderful for 1-2 year olds because they are written for them.

Anyway, it's something to think about as writers and book buyers. I know what I plan to do. What do you think? Who are your favorite board book authors/illustrators? - Q

A Gaggle of Picture Books

I go to the library every week and troll for new picture books. I bring home 8-10 and study format, theme, voice, and topic. Sometimes, to mix things up I wander into the stacks and choose more books by the same author or illustrator as one of the new books I've selected. 

Why? 

Lots of reasons: 1) I'm always in learning mode, 2) it's helpful to see how the illustrations represent more or less of the story, 3) when the text rhymes, does it support or lend impact to the story? or not? 4) sometimes ideas springboard from the PB ideas, 5) what is the market highlighting today or drowning in (new idea or another vampire book?), and most importantly, 6) I love to read picture books! 

That said, I ran across a South Carolina list of 2013-2104 Picture Book Award Nominees. Of all the books listed, I've only read Caldecott Honor Book One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo. However, there is a broad selection of great books on the list and I plan to read as many as I can. Interested? Check them out and let's compare notes. - Q

To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme

Many of you have probably figured it out already, but I realized recently that perhaps the reason editors and agents discourage rhyming stories for picture books (besides the fact that it's often not well done) is that rhyming words depend largely on the culture, language, and geographical region of the reader. This became apparent to me when I realized that "gardener" could be pronounced with 2 syllables (gard-ner) or 3 (gar-den-er)  depending on where you live. 

We all know Bostonians pronounce words differently than Houstonians. Do you say "Where are you all going?" Or "Where are y'all headed?"  

I grew up in Nevada, but when I lived in Texas, I learned a lot of new pronunciations. At Thanksgiving, most native Texans say turkey and all the "fixins" not "fixings" or even "sides." My daughter pointed out that I say, the days of the week as (e.g., Monday as "Mon-dee, Tues-dee" instead of "Mon-day, Tues-day"). 

In an article on the subject, James Joyner notes, "I say “loyer,” not “law-yer,” despite the latter pronunciation dominating the places I’ve mostly lived.  Ditto “may-uh-naze” rather than “man-aze.” 

So then, if I have a rhyme about the "sea" and planned to rhyme it with "Thurs-dee" I'd have a problem. A reader in another geographical area would think the rhyme was broken or just wrong. I love to play with rhyming texts, but it is something to think about when tempted to rhyme the next picture book story.
-Q

First Lines - Picture Books

One of my favorite books is Could Be Worse! by James Stevenson. Humor is woven throughout and I can almost hear Grandpa explaining his adventures to his wide-eyed grandchildren. 

The fun is hinted at in the first line, "At Grandpa's house things were always the same." 

You can tell from the cover art that things are not looking normal at all. The first line combined with the fantastic illustrations tell the reader that this book is going to involve some tall tales of Grandpa's adventures. Combined with a twist of an ending, I was hooked and had to have it. 

What about the first lines of other picture books? Here are some of my favorites.
 
"Long, long ago (about six houndred and two years ago last Friday at 7:00 p.m. Fairy Standard Time, to be exact) the childless King Gluteus and his wife, Queen Esophagus, got lucky at last." - Snoring Beauty by Bruce Hale

"Morris Lessmore loved words." - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce

"It all began when Floyd got his kite stuck in a tree." - Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

"It was late one winter night, long past my bedtime, when Pa and I went owling." - Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Each of these provide a tantalizing bit of information that leaves the reader wondering and wanting to learn more. It's a honed skill to get that first sentence right especially in picture books. Studying the craft of great children's writers helps me develop my own work.

I use Pinterest as a visual filing system for information, images, illustrations, books, and writing resources  Recently, I created a board called, First Lines - Picture Books. I save memorable first lines from picture books for later reference.  Check it out and share your favorites. I'd love to read them. - Q

Creativity...Opening the Tap

It's Day 12 of Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo) and surprisingly I'm on schedule. Some ideas came in a flood and others dribbled in on the day they were needed. The key seems to be me. 

Let me repeat that. I am the key to my creativity. Who knew?! 

Making the decision to tackle the 2012 PiBoIdMo challenge allowed a creative cog to slide into place and OPEN THE TAP. 

My part was easy. I just had to commit time every day to soak up the ideas and write them down. Simple.

The hard part will be to work the best inspiration into stories I love, stories true to my writing voice.
How are you coming in this or other writing/illustrating challenges? Has the cog clicked? Share your successes and dry spells. 
-Q

VOTE! (for picture books)

As the daughter of a librarian, I grew up reading and loving books. When vacationing in the beautiful Pacific NW, my father would say, "enjoy the scenery and get your nose out of that book." I would look up, exclaim about the trees and view, then quickly get back to the story. Books were friends and fellow adventurers.

Picture books offer insights into new friends, places, cultures, and times for many children. Whether you prefer fiction or non-fiction, give a picture book to a school or library today. You'll be there voting anyway. Share the adventure!
-Q

Princesses & Even More Princesses

I bought The Secret Lives of Princesses recently. The art is fantastic and all the non-standard princess descriptions are just plain fun. It got me thinking of how many different fictional princesses there are in picture books. Here are some of the titles I found during a quick princess search at Barnes & Noble:

The Real Princess by Hans Christian Andersen

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch 

Princess Baby by Karen Katz

Olivia the Princess by Natalie Shaw

Pirate Princess by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

Princess Palooza by Joy Allen

Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke

Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole

Princesses, Princesses, Princesses by Julie Olson

Monster Princess by D. J. MacHale

Princess Penelope by Todd Mack

Princess Posey and the Monster Stew by Stephanie Greene

Princess Me by Karma Wilson

Paiute Princess by Deborah Kogan Ray 

Princess Peepers by Pam Calvert 

You get the idea. (And I didn't even try to list all the Disney princesses.) Why is this interesting? Well, it means they are still stories to be told about princesses, but perhaps more importantly, it illustrates that each writer brings something to children's fiction that wasn't there before; a different slant, touch of humor, adventure, or whatever. I find that exciting and encouraging. How about you? 
-Q

Children's Book Insider

Just in case you are not familiar with the Children's Book Insider, I wanted to pass on this fantastic resource for children's writers. I have been a member for several years and gleaned a ton writing info, tips, publishing news, etc. Jon and Laura know the business and strive to offer timely content. Check it out. http://cbiclubhouse.com/

100 Picture Books

The New York Public Library has put together a list of 100 great picture books. Check it out at
http://kids.nypl.org/reading/recommended2.cfm?ListID=61
You can find some of my favorite picture books at the books page of my website, www.quinncole.com. Since I grew up on a farm, I especially laugh at Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type.
-Q

Peter's Perfect Picture - 1st round voting closed

... and now we wait. Peter's Perfect Picture garnered over 200 votes in the online picture book contest. On January 31, 2012, MeeGenius will announce the stories to be fully illustrated and advanced to the finals round.

Whatever the outcome, please accept many, many thanks for your votes and encouragement in this project.
Happy holidays,
-Q

Voting is awesome!

Currently Peter's Perfect Picture is in the top 10% of over 400 entries in the MeeGenius 2011 Author Challenge. The first round of voting is open until December 18, 2011. 
MeeGenius editors are also allowed to choose their favorite stories to move on to the next voting round (in addition to the top reader picks). (They haven't said how many books will move on to the next round.) 

Thanks for all your kind words and asking friends, family, parents, grandparents, and co-workers with Facebook accounts to vote. I greatly appreciate it. This author challenge has given me a window into how George Bailey must have felt when everyone in town helped out at the end of It's A Wonderful Life. Truly humbling.

A thousand thanks! 

Quinn

http://quinncole.com/

http://quinncole.blogspot.com/

Vote for Peter's Perfect Picture

Last week, I submitted Peter's Perfect Picture to the MeeGenius 2011 Author Challenge picture book contest.

On November 28, 2011, the first round of reader voting will begin. Over 400 entries were submitted, so competition will be awesome. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

After the initial voting round, the top stories will be professionally illustrated and reader voting will open again. I'm really excited because the winner also gets a year of ebooks for an elementary school of their choice! Cool! So fingers crossed!

Wildly excited,
-Q

Australia is Cool!

Several years ago, I got the chance to visit Melborne and southern Australia for 2 weeks. I saw so many cool things and even learned new words, like "chockers" which means completely full. The trolley was often chockers.


One of my favorite books is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. Alexander is sure bad days never happen in Australia.


I just read Over in Australia: Amazing Animals Down Under by Florida author Marianne Berkes. This rhyming, fun, and fact-filled picture book is great for everyone, but especially teachers. It's part of a series that includes books on the Arctic, Jungle, and Ocean. Check it out!