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Blog postThis is the final installment of my conference rehash. If you’ve been following along, you already know what a fun, information-packed event it truly was and why I wanted to break this into several posts.
Sunday was no less info-packed than the previous two days, except by now my eyes are beginning to glaze over from all the amazing art I’ve seen and my brain is verging on overload.
The morning began with two outstanding panels. The first was the AGENT PANEL which i -
Blog postThis is the final installment of my conference rehash. If you’ve been following along, you already know what a fun, information-packed event it truly was and why I wanted to break this into several posts.
Sunday was no less info-packed than the previous two days, except by now my eyes are beginning to glaze over from all the amazing art I’ve seen and my brain is verging on overload.
The morning began with two outstanding panels. The first was the AGENT PANEL which i -
Blog postThis is the second installment to my report on this year’s SCBWI Conference. After tanking up on some java, I was revved and ready to go for what promised to be a jam-packed second day. First up was KAREN CUSHMAN, author of a number of successful historical fiction novels, including , Lucy Whipple, Will Sparrow’s Road, and Newbery award winner The Midwife’s Apprentice. Karen said there are three rules for writing; unfortuntely no one knows what they are, so make your own rules, or better
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Blog postThis is the second installment to my report on this year’s SCBWI Conference. After tanking up on some java, I was revved and ready to go for what promised to be a jam-packed second day. First up was KAREN CUSHMAN, author of a number of successful historical fiction novels, including , Lucy Whipple, Will Sparrow’s Road, and Newbery award winner The Midwife’s Apprentice. Karen said there are three rules for writing; unfortuntely no one knows what they are, so make your own rules, or better
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Blog postEvery year I look forward to the SCBWI (Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators) Summer Conference, knowing it will be the highlight of the writing year. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with friends and hopefully meet new ones. Coffee is typically consumed in vast quantities and sleep is a rare commodity. Since I am now the illustrator coordinator for our region, this conference began early for me. At pre-conference meetings, I learned about the SCBWI
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Blog postEvery year I look forward to the SCBWI (Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators) Summer Conference, knowing it will be the highlight of the writing year. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with friends and hopefully meet new ones. Coffee is typically consumed in vast quantities and sleep is a rare commodity. Since I am now the illustrator coordinator for our region, this conference began early for me. At pre-conference meetings, I learned about the SCBWI
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Blog postRecently I have noticed an alarming trend in children’s books. The words are gone. In many cases the illustrations now carry the brunt of the burden in telling the story, a huge change compared to most children’s books of thirty years ago. Not a problem unless you try reading a story aloud to a small group of children, and you find yourself having to ad lib to fill in the plot or the flow of words is so choppy each page feels unrelated to the previous one.
More and more I he -
Blog postRecently I have noticed an alarming trend in children’s books. The words are gone. In many cases the illustrations now carry the brunt of the burden in telling the story, a huge change compared to most children’s books of thirty years ago. Not a problem unless you try reading a story aloud to a small group of children, and you find yourself having to ad lib to fill in the plot or the flow of words is so choppy each page feels unrelated to the previous one.
More and more I he -
Blog postl-r Lisze Bechtold, Nancy Hayashi, Anita McLaughlin, Marla Frazee, Naomi Howland, and Me I have belonged to at least one critique group since I first began writing, including one group in of picture book author/illustrators for over seventeen years. The benefits have been enormous. In addition to the camaraderie–which by itself has been worth the price of admission–there has been an endless source of objective, positive criticism, encouragement, and support. Yeah,
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Blog postl-r Lisze Bechtold, Nancy Hayashi, Anita McLaughlin, Marla Frazee, Naomi Howland, and Me I have belonged to at least one critique group since I first began writing, including one group in of picture book author/illustrators for over seventeen years. The benefits have been enormous. In addition to the camaraderie–which by itself has been worth the price of admission–there has been an endless source of objective, positive criticism, encouragement, and support. Yeah,
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Blog postThis past weekend my son Ian and I spoke about writing and illustrating children’s books at the Central Coast Writers Conference, organized by the wonderful Judy Salamacha, and held at Cuesta College in beautiful San Luis Obispo, California. We were honored to be a part of an event that included such a talented and enthusuiastic faculty. Jonothan Maberry was a keynote speaker and Mark Coker, creator of Smashwords was another. Interesting bookends. On one hand you had a prolific
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Blog postThis past weekend my son Ian and I spoke about writing and illustrating children’s books at the Central Coast Writers Conference, organized by the wonderful Judy Salamacha, and held at Cuesta College in beautiful San Luis Obispo, California. We were honored to be a part of an event that included such a talented and enthusuiastic faculty. Jonothan Maberry was a keynote speaker and Mark Coker, creator of Smashwords was another. Interesting bookends. On one hand you had a prolific
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Blog postHey Diddle Diddle Animals are often associated with very specific characteristics. We all know cheetah’s are fast, sharks are dangerous, dogs are loyal, monkeys are mischievous. But how do you choose the right animal for your story?
To begin, determine the primary characteristics of your story’s main character. Then examine which animal species best exemplifies those traits OR, to make the tale even more interesting, the animal which is completely the opposite. Let’s look at a few ex -
Blog postHey Diddle Diddle Animals are often associated with very specific characteristics. We all know cheetah’s are fast, sharks are dangerous, dogs are loyal, monkeys are mischievous. But how do you choose the right animal for your story?
To begin, determine the primary characteristics of your story’s main character. Then examine which animal species best exemplifies those traits OR, to make the tale even more interesting, the animal which is completely the opposite. Let’s look at a few ex -
Blog postWhat is it about nature that frees up our brains? Is it the shock to our systems of breathing in smog-free air? Is it time away from anything remotely resembling a keyboard, boob-tube, or phone? Maybe it’s our over-stimulated psyches reaching for a fix. I’m not sure. All I do know is that self-imposed time to commune with the wild is always the best medicine when I’m suffering from a creative brain-drain.
This past weekend my husband and I retreated to Sequoia National Park for -
Blog postWhat is it about nature that frees up our brains? Is it the shock to our systems of breathing in smog-free air? Is it time away from anything remotely resembling a keyboard, boob-tube, or phone? Maybe it’s our over-stimulated psyches reaching for a fix. I’m not sure. All I do know is that self-imposed time to commune with the wild is always the best medicine when I’m suffering from a creative brain-drain.
This past weekend my husband and I retreated to Sequoia National Park for -
Blog postIn my last post I wrote about the importance of observation. Today I got schooled.
The first of the tomatoes are just starting to ripen. They’re voluptuous in all their summer glory, but they are also critter magnets. This morning I go out to harvest a couple for a caprese salad. Yum, the thought of it makes my mouth water–sun-warmed tomatoes, fresh basil snipped from the stalks poking up from between the acorn and butternut squash, drizzled with the best olive oil $5.99 can buy -
Blog postIn my last post I wrote about the importance of observation. Today I got schooled.
The first of the tomatoes are just starting to ripen. They’re voluptuous in all their summer glory, but they are also critter magnets. This morning I go out to harvest a couple for a caprese salad. Yum, the thought of it makes my mouth water–sun-warmed tomatoes, fresh basil snipped from the stalks poking up from between the acorn and butternut squash, drizzled with the best olive oil $5.99 can buy -
Blog postOBSERVANCE: an act or instance of watching
It’s a beautiful morning out in the garden. I wander out to do the simple chores that are now a part of my sunrise routine–water the garden before the July sun can whither and scorch the greens and then feed the turtles that are already scouting their enclosures for grubs and tidbits of fruit. But this morning is different, maybe only because I happen to take the time to truly look for what’s already there.
First is the weasel w -
Blog postOBSERVANCE: an act or instance of watching
It’s a beautiful morning out in the garden. I wander out to do the simple chores that are now a part of my sunrise routine–water the garden before the July sun can whither and scorch the greens and then feed the turtles that are already scouting their enclosures for grubs and tidbits of fruit. But this morning is different, maybe only because I happen to take the time to truly look for what’s already there.
First is the weasel w
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