Reflections on a Summer Spent Writing

There's an old saying in the publishing world: don't submit in August. That's because the New York industry shuts down -- editors and agents go on vacation, catch up on the slush pile or head out to Los Angeles for a few days of sun and fun at the SCBWI Summer Conference.

The saying began when editors responded more quickly to manuscripts, even unsolicited manuscripts. I'm not sure it makes much difference today when no matter what time of year you submit you're looking at a six-month wait, but the old saying stands: don't submit in August!

That doesn't mean as a writer, particularly a writer trying to break into the business, that you should take the month off. Or any part of the summer. Or Labor Day weekend. After all, isn't writing your getaway?

How I Spent My Summer Writing

1. Stayed in Touch with Two Literary Agents. Nothing signed, of course, but one shows great promise, having requested a serious business plan from me that the other did not. We'll see. So I include writing a marketing plan among my summer writing accomplishments (oh, the business side of writing!)
2. Wrote Two Drafts of an Early Chapter Book.  A sequel to an earlier picture book that has been getting some attention. Following the Nick Bruel Bad Kitty model here. Workshopping and writing the third draft now.
3. Outlined a Middle-Grade Novel. Began this at the suggestion of an editor. It was my summer goal to start this book September 1. I did. Finished one chapter. Um, I guess that means 10 to go (a Fall goal!)
4. Attended a Writers Conference. Went to the Eastern NY SCBWI Mid-Hudson Conference in June and was accepted at their November Falling Leaves Workshop, as well as the Rutgers One on One in October. Very excited about both.
5. Submitted a Picture Book Rewrite to an Editor Who Requested It. Even submitted it in August. Guess I just didn't follow that adage.
6. Outlined Two Picture Books. One is a sequel to the requested picture book. Editor wanted to know if I could see it as a series. Of course! Well, I can now...

Maybe that should be another writer's adage: See everything as a series.

Hope everyone else kept busy writing these days, whether putting together a manuscript or attending to business (including conferences). Let me know what you accomplished this summer, and I hope it includes the word contract.

Just probably not with an August signing date...

*Next Up: Reflections on a Summer Spent Reading

 

Hard Work at the Hudson Children's Book Festival

Once again, some amazing authors and illustrators showed up in tiny Hudson, NY for the Hudson Children's Book Festvial. Just south of Albany, the event draws plenty of talented authors from upstate, downstate, and across the state, but also  from across the country. Among the bestselling children's authors in attendance were Nick Bruel (Bad Kitty), Da Chen (Colors of the Mountain), Caldecott winner Emily Arnold McCully, Fran Manushkin (Katie Woo, and The Tushy Book), Lee Harper (Woolbur), and Susanna Leonard Hill (Punxsutawney Phyllis).

Capital District SCBWI was also well represented, with kidlit writers Nancy Castaldo, Kyra Teis, Kathy Ceceri, Eric Luper (the inspiration behind the festival), Rose Kent, Liza Frenette and Erica Villnave all setting up shop, conducting workshops and more.

Which is where the hard work comes in. Not just from the official workshops, but from working the room as an aspiring author. I had a chance to connect with children's writers who've given me great adivice in the past and those who gladly gave me some this year. It’s too long a list to name every author, but I will name those who were very helpful (and give you a little of what they said).

Advice From Award-Winning Children’s Authors

Bad Kitty Meets the Baby
available June 7, 2011



1.   Nick Bruel. The Bad Kitty author was good to me last and even better this year. I'm glad my son counts him among his favorite middle grade writers. Last year, Nick suggested I get an agent for a book idea, and that led me to approach agent extraordinairre Marcia Wernick. This year, Nick gave me advice on signing contracts, what to look for when it comes to advances, mutlibook deals, serials, etc. In short, don't let publishers link the advance for one book to another book. Make sure each contract is separate.

I also attended Nick's workshop on creating picture books. Great to watch him work a room full of fans. Real control over the room. The presentation was interactive and funny. His style is slower-paced than mine, so to watch him was educational, to say the least.

I was also with Nick for a unique moment: when he first laid eyes on the Bad Kitty mascot. The costumed character wasn't supposed to be ready until Book Espo America in a few weeks, but it was ready early. His first words? “They did a great job with the tail.” And they did. Funny what you notice first.

2.   Eric Luper. At the Empire State Book Festival Eric (Jeremy Bender and the Cupcake Cadets) answered questions on my agent situation; this time we talked about his publisher, Balzer + Bray. His suggestion? Whatever middle grade manuscript I eventually send B+B should grab them, the sort of thing they can't live without. He says the feedback I'm getting from them now is great and encouraging, but the next project will have to be big. He's right, of course, which may lead me to scrap one of the two middle grade projects I'm working on. Oh, well, se la vie. Onward and upward.

3.   Fran Manushkin, whose mg Katie Woo is a long and well-received series (24 books in 3 years!) gave me similar advice. Sitting next to Eric (authors were arranged alphabetically. Fitting, I guess), she said she was once told by an editor, after a rejection, that her next book had to be “perfect.” Perfect! Now that's pressure. I guess it was, because Fran was signed. That said, she also gave me advice on being a bit more aggressive with a particular editor. Not impolite, of course, just more aggressive. Get a response from her as soon as I can. Publishing may have its own schedule (about as slow as Amtrak being pulled by a mule), but she's probably right here. The editor is question has worked with Fran a great deal over the years.

4.  Rose Kent. The author of Kimchi & Calamari and

Rocky Road 

told me to shoot for the Rutgers One on One this year. Eric told me the same thing a few weeks ago, but Rose gave me advice on writing the cover letter: let them know why you're the right candidate for mentoring. How serious you are, how much this can help. Rutgers is a big event, an important event, and Rose is right – I believe it can help me, but they need to know it, too. As Rose said, “Make your letter as good as your work.” One more thing that has to be perfect!

I can't wait for next year's impressive array of authors and illustrators. And while next year is likely too soon to have a book on the table, I hope Nick Bruel is right (once again). Briggs is close to Bruel. Perhaps at a future event we will have adjoining tables. If someone doesn't buy my book, I'll gladly send her to Nick's table. He's influenced my writing and career choices, and given more of his time than he needs to. Thanks, Nick!

(And thanks to everyone who gave of their valuable time!)

Being Funny in Picture Books

In honor of one of the great all-time kid holidays, April Fools’ Day…

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Ivan.
Ivan who?
Ivan to tell you a joke.

What’s better than a child sitting on your lap laughing over a joke that’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard? It’s a bonding moment for both of you.

So how did the writer come up with that joke? How did she make it work?

There’s an old saying: “funny is funny.” Ahh, not so much. While some of the rules are the same, there are differences when it comes to writing comedy for kidlit.

Writing Humor for Children

1.      Wacky Is Wonderful, but don’t overdo it. Kids like crazy, but know when to pull back. Make your story relatable. Kids will buy almost any premise from Page 1, but you have to make sure they still buy it at page 30. Kids can accept a prince turned into a frog, but a fly turned into a prince turned into a frog who’s now forced to eat flies may be a bit much. Study P.D. Eastman’s Go, Dog, Go! as a way to build wacky.

      2.      Ignore the Rule of Three – unless it works. Comedy often has the rule of three: the first two are normal and establish the pattern; the third breaks it and gets laughs. With young readers, you can often use the Rule of One. Insert jokes right after the situation has been established, a funny line, a remark, etc. Children accept the situation as normal right from the start. Mo Willems, in his latest, I Broke My Trunk!, uses the Rule of Three when Gerald explains how he balanced a rhino, then a hippo, then a hippo with a piano, on his trunk. This builds in absurdity and a hippo with a piano is funny, but he saves the big laugh for one line at the end from Piggy. You should feel comfortable doing the same.

      3.      Build, Build, Build. Associated with #2 is Start Small and Escalate. Never make the second scene smaller than the first. If you have a child walking down the street on a blistering summer day and he spots a friend riding a Slip ‘n’ Slide with a penguin, the next scene probably shouldn’t be grandma sipping iced tea in front of a fan. Embrace the wacky and build on it.

4.      Create Humor From Characters – A great rule for just about any story. Would your character say or do that? Don't just have your character say something that is funny just to insert a funny line. Even consistently funny characters have a style. Is your character funny by playing it straight (The Pigeon)? Funny by being mischievous (The Cat in the Hat)? Weird, odd, cute, over-the-top?

5.      Remember Your Audience. One parent joke per book is fine. Kids will roll with it and accept it as part of the story (see Nick Bruel’s Bad Kitty for great examples of this), but too many jokes over their head will lose them. If you can write jokes everybody gets, great, but focus on your audience first. Parents may curse you after the 30^th reading, but their children will ask for a 31^st time. And they might just ask for your next book, too.

6.      They’ve Never Heard Old Jokes Before – but your editor has. An old joke may be fine; children don’t know the classics. But your editor will want originality and parents may groan. An old joke now and then may be OK, but why are you trying to be funny if you can’t write jokes? Come up with your own. It will help you sell your manuscript to a publisher and the parents.

7.      Sometimes It’s Just a Sketch. Sometimes a kid’s book is just a sketch. I felt that way with Mo’s I Broke My Trunk. It’s funny, but it strikes me as a sketch, whereas We Are In a Book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and others have more depth. The point is, you can write just a sketch. As long as it’s funny, it has a place in children’s literature. Children don’t know it’s just a sketch.

8.      Bodily Functions Are OK for Boys and Girls – but mostly boys. Girls think bodily functions are funny because they’re inappropriate, but editors and parents generally think they’re for boys, and at some point, they will be. Girls will outgrow them sooner. Low-brow can be OK, and some writers like Alan Katz (Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other Silly Dilly books) do it brilliantly and consistently, but if it’s not your forte, don’t force it. Just don’t be afraid of it either.

9.      Use Artwork Whenever Possible. Sometimes artwork sells the scene, sometimes it is the joke. If you’re an illustrator, you can punch up a scene with a look on a character’s face, motion lines and who knows what else. For you writers, don’t tell the illustrator what happens in a scene unless absolutely necessary, but don’t be afraid to list basic art notes if you absolutely have to. But if you have to, ask yourself if words are even needed for that scene. Rely on the illustrator. You’re a team!

Kids, like all readers want to be pulled in. Use humor to fill in around a compelling story. Funny can keep things moving, it can keep readers coming back for more, but humor isn’t the heart of your book, it’s the soul. Less tangible, but able to give it life.

Be aware that your reader will not have your voice, and so often comedy is not what you say, but how you say it. Parents and children may get better with each read (as they learn the words, rhythm, inflections, etc), but as a test run, have someone read your story back to you out loud. Does the comedy work in a cold read? Can they quickly grasp how to tell your jokes?

Oh, and remember, comedy is subjective. Someone will almost think it’s the driest thing they’ve ever ready. But as Jerry Seinfeld noted, he’s convinced every show he’s ever done someone walked away thinking he’s the worst comedian they’ve ever seen. And that’s Seinfeld! Or as comedian Tommy Moore says, “The audience is the variable.” Some of them will love you, some will not. Go back to the ones who do.

(Whew! Writing about comedy is hard work. Next time I’m writing about sleeping.)



Fun Author Sites

It's no surprise picture book authors have some of the most fun sites -- for kids and parents. Here are a few of my favorites:

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel. I put this one first because it's my son's favorite. Johnny K loves Bad Kitty Mad Dash, sort of Frogger with our hero avoiding kitty litter, vacuums, and Uncle Murray. He also likes Go, Cat, Go where Bad Kitty does what good kitties do, too -- runs for no reason. Great fun!

It's no surprise Mo Willems makes this list. He does just about everything right. His GoMo.net focuses on Cat the Cat and so is aimed at younger readers (and web surfers), but Elephant, Piggy, and Pigeon all pop up. Some simple and silly games that will entertain Mo's fans (and their children).

Jamie Lee Curtis has a lot of games on her site. They're mostly the same games, with mazes and matches, but for every one of her books. In other words, fans of any one book can find a character they love; fans of many books can chase plenty of their favorite characters around!

Okay, yes, this one looks more like the TV show than the original books, but it was inspired by the Rev. W. Awdry's stories. It's also a lot of fun for the little ones who can't get enough of Thomas, in visual or printed form. Games, puzzles, activities, and of course, video.

How could any list  be complete without Dr. Seuss? There's everything here for Dr. Seuss fans -- games, puzzles, sound effects, blips, bops, gar ginkers and trum tupers. You'll see his best known and least known characters. It's like the Wikipedia of children's sites -- you could get lost in there!

I found that these sites actually encouraged my son to read more, from Thomas in preschool to Nic Bruel and his chapter books now -- they do a wonderful job of promoting the authors, their books, and the joy of reading.

Check them out when you get a chance. Just make sure you have some time to spare!

Know of another fun site? Recommend it below!