Looking for a Quality Critique?

PICTURE BOOK CRITIQUES

BY ROB SANDERS

I’ve been staying busy with my critique service, but now have some openings. If you have a picture book manuscript in need of an in-depth critique, please check out my services. Reasonable, realistic, and reliable!

WHAT YOU RECEIVE IN A CRITIQUE

n I begin with an overall list of the things I love about your story and your writing, possible concerns, and possible fixes.

n Then I provide a line-by-line critique, which may include suggested cuts, additions, and comments.

n I will also look at the BIG PICTURE of your plot and story development.

n I offer next-step suggestions to get you moving forward with your manuscript.

WHY YOU CAN TRUST ME TO PROVIDE A QUALITY CRITIQUE

n I am a published picture book author and have been published in other genres as well—educational resources, inspirational books, and magazine articles to name a few.

n I critique nearly a hundred picture book manuscripts a year.

n I have taught creative writing to children for years. I know how to teach and coach as well as critique. And I know what kids love and what they don’t.

n I worked for fifteen years as an editor, editorial group manager, and a coordinator of children’s product development for a major not-for-profit publisher.

For more information, rates, and availability, visit: http://robsanderswrites.com/Critique_Service.html!

BLOG-BATICAL

I am taking a sabbatical from Picture This! until the end of the school year—which is either nineteen days away, four weeks away, or five hundred years away depending on how you count it. In the meantime, I’ll be writing and working on updates for my web site.

By the way, stay tuned for some incredible news . . . it’s a done deal but some final pieces need to be put in place before announcing.

Keep your chin up and your fingers on the keyboard.

Rob Sanders

QUOTES ABOUT MOVING FORWARD TO REVISION

WEEK OF APRIL 29, 2012: QUOTES AND TOOLS FOR NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012

Friday, May 4—Quotes About Moving Forward to Revision

You’re in the midst of drafting your seven picture books for NaPiBoWriWee. But the hard work is ahead—revision. Never settle for a first draft (or a second, or a third). Revise until your work shines. Below are some quotes to inspire your revision journey.

The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. You can always do it better, find the exact word, the apt phrase, the leaping simile.

—Robert Cormier

Sit down, and put down everything that comes into your head and then you’re a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff’s worth without pity, and destroy most of it.

—Colette

I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.

—William Capote

I can’t write five words but that I change seven.

—Dorothy Parker

Half my life is an act of revision.

—John Irving

Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing.

—Bernard Malamud

Books aren't written—they're rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn't quite done it.

—Michael Crichton

The difference between the right and the nearly right word is the same as that between lightning and the lightning bug.

—Mark Twain

The wastebasket is the writer's best friend.

—Isaac Singer

Writing is rewriting. A writer must learn to deepen characters, trim writing, intensify scenes. To fall in love with the first draft to the point where one cannot change it is to greatly enhance the prospects of never publishing.

—Richard North Patterson

It is with words as with sunbeams -- the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn.

—Robert Southey

Go create!

Go write!

Go revise!

THE PLOT CLOCK--ANOTHER PLANNING TOOL

WEEK OF APRIL 29, 2012: QUOTES AND TOOLS FOR NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012

Thursday, May 3—The Plot Clock—Another Planning Tool

My friend and mentor, Joyce Sweeney, (along with Jamie Morris) developed what many writers in Florida know affectionately as the Plot Clock. The Plot Clock is a great tool for planning out any piece of fiction—including picture books—and is also a powerful way of determining what is missing is a story once you’ve completed your first draft. Just by looking for each component of the Plot Clock you can easily see where a hole is in your plot, where you’ve spent too much time or not enough, and how to add more dramatic tension to your writing. (Face it, even a funny picture book has dramatic tension.) Here’s the Plot Clock:

For more information about the Plot Clock, review these earlier posts from Picture This!

·        http://robsanderswrites.blogspot.com/2011/08/plot-clock.html

·        http://robsanderswrites.blogspot.com/2011/08/plot-clock-in-picture-books.html

QUOTES ABOUT FIRST DRAFTS

WEEK OF APRIL 29, 2012: QUOTES AND TOOLS FOR NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012

Wednesday, May 2—Quotes About First Drafts

Completing seven manuscripts, seven stories, or seven picture books in seven days seems overwhelming. But wait a minute . . . what we’re really completing is seven first drafts. First draft sounds much less intimidating than manuscript, or story, or picture book. You don’t have to get it perfect during NaPiBoWriWee, you just have to get it down on paper! To help with the process, today’s post features some inspiring quotes about first drafts.

Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It’s one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period.

—Nicholas Sparks

I would advise any beginning writer to write the first drafts as if no one else will ever read them—without a thought about publication—and only in the last draft to consider how the work will look from the outside.

—Anne Tyler

I generally write a first draft that’s pretty lean. Just get the story down.

—Nora Roberts

I don’t fiddle or edit or change while I’m going through the first draft.

—Nora Roberts

I have never written anything in one draft, not even a grocery list, although I have heard from friends that this is actually possible.

—Connie Willis

I’m constantly revising. Once the book is written and typed, I go through the entire draft again.

—Chaim Potok

On a less inspirational note, comes this quote from Ernest Hemingway: “The first draft of anything is sh@#.” I don’t necessarily agree, but it does make me laugh!

MY PICTURE BOOK GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

WEEK OF APRIL 29, 2012: QUOTES AND TOOLS FOR NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012

Tuesday, May 1—My Picture Book Graphic Organizer

I imagine it’s the teacher in me that always wants to find ways to present information in new ways, to create a new graphic organizer to help with a problem, or to plan step-by-step how to do something (and the to teach someone else the steps). In that spirit, I’ll share once again the graphic organizer I designed to help plan a picture book. I don’t use this tool every time I write—no tool is that wonderful—but this graphic organizer has come in handy more than once.

QUOTES ABOUT PERSEVERANCE

WEEK OF APRIL 29, 2012: QUOTES AND TOOLS FOR NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012

Monday, April 30—Quotes About Perseverance

If you knew that two manuscripts from now you’d hit upon a best-selling picture book, would you keep writing? Of course you would (and so would I)! Perseverance and perspiration may be the two things that contribute to success more than anything else. If practice makes perfect, than NaPiBoWriWee is going to get you to perfection in a snap. But along the way, you’re going to have to persevere. Today, be encouraged! Success might just be a manuscript away.

Enjoy these quotes. You may even want to pick a favorite to hang above your computer.

Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul.

—Douglas MacArthur

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of education derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

—Calvin Coolidge

Edison failed 10,000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times.

—Napoleon Hill

How long should you try? Until.

—Jim Rohn

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.

—Walter Elliot

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.

—Charles H. Spurgeon

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

—Nelson Mandela

Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth.

—Julie Andrews

COMING THIS WEEK!

WEEK OF APRIL 29, 2012: QUOTES AND TOOLS FOR NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012

Quote of the week:

The act of writing is an act of optimism. You would not take the trouble to do it if you felt it didn’t matter.

—Edward Albee

Are you participating in NaPiBoWriWee? If not, it’s not too late. Visit Paula Woo’s site at http://paulayoo.com/home.html and sign up. I’m strapping on my work boots and planning to write seven stories in seven days (May 1-7). I encourage you at accept the challenge, too. To encourage you in your NaPIBoWriWee journey, this week’s posts will include quotes to inspire you and practical tools to assist you.

Monday—Quotes About Perseverance

Tuesday—My Picture Book Graphic Organizer

Wednesday—Quotes About First Drafts

Thursday—The Plot Clock

Friday—Quotes About Moving Forward

COWBOY CHRISTMAS NEWS!

YEEHAW!

COWBOY CHRISTMAS

IS (ALMOST) HERE!

 My picture book, COWBOY CHRISTMAS, is now available for pre-sales on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble online. There are even Kindle and Nook Book versions!

Check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Christmas-Rob-Sanders/dp/0375869859/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335489007&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Christmas-ebook/dp/B007M29QK4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335489007&sr=8-2

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cowboy-christmas-john-manders/1108022902?ean=9780375869853

Official release date is September 11, 2012!

SADDLE UP FOR SOME FUN!

Odds and Ends from Joyce

Week of April 22, 2012—Creating Characters Kids Love with Joyce Sweeney

April 26, 2012—Odds and Ends from Joyce

When I attend a conference and review my notes, I often have a smattering of information in little, one-line quotes. Often the richest information is found within those one liners. Today I’ll list the odds and ends, the one liners I have in my notes from Joyce Sweeney’s session about Creating Characters Kids Love.

·        Don’t research before you write a book—research as you write. Otherwise you’ll be tempted to put all kinds of “interesting” information in the book that you learned and feel you need to share.

·        The first person on stage in your book and the first person to speak must be your main character.

·        Stay with a narrow point of view.

·        The main character’s job is to tell us what is going on, to orient us.

·        Start writing with a theme question in mind, such as: Is it ever ok to cheat?

·        Don’t ask a dramatic question that you already know the answer to.

·        Every story we read should make us stronger.

·        Plot is really the circle, the cycle, the main character is going through.

·        The story is something that comes into the main character’s life and pulls him/her into a different situation.

·        First person—the “I” who tells the story—brings the reader as close as possible to the character.

·        A story is close third person is really the same as a story in first person, but with different pronouns.

·        In close third person the reader isn’t or doesn’t become the main character in the story, he/she is a bit more removed, and sometimes that is more comfortable for the reader.

·        To read: Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card

Visit Joyce’s web site at: http://joycesweeney.net/

Getting to Know Your Main Character

Week of April 22, 2012—Creating Characters Kids Love with Joyce Sweeney

April 25, 2012—Getting to Know Your Main Character

You’ve heard of interviewing a main character or doing a biographical sketch of a main character. At our seminar with Joyce Sweeney, she suggested answering as many of the following questions about your main character as possible. These questions were developed for folks who write picture books through YA novels, so some may seem “out there” from a picture book perspective. But I found the list very helpful.

Joyce Sweeney’s 25 Questions to Get to Know Your Main Character

1. What trait(s) makes the reader identify with your Main Character (M/C)?

2. What quality(ies) of your M/C will readers admire?

3. What is entertaining about your M/C?

4. Which of your M/C's character flaws must be overcome in this story?

5. What does your M/C do when stressed?

6. What peculiarities of language does your M/C use?

7. What habitual gestures does your M/C make?

8. What stories about him/herself does your M/C tell repeatedly?

9. Does s/he like music? If so, what kind?

10. How does your M/C escape reality?

11. To whom does your M/C tell his/her darkest secrets?

12. Whom or what does you M/C hate?

13. Of whom is your M/C envious?

14. What is your M/C's passion?

15. What is his/her favorite social mask?

16. When is your M/C likeliest to lie?

17. What remains unfinished for your M/C at story's outset? At story's end?

18. Who/what is your M/C's god/G-d?

19. What will reader disapprove of about your M/C?

20. What would the other characters in the story say about your M/C?

21. Are those things true?

22. What is your M/C unable to see about him/herself?

23. How does that affect the story?

24. What does your M/C seek but never find?

25. How did undergoing his/her story make your M/C better/stronger?

I asked Joyce when a writer should use a list like this. Do you do it before you start writing? As you’re working on a story? When you’re trying to convince an editor you really know your character? (LOL!) Joyce said that you use a writing tool when you need it. Often when writers are stuck and don’t know where to go with a story line, a plot, a character, stopping and using a writing tool, like the one above, can give the insights needed to take the next step forward in the writing. I like that idea. After all, it seems like most characters reveal themselves over time. The more time you spend with them, the more you know and the more you know that you need to know.

Another insight from Joyce—when you explore a character, you don’t have to put everything you discover into your writing. You’re trying to learn as much about your character as possible, but just like with a good friend, you won’t share everything you know with a total stranger. 

Try Joyce’s twenty-five questions on for size. They just might fit!

Visit Joyce’s web site at: http://joycesweeney.net/

Picture Book Characters

Week of April 22, 2012—Creating Characters Kids Love with Joyce Sweeney

April 24, 2012—Picture Book Characters

 This past weekend some writing friends (CiCi, Shannon, Augusta, Teddie) and I brought our friend and mentor, Joyce Sweeney, to town to teach us about creating characters. The twenty-one writers who jammed into the room represented genres from picture books to YA novels. None of us left disappointed. (As a testament to that, we’ve already filled sixteen of the twenty slots for Joyce’s September return visit.) This week, I’ll share some of Joyce’s insights about character development.

First, a definition:

Main Character—A role the reader wants to play.

Joyce said to imagine a character that a picture book audience would enjoy, you have to think of the audience members themselves. Picture books are aimed at 0-5 year olds. (Though we know other ages love picture books, too.) The books are usually read aloud by adults which means the language and vocabulary actually might be higher than that found in some middle grade novels. Why? Because an adult is there to explain and interpret, and don’t forget the assistance provided by the illustrations.

Picture characters are often children, but can be animals, child-like adults, or other stand-ins for the child. This age group, more than any, will accept characters of their own age. (Unlike older children who like to read about kids who are older than themselves.) So to understand what makes success characters in picture books, Joyce said to think about what five year olds are like:

·        Tah-dah!—They often walk into the room with an “I’m-here” attitude.

·        In general, they are optimistic.

·        They don’t understand the difference between fantasy and reality and they don’t mind the two being mixed together. If you tell them a bear is speaking, they won’t question it!

·        Five year olds like to become cowboys and monkeys, firemen and astronauts—so the sky is the limit with the kinds of characters we use.

·        Often this age group feels protected. So if there’s something scary in a picture book (for instance, a monster under the bed), they can deal with that because an adult is close by to protect them. They aren’t afraid of adventure. As Joyce said, “Mommy will be there to pull me back to safety.”

·        The world is a big place to explore and discover for this age group, so they are open to almost any and every adventure, story line, and event.

·        Remember—who reads a picture book? EVERYONE! But who is the market pitched to? Zero to five year olds.

BEYOND MAIN CHARACTERS

Many picture books (and other works of fiction) have a supporting cast of characters. Joyce said, “We are each made up of hundreds of different people. When you write a book you have to become all the characters. All the characters have to come from some place in your heart.”

Coming tomorrow: Interviewing your main character.

Visit Joyce’s web site at: http://joycesweeney.net/

Coming This Week!

Week of April 22, 2012—Creating Characters Kids Love with Joyce Sweeney

Quote of the week:

‘Let it be loudly asserted that character, strong characters, are at the heart of all great literature and always will be. Plot, even in detective fiction, is a very secondary matter. Not many readers could outline the plot of The Sign of the Four but no one has any difficulty bringing Holmes and Watson to mind.

“A writer who does not create convincing characters will fail. A writer who creates thrilling, troubling, seductive, insistent characters need not worry too much about any other aspect of writing. You do not need to know how to spell. You do not need to know much about grammar. You do not even need any huge sensitivity to language, though this is the other quality that really matters in writing; it is also, perhaps, the most resistant to any kind of formal teaching.”

—Andrew Miller

This week we’ll spend time with Joyce Sweeney, author, writing coach, mentor, and workshop leader to learn about creating characters kids love. 

What Makes for Success in the Eyes of The Horn Book Reviewers?

Week of April 15, 2012: LESSONS FROM THE HORN BOOK GUIDE

Friday, April 20, 2012: What Makes for Success in the Eyes of The Horn Book Reviewers?

Today we’re celebrating the books that received ratings of 1 or 2 in The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2012 issue. As a reminder:

THE RATING	NUMBER OF BOOKS	PERCENT OF TOTAL
1 Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration	4	1%
2 Superior, well above average	47	13%

I’ll list the books rated 1 and 2 and comments from the reviewers about the books rated one, indicating what makde the text of those books outstanding. Enjoy!

THE ONES

Bone Dog

Written and Illustrated by Eric Rohmann

Roaring Brook

NOTES: Rohmann’s relief prints with forceful black lines and high contrast, accentuate the weight of the story’s emotion—Gus’s grief after Ella dies as well as the poignancy of boy and dog’s fleeting moonlit reunion.

Haunted Hamburger and Other Ghostly Stories, The

Written by David LaRochelle

Illustrated by Paul Meisel

Dutton

NOTES: The book’s humor is freewheeling and perfectly calibrated for its audience; it should evoke sniggers and belly laughs.

Over and Under the Snow

By Kate Messner

Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal

NOTES: Spare, poetic words

Money We’ll Save, The

Written and Illustrated by Brock Cole

Farrar/Ferguson

NOTES: Entertaining story; a brilliant solution satisfies everyone

Subway Story

Written and Illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach

Knopf

Notes: Sarcone-Roach allows her theme of reuse and recycling to emerge naturally from a fine tale.

THE TWOS

An Annoying ABC

By Barbara Bottner

Illustrated by Michael Emberley

Knopf

Anton Can Do Magic

Written and Illustrated by Ole Konnecke

Gecko

Bad Kitty Christmas, A

Written and Illustrated by Nick Bruel

Roaring Brook

Bailey

Written and Illustrated by Harry Bliss

Scholastic

Belle, the Last Mule at Gee’s Bend

By Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Bettye Ramsey

Illustrated by John Holyfield

Candlewick

Blue Chicken

Written and Illustrated by Deborah Freedman

Viking

Bumble-Ardy

Written and Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

HarperCollins

Carpenter’s Gift, The

By David Rubel

Illustrated by Jim LaMarche

Random

Chanukah Lights

By Michael J. Rosen

Illustrated by Robert Sabuda

Candlewick

Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood, The

By Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

Illustrated by Ellen Beier

Holiday

Christmas Eve at the Mellops’

The Mellops Go Diving for Treasure

The Mellops Strike Oil

Written and Illustrated by Tomi Ungerer

Reissue (1958/Harper)

Christmas Tree for Pyn, A

Written and Illustrated by Olivier Dunrea

Philomel

Crouching Tiger

By Ying Chang Compestine

Illustrated by Yan Nascimbene

Candlewick

Detective Blue

By Steve Metzger

Illustrated by Todd Arnold

Scholastic/Orchard

Elmer’s Christmas

Written and Illustrated by David McKee

Anderson

Everything I Need to Know Before I’m Five

Written and Illustrated by Valorie Fisher

Random/Schwartz & Wade

George Flies South

Written and Illustrated by Simon James

Candlewick

Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, The

By Laura Murray

Illustrated by Mike Lowery

Putnam

Grandpa Green

Written and Illustrated by Lane Smith

Roaring Brook

Home for Christmas

Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett

Putnam

Hornbooks and Inkwells

By Verla Kay

Illustrated by S. D. Schindler

Putnam

How Dalia Put a Big Yellow Comforter Inside a Tiny Blue Box: And Other Wonders of Tzedakah

By Linda Heller

Illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen

Tricycle

I Want My Hat Back

Written and Illustrated by Jon Klassen

Candlewick

Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be

Written by John Harris

Illustrated by Adam Gustavson

Peachtree

Let’s Go See Papa

By Lawrence Schimel

Translated by Elisa Amanda

Illustrated by Alba Marina Rivera

Groundwood

Lighthouse Christmas

Written by Toni Buzzeo

Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

Dial

Littlest Evergreen, The

Written and Illustrated by Henry Cole

HarperCollins

Melvin and the Boy

Written and Illustrated by Lauren Castillo

Holt

My Rhinoceros

Written and Illustrated by Jon Agee

Scholastic

Never Forgotten

By Patricia C. McKissack

Illustrated by Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon

Random/Schwartz & Wade

Neville

By Norton Juster

Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Random/Schwartz & Wade

No Dogs Allowed

By Linda Ashman

Illustrated by Kristin Sorra

Sterling

One Little Chicken

By Elka Weber

Illustrated by Elisa Kleven

Tricycle

People

By Blexbolex

Translated by Claudia Bedrick

Enchanted Lion

Perfect Christmas, The

By Eileen Spinelli

Illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi

Holt/Octaviano

Princess of Borscht, The

By Leda Schubert

Illustrated by Bonnie Christensen

Roaring River

Samantha on a Roll

By Linda Ashman

Illustrated by Christine Daventer

Farrar/Ferguson

Same, Same but Different

Written and Illustrated by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

Holt/Ottaviano

Scrawny Cat

By Phyllis Root

Illustrated by Alison Friend

Candlewick

Sniffles for Bear, The

By Bonny Becker

Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

Candlewick

Stars

By Mary Lyn Ray

Illustrated by Marla Frazee

Simon/Beach Lane

Strega Nona’s Gift

Written and Illustrated by Tomi dePaola

Penguin

Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot

By Margaret McNamara

Illustrated by Mark Fearing

Random/Schwartz & Wade

Too Many Frogs

Written by Ann Hassett

Illustrated by John Hassett

Houghton

Where’s My T-R-U-C-K?

By Karen Beaumont

Illustrated by David Catrow

Dial

Which Side Are You On? The Story of a Song

By George Ella Lyon

Illustrated by Christopher Cardinale

Cinco

It’s Your Turn!

1. Time to go check out some new books, don’t you think? That’s what I plan to do!