Before I tell you about the conference, I want to point you to my review of The Host at Deliciously Clean Reads. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (instantly famous author of Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn) will be released in early May. And, as long as we are on the topic of Stephenie Meyer, I have been rather obsessed with all things concerning Twilight the Movie (due out in December of this year). Not as obsessed as the people road-tripping to the scene of the filming, or taking pictures of the exterior of buildings that will appear in the movie, but it has been very fun to see who they are casting for the various parts...and I AM one of the satisfied "Twi-hards" concerning the cast.


Okay, on to the Conference...

On Friday, the conference started with a bang. 

TIM TRAVAGLINI, Senior Editor at G.P. Putnam's Sons was the Keynote Speaker during lunch (I'm a little nervous about blogging about him, since he did make an off-hand comment that he could give a whole speech about blog etiquette. I certainly don't want to say anything he wouldn't be happy about...Mr. Travaglini, if you are reading and oppose to anything, please let me know and I'll remove it immediately.). His topic: Getting Out of the Slush Pile...but, honestly, before you get all excited. THERE ISN'T A MAGIC SECRET. He gave an inspiring speech about the three elements of success.
1. Natural Talent
2. Training/ Instruction
3. Dedication/ Persistence

He said that many people succeed with only two of the above elements. If two are strong, you can usually get by without the third.

He said it is important to dream, but enjoy the journey. Improve your craft. Look inward instead of at market trends.

Kate DiCamillo had 400 rejections before she was published!

You should have folders overflowing with rejections. It shows you are trying. The harder you work, the luckier you get.

Be open to revisions.

"Be best friends with your local children's librarian."

Do your research. If he has a big pet peeve, it is having his name spelled wrong...but, really, that kind of thing won't keep a great story from getting published.


RACHEL ANN NUNES (LDS Author): Writing in Spite of a Busy Life.

Have the mindset of a writer. There is a big misconception out there...you have to have extra time to write. You have to make time. "If you don't try, you have already failed. If you keep trying, eventually you will succeed."

Tell yourself you're a writer. Take yourself seriously.

Tell others you are a writer. Help them take you seriously.

Be true to your God-given talents.

The average person spends 7 YEARS of his/her life watching TV. You can make time to write.

Have personal deadlines and goals. 

In 20 weeks, writing 5000 words per week, you can write a 100,000 word novel.

Bible: Parable of the Talents...If you hide your talents, you'll lose them. When you use them, you'll get more.


KIRK SHAW (LDS Editor from Covenant): 10 Ways to Get Your Story Noticed.

Looking for gift books and clean fiction. All editors are looking for dynamic stories that they want to take home with them.

The most important part of a story is the climax. Build gradually. Make it a big deal.

Use fresh descriptions. Find and Replace your pet words.

Use sensory descriptions.

Write a killer opener for your book. Study great openings.


LISA MANGUM (LDS Editor from Deseret Book): Making the Leap

Wants books with LDS values, characters.

Worry about things you can control.
1. Am I in the right slush pile?
2. Who will buy this book?
3. How is it better than other similar books on the market?
4. What are people buying?
5. What is my marketing plan?
6. Have 5 HONEST readers given me feedback?

Write a killer cover letter. It's the most important page.

A Disney animator said, "Don't worry. Don't hurry. Don't stop."


After these workshops, we listened to an absolutely riotous speech from Jessica Day George. Unfortunately, I couldn't take notes because I was laughing so hard I was crying. Sorry. You'll just have to come next time.  :)


I only registered for Friday of the conference, but I went back on Saturday for my ms critique. I sent two picture book mss to TT of G.P. Putnam's Sons. I paced like a maniac until he finally arrived. I shouldn't have been so nervous. He made me feel at ease and gave some great feedback. He said my stories were a little on the short side. He said 300-500 words is probably best...but don't worry too much about word count. Try to follow the traditional story arc. He said I have a natural talent for prose and kid-humor (Hurray!) but need to work on building my stories out a little more. So, overall, it was a very positive experience. 

I mean, the conference was full and interesting enough, that I hardly even pulled The Host out of my bag. And that's saying a lot.

All right, Dandi Mackall had our class do a few things for the picture book manuscripts we were working on. It might look like busywork, but I promise you it's helpful. At least it was for me.

1. In one or two sentences, what is your story about? (Stephen Fraser also talked about this. he calls it an elevator pitch. Be able to show the focus of your story in a line or two. He says to include the pitch in your query/cover letters.)

2. Write 10 possible first lines.

3. Write 10 possible last lines.

4. Fill in the blanks for your characters: ______ is the kind of person who _______. Make it descriptive. (My answer for one of my characters was: Lilly is the kind of girl who eats her imaginary sister's brownies. Now don't steal my character.)

Happy Weekending! I'm going camping. Hopefully I'll come back with fun, bear-less pictures.

Dandi Mackall led a breakout session about rhythm and rhyme. Here are my notes...


Not all picture books rhyme, but ALL need rhythm. An editor told Dandi that the number one reason she rejected manuscripts was for their lack of rhythm.

Rhyming picture books are the hardest of all manuscripts to sell but many do sell.

The rhyming cannot be easy. What words rhyme with call? ball, fall, tall. Try not to use any of the words that first come to your mind. They are overused and boring. Try rhyming words with different syllable counts such as: way to scary/ necessary. This rhyme is unexpected, making it more satisfying.

Use a good rhyming dictionary.

Rhymes are more satisfying when words end in consonants.

For rhyming picture books, the shorter, the better.

Use poetic devices=metaphors/similes

Don't use cutesy alliterated names.

Establish a meter and stick to it. Write out your ms with accents. This is the only way to make sure people everywhere will be able to feel the rhythm of the lines.

You may slow down meter and speed it up according to story. Speed up by increasing unstressed beats between stressed ones.

Use repetition.

According to the faculty....

STEPHEN FRASER: Have self-respect. Appreciate yourself and what you have to say.
MARGARET MILLER: Don't send a ms until you totally love it, and it is the best you can make it.
JEANETTE INGOLD: Write what you love to read.
RANDALL WRIGHT: Write whenever you can. "I'm giving you permission to take the time to write."
KRISTA MARINO: You are writers, published or not.
MARTINE LEAVITT: Nobody asks a trombone player how to play. They take lessons and practice. Write every day.
DAVE WOLVERTON: Use a support group.
GUY FRANCIS: "Put a lot of mileage on your pencil."
DANDI MACKALL: Awesome to have a week with writers who are weirdos. Most people hate writing. We pay big bucks to write and have professionals say "Eh" about our work. John 13:17 You know these things, now go home and do them.
RICK WALTON: If you write enough, something publishable is bound to come out.
CAROL LYNCH WILLIAMS: Read read read. Write write write.

Martine Leavitt gave an interesting workshop outlining specific questions to help you strengthen your plot. She was such a kind, soft-spoken lady full of brilliance. Don't forget to check out my review of her book, Keturah and Lord Death over at cleanreads!

AFTER you have a rough draft, ask yourself these 8 questions.

1. WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER WANT? Desire drives them with a small object of desire to represent it. Example: Want a dress to get a boy.

2. WHY CAN'T S/HE HAVE IT? Must be a huge problem. What did Ariel of The Little Mermaid want? To live with Eric on land. Why can't she have it? She's a fish. A seemingly impossible thing to overcome.

3. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF S/HE DOESN'T GET WHAT S/HE WANTS? In Keturah and Lord Death, Keturah will die if she doesn't find true love in one day. In Little Mermaid, Ariel will be miserable for the rest of her life.

4. HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER STRUGGLE TO GET WHAT S/HE WANTS? Most of your story happens here. 3 tries and failures.

5. WHAT ADDITIONAL HARDSHIPS DOES THE MAIN CHARACTER FACE? Creat a character you love. Chase her up a tree and throw rocks at her.

6. WHEN IS IT HOPELESS? When you can't close the book, wouldn't leave the movie for popcorn. When Ariel can't swim to the boat and Eric and the Sea Witch are about to get married.

7. WHEN IS THE TENSION RELIEVED? How do they get what they want?

8. WHAT IS SURPRISING ABOUT THE ENDING? (Optional but satisfying.)


Ask these questions for you MC, then all the rest of the characters. Their struggles, though, must be related to MC's. Any part of the story that doesn't help answer these questions should be cut.

...was awesome. I have so many notes, I don't even know where to start. Each morning I was with the same instructor, Dandi Mackall (Pronounced Mackle), and a group of 12 students. Dandi is an incredible woman. Warmth and light emenate from her. I felt inspired just to be in the room with her.

The first day, Dandi taught the basics. I suppose I'll start there, too. Here are my notes.

Normal Picture Book Size- 8x8, 32 pages.
Her favorite market guide- Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents-for the most accurate info, look for it in August and note changes from Harold Underdown's website.

THE STRUCTURE OF A CLASSIC PICTURE BOOK
Ask yourself, "Why is this page HERE instead of HERE?" Make sure you have a narrative arc.
Start with a character who wants something. This becomes the plot.
-Character needs to be distinct. (Example-He was the kind of man of wore cufflinks made of human teeth.)
-Give character a major problem.
-In classic structure, the character will make three tries to get what he wants. Character is the one acting and reacting. With each attempt, character should show growth.

-Illustrations can't show sound, smell, or taste. These are great details to add to picture book text. Illustrators show facial expressions and colors better than writers.
-Use compressed language. Make each word count. Use metaphors and similes.
-If a story would work with only one illustration, consider selling as a magazine piece.
-It should end with a punch. Don't let the air slowly out of the balloon. Much better if balloon suddenly pops at the end.
-Make a dummy of all picture book mss. Here is a formula for a dummy in classic structure...

Page 1: Title Page
Page 2-3: Title, Author, Illustrator, Publishing info

Spread 1: (pp. 4-5) Lights! Camera! Action! Main Character, Setting, Problem. Point of view, Tone, Time, Voice, Language.

Spread 2: (pp. 6-7) Deepening Awareness of Problem and Character.

Spread 3: (pp. 8-9) Main Character's First Attempt to Solve Problem [Action]

Spread 4: (pp. 10-11) Reaction/Result

Spread 5: (pp. 12-13) Things get worse!

Spread 6: (pp. 14-15) Main Character's Second Attempt to Solve Problem [Action]

Spread 7: (pp. 16-17) Reaction/Result

Spread 8: (pp. 18-19) Things get worse!

Spread 9: (pp. 20-21) Main Character's Third Attempt to Solve Problem [Action]

Spread 10: (pp. 22-23) Reaction/Result

Spread 11: (pp. 24-25) Things get worse!

Spread 12: (pp. 26-27) Main Character gets it! Inner Climax. Epiphany. It's okay to teach a lesson through your character.

Spread 13: (pp. 28-29) Main Character acts! Outer Climax.

Spread 14: (pp. 30-31) Solution works!

Possible Single Page: (p. 32) Bonus: Twist, ah-ha, gotcha


Of course, these notes do not apply to all picture books. But know the rules, and then break them responsibly.


Many thanks to Dandi. I learned a ton and loved every minute of it!

Tomorrow I'll be back here with advice from Martine Leavitt on "How not to write a boring story." I'll also be posting a review of Keturah and Lord Death at Deliciously Clean Reads.

Rosemary Wells considers herself a Professional Illogical Thinker, given that creative career-people (like writers and artists) are opposite of logic-based career-people (such as professors and lawyers).

PICTURE BOOKS
-How does she get her ideas? She has a 'junk drawer'. If she throws all the junk together and puts in a kaleidoscope, it becomes something marvelous. WRITING IS ADDING LIGHT TO JUNK.

-Wells loves art stores. She loves to buy everything.

-In a picture book, THE STORY IS IT. It must be strong enough to be read 500 times without boring the reader. Other genres do not have to withstand this test. Only a small percentage can write for children.

-Maurice Sendak's editor at Harper once said, "I am a former child, and I have forgotten nothing."


PUBLIC SCHOOLS
-Children come to school with various amounts of pre-knowledge. Just as a mechanic cannot fix a car without the right parts, a teacher cannot help a child without the right basis for learning.

-The US is seriously in trouble because parents are not proactive enough.

-In a recent study, 60% of teachers in the midwest said that the #1 problem they deal with is parental involvement.

-Wells does not write about issues, but she hopes to share her passion for family and the importance of reading through her speaches.

-She has a new book coming out, A Shining Star. It is a companion book to Read to your Bunny. A Shining Star has 10 characteristics Rosemary Wells believes are crucial to a child's learning.
1. Respect
2. Listening
3. Patience
4. Trust
5. Work
6. Honesty
7. Children spell love T-I-M-E
8. Reading
9. Writing/Drawing
10. Good Habits/Schedule

These are things that must be learned at home to prepare a child to learn at school. School can open up the world to a child at age 5, IF PARENTS HAVE PREPARED THEM AND CONTINUE TO BE INVOLVED.

If you would like to know more about how Rosemary Wells feels about this topic, read her speech HERE.


A COUPLE RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ROSEMARY WELLS
-She hates TV/video games. Surround children with books.

-She is working on a new mid-grade called Father Abraham. It is about Abraham Lincoln as a father.

-She loves the Maisy books, Margaret Wise Brown, Babar books, Tomie dePaola and David Shannon's Fergus.

I'm slowly coming out of the depths of my Stephenie Meyer obsession and am finally ready to share my notes about another brilliant author. Joan Bauer is the author of many award-winning novels, including 2003 Newbery Honor book, HOPE WAS HERE.

Bauer's books are filled with strong, inspiring characters with unusual talents. For example, in Hope Was Here, the main character, Hope, is an extraordinary waitress.

Here are my notes from BYU's Midwinter Books for Young Readers. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more enthusiastic speaker...

-As a young mom, Joan Bauer wrote in the loft in her home. However, it soon became apparent that not having a door was a problem. She used to stall the kids by putting a jar of jelly beans on the stairs, to get a few extra minutes of writing time.

-There was a time when Bauer was very depressed. She was supposed to speak to a group of 400 blind/handicapped children in New York. She wanted to give them her all, but she was beating herself up inside. The day was rainy. A little girl asked her what she would be speaking about before she started. Bauer said vaguely that she'd be telling some stories. The girl continued, "Well, are they good stories?". Bauer wasn't sure they were. She began her speech. She spoke about a terrible accident that almost took everything away from her, including her writing ability. A boy wanted the mic. Bauer wasn't sure it was a good idea, but she let him have it. It took several minutes for the boy, Rodney, to get up and speak. He said, "Every day I need to laugh." She hopes her stories show the pains of life and where laughter fits in.

-One of her books, STAND TALL, begins with Ecclesiastes 3, which says "...a time to weep, a time to laugh..." She wrote this book in the wake of September Eleventh. It's about a time to face war, internal and external.

-Bauer likes to think about all the hands that touch a book. Every person that touches the book, adds their own story and experiences to it.

-She is a strong believer in hope and passion. This is why she gives each character a strong passion/talent. And she hope all her books are infused with hope.

-When she was recovering from her accident, a lawyer made her question, "Who am I to have this big dream anyway?" He said that she could prove she was a writer one day by sending a book to him. She thought, "Yeah right. When I'm a writer, you can go buy my book at the store."

-When asked how she can write for children, she says, "I am every age that I ever was."

-Pain and laughter go together. Think of Moses with his staff. The Lord said to throw it down and it became a serpent. "What do you have in your hands? Throw it down." Find out what power it has.

-Music comes from the soul, not just the instrument.

-She doesn't usually do writing exercises, except in her head. However, she'll sometimes do a 30-page character sketch. She thinks/researches for 2-3 months before beginning a novel.


Stay tuned for the final amazing speaker I heard on Saturday....Rosemary Wells.

On Saturday, I was able to hear Stephenie Meyer speak at the gorgeous Library at Academy Square. Now that I have devoured both of her published books, I have time to type up my notes.

-Stephenie Meyer believes that writers should be disqualified from public speaking because they are crazy, sleep-deprived people who make faces and hear voices.

-Everyone she meets wants to write a book, except her husband.

-Be a writer, not an author. If writing isn't the good part, quit now. Letting people read what goes on in your head is scary. BUT, if you really love your characters, you'll want to share them with the world.

-Get an agent because people in Manhattan don't speak English. She was a mom of 3 who had absolutely never published anything in her life, when she started to query agents. She received a few rejections...just because someone tells you NO, doesn't mean they're right. Sometimes a book doesn't fit neatly into a certain genre. This makes it harder to place, but it also makes the book special, different, unexpected.

-CONTRACTS=LONG TIME, NO PAY.

-EDITING=AGONY/ECSTASY (but mostly agony.) Editing letters made her cry. They started extremely complimentary, but then proceeded to tell her everything she should change. She had to fight hard for her characters. Editors didn't like Bella's mom. They suggested that maybe she should die. They were also convinced that sex sells (and had the stats to prove it), but Stephenie Meyer refused to have any type of sex scenes in her books. That's just who she is. An author must learn when to listen to herself and when to take the advice of editors.

-It's hard to get your way until your a New York Times bestselling author, then suddenly everyone thinks you're brilliant.

-She received a note that said, "It's so great to have a book I can let my mother read."

-Write your book so YOU can't put it down. Don't spoil the writing by worrying about the readers or publishers.

-You must distance yourself from decisions you can't control, like the look of your book cover.

-While growing up, Stephenie Meyer loved to read huge books, the fatter, the better.

-She loves characters like Lois Lane/Bella. How does a normal person look at life when surrounded by superhero supermodels?

-Book Three, Eclipse, will be released in August. She is working on Book Four, which is tentatively called Breaking Dawn.

-She tried to write a chick-lit once, but she got bored with it. "Humans are not enough for me," she said.

-Meyer doesn't like dark, goth, or scary books/movies. She had never read a vampire book or seen a vampire movie. She enjoyed writing action scenes, however. Her books are inspired more by her love of superheroes than monsters.

-Before submitting a story for the first time, make it as good as you possibly can.

-Stephenie Meyer's current favorite books: Enthusiasmby Polly Shulman and The Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld.

-Her books are loosely tied to classics. Twilight=Pride and Prejudice, New Moon=Shakespaere, Eclipse=Wuthering Heights (although she doesn't like WH because it's too sad.)

I usually blog on Monday, and if I don't, I blog Tuesday morning. But this week I didn't because I was too busy reading this:



HOPE WAS HERE by Joan Bauer (think she's related to Jack?) is an excellent novel that will appeal to fans of Deborah Wiles (Each Little Bird that Sings and Love, Ruby Lavender).

I am also reading many picture books by Rosemary Wells. MAX'S CHOCOLATE CHICKEN is a bundle of fun.

I have been waiting and waiting for Stephenie Meyer's book, TWILIGHT, at the library. And I really hope I get it by this weekend.

So, why am I reading up on Joan Bauer, Rosemary Wells, and Stephenie Meyer? I am going to see them on Saturday at BYU's Midwinter Books for Young Readers Symposium. AND it looks like there will be plenty of time for questions. So, come on, don't be shy...what questions would you like me to ask these brilliant authors?

Because, here's a confession. I hate speaking on-the-spot. Ask me to speak in front of a group, and sure, I don't have a problem with that if I am prepared. If I go there, questions-in-hand, I'll be perfectly fine and composed. If I go unprepared, I'll sweat, turn read, stutter, and probably chicken-out of asking anything at all.

The Book Festival began with New York City children's author/illustrator Peter Brown. He is the author/illustrator of two picture books, Flight of the Dodo and Chowder. The idea for Flight of the Dodo came about when he was on a date. He was inside a building, surrounded by people, when a bird pooped on his head. It was the seventh time he had been the target of bird droppings. While he was washing up in the bathroom, he decided that the only thing that could be worse would be if a flying bird pooped on a flightless bird. Later, he pitched this idea to an editor at a party (Don't you wish you lived in NYC and randomly bumped into editors at parties?). The story was still rejected a few times. But the editor kept in contact with Brown, and the book was published. Brown's unique artistic style is a cross between flat, untrained art and 3-D animation.
Chowder is about a drooly bulldog who wants some animal friends. Peter Brown loves bulldogs because they are "ugly but kind of cute at the same time, which is kind of strange".
Warning: Just in case you don't approve, Peter Brown's books contain a healthy helping of poop humor.

Here, Brown is reading Chowder to a group of kids (and a few stalker wanna-be writers)


And drawing the ostrich from Flight of the Dodo...



Mary Amato taught how parents and teachers can use acting to teach storytelling. As a child, she was terrified of the blank page. Her friend could sit down to a paper and funny words would flow from her. Mary was afraid that she didn't have anything interesting to say. Until she learned Aristotle's formula in Post-graduate school. She calls it the WOW principle.
W-Want
O-Obstacle
W-Win (or lose)
It seems simple, but these three things must be clear to have a good story.
Some children write better after they see it played out visually.
Two Ideas for Playing out Stories:
1. Ask the group to come up with a character. (Say a hamster) Okay, what does that character want? (A clean cage) How can he get a clean cage? (Play dead so the owner will come and clean the cage.) Amato plays narrator while children act out the scenes they have created. Then, they go to their seats and write the story in their own words.
2. Fill a large bag with lots of random items. Go around the room. Each student picks out one item and adds a line to the story that involves the item. The first sentence must establish who the main character is and what he wants. The rest move the story forward to a conclusion.

And this is her Clicker. It works magic with kids and can be found for a few bucks online...



In the afternoon, there was a Publisher's Panel made up of local editors.
Mark Taylor from Juniper Press said that his small press looks for novels with heart. They publish 5-10 books/year. Contemporary fiction and non-fiction. Books must speak from the inside>out. They don't offer advances but pay generous royalties. (I don't think they publish children's books.)
Jennifer Grillone from Gibbs Smith said that Gibbs Smith has a few very specific lines of books. They publish high-end interior design/architecture books and cookbooks. They have a small children's department made up of picture books and tween books. They do not publish novel-length fiction. Grillone receives about 50 picture book submissions each week. They publish 4-5/year. (What is that? 1 in 500?) She looks for books that teach language arts (see Rick Walton's books) and have unique hooks. She doesn't like sing-songy rhymers, unless they are unique and hip. No talking animals.
Dawn Marano from Dawn Marano and Associates is an independent editor. Her job is to help develop book ideas to be the best they can be.


Tracie Morris is a poet. Her point? Everyone has at least a thousand poems inside. The body has memories. Poems come from the body. Open up new ideas. Think of one of your organs (besides heart and stomach-they already get enough attention). What does that organ have to say. Listen. Write. Don't think about your voice. Just write what comes. Then revise. Make all of the lines match. It's not enough to have an idea, you have to chip away at the rock to make a sculpture. You'll never be 100% sure that your poem is perfect. There is no such thing as writer's block, but writers block their creativity.


Finally, we come to one of my favorite speakers and writers, Shannon Hale. She spoke about reading for pleasure. It is alarming how few older teens and adults read for pleasure. Hale partly blames the classics. In high school, almost all of the required reading books were written over a hundred years ago...with a few exceptions for holocaust books. The classics are okay, but Hale feels that most are boring and end in disaster. She learned that books that taste good must not be good for you. She was a life-long reader who adored books until high school. She kept reading, but she didn't enjoy it anymore. She writes the books she would want to read. She had everyone in the room raise their hands and make a pledge. We should put a book down if it is boring. We won't listen if someone says a book is too young for us or not good for us. We should read whatever we want.


Whew. That was a long post. And a long day full of everything from poop to pledges.

And Happy Hauntings tomorrow.

On Saturday, I went to Salt Lake to a charming independent children's bookstore called The King's English. I went there to hear Shannon Hale speak about her latest Bayern book. If you aren't familiar with Shannon Hale's books, you should be. I love them. The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and the latest--River Secrets go together. They are a series, but each book focuses on a different character. She also wrote a stand-alone book, Princess Academy, which received a Newbery honor.

Not only is Shannon Hale a great writer, but she is a great orator. She's funny, down-to-earth, and friendly.



Sorry this picture is so dark.

Anyway, before the signing, she spoke at a podium behind the store. She talked about the main character in River Secrets. Razo didn't fill a need in any of the books, he just came into being. He kept popping into scenes when he had nothing to do with them. Hale used to hate when authors said that the characters made up the story, because then if the book is lame, they can blame the characters instead of owning up to it themselves. She said, "That's crap. You have control." But this character, Razo, took control. His voice was very easy and clear to her.

When it came time to read an excerpt from her book, Hale didn't want to. She called herself a 'spoiler freak'. She hates readings because they give things away. She ended up reading a short excerpt, editing out lines that would spoil anything.

At the end, she asked a couple Razo trivia questions and gave away a copy of Enna Burning and a UK version of River Secrets.

I'm really excited about an adult book she has coming out in May. Austenland is about a woman who is obsessed with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth. She said it will be shorter, sillier, and shallower than any of her YAs. She actually dedicated the book to him, saying something like, "To Colin Firth. I'm sure you're a great guy, but I'm married, so let's just be friends."

She is also working on a fourth Bayern book.

I'm gonna have to paraphrase here, but she said, "I just wish someone would burn one of my books. They have to buy it first. So I still get the royalty. Then all the publicity, and a great bonfire, to boot."

When asked if she will ever write a sequel to Princess Academy, she said there aren't any in the works. She hasn't had a strong enough idea yet to make a sequel. And "Whatever you think happens next, is right! That's why you have a brain, that moves."

Hale also demonstrated the use of a sling, an old weapon used in River Secrets.



Then a huge line formed for book signings. I bought Princess Academy and River Secrets. There was a laptop playing a video for those in line. It had comical reactions she has received when telling people she writes for children.

Now, I'll admit. I'm such a dork. When it was finally my turn to meet Shannon Hale, I got all sweaty, and my face burned. Read: I'm sure I was bright red. But she was very friendly. She tried to write personalized messages in each book. I asked her if I could take a picture and blog about her (which I obviously got permission for), so she wrote, "Thanks for blogging and caring about books."



It was so fun to, well, first of all, go somewhere without two littlies hanging on me, and second, meet a very successful local author.

I heart Shannon Hale. In fact, here's my blog dedication: To Shannon Hale, I'm sure you're a great girl, but I'm married, so let's just be friends."

This morning I had the opportunity to be part of the Smartwriters Teleseminar hosted by Roxyanne Young. The guest speaker today was Lisa Cheng, Assistant Editor at HarperCollins (which is unfortunately closed to unsoliciteds). This was my first chance to actually hear a big-time editor speak. I was really impressed with how sweet and down-to-earth she sounded. Here are some of the key points:

A normal day for her is busy and hectic, but enjoyable. It takes about a year to get a PB ready to go. Preparing books, going to meetings, and doing email take up most of her time, leaving little extra for submissions. She receives about 5-10/week.
She likes the social parts of her job...like keeping in touch with authors and illustrators. Her favorite thing to do is line by line editing, but she doesn't get to do it as much as she'd like.

HarperCollins does not have first readers.
Most of their acquired manuscripts come from agents who know their tastes.

Lisa Cheng mostly does picture books. She does read cover letters. She looks for honesty, a good story, HUMOR. Must feel real and fresh. A few of her favorite PBs are Spot, Russell the Sheep, Russell and the Lost Treasure, Kitten's First Full Moon, and Fancy Nancy.

Books need to have general appeal. Be sure to think about who the audience is when you write.

Picture Book illustrators take at least 6 months to do the art.
Her turnaround time is up to 6 months. She reads the entire submission unless it is too wordy and should be a novel or if it has an adult/teen tone.

WARNING: THIS WILL BE A VERY LONG POST...

A Bad Picture Book:

-Tells more about characters and environment than necessary. If it doesn't add to the story, remove it.
-Written for the purpose of teaching/preaching
-Talks down to children
-Adults solve the problem
-If there's repetition, it should do something for the story.

A Good Picture Book:

-Has rhythm (Goodnight Moon and Owl Moon)
-Doesn't throw unexpected change in rhyme or rhythm in the middle of the book. Be consistent from the start.
-Has an end that surprises and satisfies.

Ask Yourself:

From child's perspective?
Is it preachy?
Is it cliche?
How does it outshine other books?
How can I make it more intense/interesting?
Will anything become dated soon?
Is it too long?
Does every word move the story forward?
Can I make it funnier?
Can I put more emotion in?

Do I get right into the story?
Does the beginning start the right mood?
Is ending satisfying?
Is any section too long/short/out of balance?
Does it have a satisfying shape?

Are characters different from each other?
Are characters interesting and likeable?
Can kids relate to mc?
Are characters stereotypical?
Is POV consistent?
Who will reader relate to?

Is this something a child will relate to/enjoy?
Is it a good read-aloud?
Will parents be willing to read and reread?
Can child interact with book?

Is every word the right word?
Is vocabulary appropriate for age group?
Could I add more sensory info?
Are any words or phrases cliche?
Could I use more powerful nouns or verbs?

If there is rhyme, is it consistent?
Is it natural or forced?
Is there enough variety to make it interesting?
Would it be better in prose?

Is it illustratable (13-27 illustratable images)?
Is there anything that would be better shown in the illos?

Is it free of typos?
Is it formatted to make it easy to read?

What makes it different?
If there is one thing I could take out, what would it be?
Is the title catchy? Does it suggest what story is about without giving away the punchline?


After my critique, for the first time I feel willing to cut things out of my ms. Before I couldn't part with any of it, but I've started hacking it up and (hard to admit, but...) it is actually a lot stronger. It was so easy for me to see unnecessary details in the other critiquees' ms. I told several people that they could chop off the first half of their story. The thing I really took away from this workshop is the idea of FOCUS. Picture books have to be EXTREMELY focused. The best ones are about a small life-changing experience/event. Okay, most aren't life-changing I guess. Great PB writers find unique ways to give us a GLIMPSE into a very focused part of life. Hope this makes sense.
My other realization: if you love something in your ms, but part of you is whispering that it doesn't quite work, you've got to change it. It will scream out to everyone who reads it with their unbiased eyes. I once heard (have no idea who said it) IF YOU LOVE PART OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT SO MUCH YOU'D DIE FOR IT, CHANGE IT.