Category: Child’s Craft

Categories
Child's Craft

May the Embarrassing Moments Arise!

We were just about to head down the aisle before my daughter’s wedding, when I reached into my bag and blindly applied some last-minute lip gloss. My daughter, the bride, looked at me in shock and said, “Mom! What happened to your lips?” I quickly found a mirror and to my horror, realized I had applied zit concealer to my lips instead of lip gloss. (In my defense, the two tubes look remarkably alike.) Laughing in embarrassment, I wiped the concealer off, applied the lip gloss and headed down the aisle, glad that my lips were no longer concealed.

Oh, and last week, my husband left the front door open for the cable guy to come in. I walked into the foyer to find a wild bird flapping around in my house. I screamed as if I’d come face to face with a lion. I called for my husband and ran to grab some brooms, as the cable guy hesitantly entered the house. My husband tried to shoo the bird out the front door. Every time the bird moved, I instinctively screamed like a little girl and hid behind my broom. This wasn’t a falcon-sized bird, not a snake, huge hairy spider, nor even a creepy looking lizard, or mouse. It was a tiny helpless bird. But I was completely useless in this situation and couldn’t help but scream and hide with every movement of that feathered creature. The cable guy was laughing. Hysterically. My hero of a husband who intelligently opened windows, successfully directed the bird to the great outdoors.

I hesitate to even mention the time I went on a first date with a guy back in my earlier years. I dressed my best to make a good first impression and wore my new sandals that I loved because I could slide across the carpet as if on ice skates. Loved them! As we entered the movie theater to pick our seats, my date moved ahead of me down the aisle and chose a row. This aisle appeared to be a slate floor and it slanted downhill towards the screen. I took one step on it and was on ice. I slid down that aisle, waved to my date as I flew on past. Horrified, I reached for a seat to slow me down. Whew. Now all I had to do was maneuver uphill a couple rows to my date. On ice. My feet were moving but I remained in place. I seriously could not ascend that slippery slope. My date joined me in that row laughing, but had to physically carry me out afterwards. Great first impression.

I can’t be the only one with embarrassing situations. Come on. Share with me. What memories come to mind that make you laugh? These are the events you need to document. This is fodder for your children’s stories, for your blogs, articles, books! These are moments that stories are built on, that add to your character’s woes, that pepper your plot with humor, that catch your reader off guard. Spend time creating a file with blips from your past. Feel free to expand upon them and exaggerate if necessary, because it’s your story. I would hesitate to use funny stories that happened to other people, even changing the names, unless you modify it enough so as not to incriminate anyone. Certainly you have enough embarrassing or funny stories from your own life.

It’s time for those embarrassing moments that you hoped would never resurface to resurface! Bring them up! You’ll be glad you did, when you need to add a little spice to your project. If nothing else, you may rekindle some lessons learned, like keeping your concealer separate from your lip gloss and only buying shoes with tread on them.

Categories
Child's Craft

Quit or Trust God?

I crossed paths with Satan, the other day. He was dressed in his original disguise, as a six-foot long, shiny, slithering black serpent. How do I know it was Satan? He induced fear in me. Fear is not of God.

I was running with my dog, at the White Water Center on one of the many beautiful trails when this slimy thing slithered up to the path. I screamed. Though I kept running and at a faster pace, every shiny tree root looked like a slithering slimy serpent. I ran in fear and realized it. I spoke out loud to God confessing my fear then asked Him how I was supposed to run and not fear about running across another snake.

“Did that snake hurt you?” God seemed to ask.

“No, he just scared me.”

“What were you scared of?”

“That he’d bite me or my dog.”

“Did it bite you?”

“No, but the next one might.”

“Will fear protect you from getting bitten by the next snake?”

“No, only You can protect me from that.”

“Then fear not, my child.”

I had three choices at that moment. I could quit, run in fear, or trust God.

Has Satan slithered into your writing life?

When I first began writing, I didn’t tell anyone I was writing a book. What if it never got accepted? What if people made fun of me for trying to be a writer. What if I quit, then they’d know that I’d quit or maybe they’d think I was trying to be something I’m not.

All of the above did happen and I survived it all. I’ve been rejected a gazillion times, I’ve been made fun of for trying to write and I quit temporarily. But it was all inconsequential. At least I tried.

What fear paralyzes you in your writing? Others are better? You’ll never get published, nobody will read your stuff, nobody will like your stuff? Friends, none of that is from God!

You have three choices. You can quit, write in fear, or trust God.

I read this recently, though I’m not sure where it came from:

“If God showed you all He had planned for you, it would boggle your mind. If you could see the doors that would open, the opportunities that will cross your path, and the people who will show up, you would be so amazed, excited and passionate, it would be easy to set your mind toward victory.

That is what faith is about. You’ve got to believe it before you see it. God’s favor is surrounding you like a shield. Every set back is set up for a comeback. Every bad break, every disappointment, every person who does you wrong is part of the plan to get you where you’re supposed to be.”

Are you gonna fear this? Or believe it?

You have three choices, but I’m here to say, Satan wins in two of those choices. Trust God. Keep the faith and keep writing! Don’t quit. Rebuke Satan. Resist that slimy devil. Rebuke the fear. Don’t stop! Give it another day, take a break, commit to the calling. Trust in God’s timing. You can do it! Let Him plan your course. Simply be obedient as you are indeed doing! You can do it!

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Categories
Child's Craft

The E’s of Writing for Children

The E’s of writing for children does not equate with ease of writing for children, but includes elements to help your writing stand out.

I’ve researched children’s books and have found that most published children’s books fall into at least one of four categories, if not overlapping into several. So, it seems that as writers, we should write manuscripts that fall into at least one these same categories. I’ve made it simple so that all you have to remember is the letter E. All of these categories begin with that letter. So, children’s books should:

Entertain – These books should take children to other worlds, help them escape from their reality if only for a few moments, should enlighten their lives. These books bring enjoyment at some level, wonder, excitement, amusement. It doesn’t have to be a fantasy book to take children away. It just needs to quickly put them into a different setting, or make them laugh, help them to think differently, or at some level amuse them. There might not be any educational matter in these books but their highlight is that they simply entertain.

Educate – Books do not need to be scholarly books to educate. The best books educate children without the children realizing they are being educated. Can your books show the love of Jesus, the wonder of God, the downfall of boasting, ways to get healthy, to serve or to love through entertaining stories? Think of Dr. Seuss’ Yertle the Turtle, which focuses on the downfall of greed and Gertrude McFuzz which is a fabulous story for children about vanity. The Tooth Book which is a fun lesson in the importance of caring for your teeth. Can you find a way to extract a lesson from your story without the kids realizing their being taught?

Esteem – Who doesn’t like reading books to children that remind them that they are loved, they matter, there is a purpose for them, and that they are cherished? God Made You Just Right by Jill Roman Lord, focuses on how special and unique each child is. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney reminds a child how much they are loved by a parent. You Are Special by Max Lucado enforces that God cherishes each child. All of our children need to be reminded that they are special, loved and unique.

Encouragement – I love the book It’s Hard to be five, by Jamie Lee Curtis. This meets the kids where they are, helps them learn self-control and shows that it’s not easy with what they are going through but that they can make it through. Does your book help a child keep his chin up, hold on another day, promote helping others in need, to love more, to try again? There is certainly a need for more of these books.

Children’s books should also elicit an Emotion of some kind. Maybe an ‘aha’ moment. In another post, I mentioned this as the ‘gut’ factor. Is there a moment in your book that might take the reader’s breath away, bring back a memory, cause them to break out into laughter, gasp, say, “awww”, perhaps elicit a tear? This adds a tenderness, an unexpected surprise. This is an element that I would suggest should be evident in all children’s books.

There you have it. The E’s of writing children’s books. Good luck! And let me know below, any other categories I may have missed.

 

Categories
Child's Craft

Keeping it Fresh

I recently read these words written by an editor:

“Also, do not be contended with the cut and dried problems which writers have tried to solve since time began. Break fresh ground. Strike new chords. You need not create a problem new to life, that in fact, would be impossible, but treat a situation which has not formed the foundation for many stories. Remember, the story must not center entirely about the characters and their words and emotions. There must also be action, complication and some unusual happening. Make the editor take notice because you have given him something he did not expect, something fresh, stimulating, unusual…” Q.S Kimball, The Editor, Oct 10, 1914.

Did you catch the date that notation was written? 1914! This was written to my great grandmother in response to a manuscript she had submitted in a 12-lesson writing course. I discovered it recently while digging through a box I saved from my mother’s basement. That paragraph blew me away. Can you believe that editors were looking for fresh ideas back in 1914! I thought all stories were fresh back then!

Aren’t editors still saying the same thing today? How can we possibly submit fresh stories that haven’t been written yet? How many books have been published since 1914? How can they all be fresh, new, different, never done before?

I wonder if God says the same thing when He creates a new human being? “How can I possibly create someone new with all the gazillions of people I’ve already created?” But, yet, He does. He gives each of us a new way of looking at life, different points of view, varying passions and longings, a variety of talents and skill sets. He created us with diversified interests and things that make us laugh, that captivate us or bore us. And aren’t you glad for that? We could probably all view the same sunset but yet, see it differently.

I remember in art class in middle school, we learned to paint a still life picture. The teacher positioned an array of objects together and left them in the same position for that entire lesson. We each painted the exact same still life collection but every picture turned out completely different. We all saw it from a different point of view and position in the room. Some were drawn more to certain items than others and emphasized those, whereas others cast the same items in a totally different light.

Your view of the world is going to be different from another person’s. Your gift in writing is going to be different from another person’s. It is our job as writers to present our view, show a different glimpse into a situation, point out the humor, the nuances, the cleverness in circumstances. Isn’t that why we read and why children read– to be drawn into another’s world?

Why are you writing what you are writing? How is it different from what’s already out there? How can you make it stronger, more enchanting, quirkier? Learn what is already published by spending time in bookstores. Does there need to be another book out there like one that’s already there? Why? What enlightenment can yours bring to readers?

This is part of the fun of writing, making it your own. It is still our job, as writers, to create new slants to old situations, pepper stories with fresh ideas, and delight readers with the unexpected! After all, editors have been looking for fresh ideas since time began, or at least, since 1914! Let’s give the world something fresh, stimulating, unusual.

Categories
Child's Craft Uncategorized

10 suggestions to overcoming writing obstacles

We discussed the first three suggestion to overcoming writing obstacles in an earlier blog.

  1. Run, walk, exercise – stir up the endorphins
  2. Get outside. Breathe in God’s fresh air
  3. Write in a different place – change up the scenery
  1. Get involved with your target age group

If you write for children, lead Sunday school, girl scouts, brownies, boy scouts, little league. Volunteer at an elementary school, special Olympics, a buddy walk. Hang out with your neighbor’s little kids. Go to a park and observe children’s interactions with each other. Listen to their words, their expressions, their tone of voice. What makes them laugh? Notice children at Fast food restaurants, how they respond to their parents, how they eat, what they eat. Consider how they dress. Does it look like they picked out their own clothes? Imagine why they may have chosen to dress that way. Linger in a bookstore near the children’s books and observe the books kids choose, what they are drawn to.

5. Journal

This is my favorite. All writers can journal. Write a prayer to God, write what’s on your heart, what is bothering you, what makes you sad. Start a Thankful journal and document everything you are thankful for each day. You aren’t writing for publication in your journal but you are writing, doing what you feel called to do. Enjoy that time with God. Reflect, meditate, praise.

  1. Color

Color in a beautiful creative adult coloring book. Borrow a page of your child’s coloring book. Blend the colors. Use colors you don’t normally use together. Use pens, colored pencils, crayons, markers, anything you have on hand or that you feel like using. Color in the lines, outside of the lines. Color abstractly. It’s a mindless, beautiful, expression of you and of your mood. Finish it or don’t. You decide. Any form of art is creating and God delights in creating. It may take the focus off your writing block and free you to create.

7. Sew or paint.

Pull out your sewing machine if you have one and make a table runner, a bright colorful table runner. Sew a new window valance. Cross stitch, needle point, fix a hem, hand stitch a square and use it as a napkin. Anything you feel like sewing together, stitch and create. Again, another form of creativity.

Paint a picture. Fully engage the artistic side of your brain. Let loose and have fun! Be a child again and quit judging your results. Just enjoy the process of creating. Or repaint a room. Choose a new color. Focus. Enjoy the big strokes of the brush and what ensues.

8. Go to a Writers’ Conference.

You’ve probably heard this a hundred times, but it is so important. I won’t linger on this point but find a conference and try to get there. You’ll be glad you did! At Christian Conferences we’re all there for the same reason and that is to further God’s kingdom through the gifts He has given to each of us. Conferences help shape writers. To be surrounded with so many other writers with this same desire of serving the Lord, of becoming better writers for His glory, of seeking to grow to become the best we can be is mind blowing and spiritually renewing.

9. Don’t forget about others.

Always take time to encourage others in their writing. If the lady in my earlier post, hadn’t slowed down her running long enough to talk to me and encourage me, I may still be struggling with every hill I face if I hadn’t already quit running all together. Sometimes helping others gives you the clarity to move beyond your own obstacle. Who might you encourage today?

10.Don’t quit!

Know that you will get around this obstacle. Sometimes obstacles cause us to notice more of God’s world, to smell the roses along the way, appreciate His gifts, depend on Him more. Know there are different seasons. Some seasons may be plentiful with writing. Inspirations and ideas may flow like a waterfall over you as you struggle to write fast enough to keep afloat. Other times may be seasons of reflection, of drawing near to God, of focusing on other areas. Don’t beat yourself up in these times and don’t make writing a chore. There may be deadlines to meet whether from a publisher, editor, writer’s group, or yourself. But have grace. Allow yourself to linger in God’s presence without demanding that you be productive every moment. Enjoy the writing and the obstacles. Allow God to grow you in the quiet times as well as in  your writing times.

What obstacles have you faced in your writing? And how did you overcome them? We’d love to hear from you!

Categories
Child's Craft

Wandering Aimlessly in Writing

Have you ever wandered aimlessly in your writing? A friend asked me the other day what I was working on. I usually am always working on something, usually several things in different stages. But, all I could say was, “Ummm, nothing in particular at the moment.” For some reason, that reality stung. I believe there are different seasons in writing, some abundant, some sparse, but to not have any project in the works made me feel like I was wandering aimlessly in my writing career.

And then God, in all His majesty, wisdom, and with humor and love put me in a situation in which I was literally wandering aimlessly.

I love the US National Whitewater Center which is just a few miles down the road. I took my house guest, Stan, with me to the center one morning. I wanted to go for a quick 30 min run on the trails with my dog, Poppie, and Stan planned to walk around the white water circle. We’d meet back in 45 min. I encouraged him to try some trails saying, “You can’t get lost on these trails. The signage is great.” With that I blew off to the trails with Poppie. I’d been on these familiar paths numerous times. I knew where to cut off and head back.

However, I missed the cutoff. Poppie and I wound back and forth but couldn’t find a way off of the main trail. I remembered the center was expanding the parking lot and when I heard construction sounds, I figured that was the parking lot direction. I stayed close to that sound. Finally, after 45 minutes of weaving around, I bee-lined to the construction sounds to bail out. I discovered that noise came from a manufacturing plant not the parking lot. What in the world? I had no idea where I was.

I headed to the power lines in the field. I knew those crossed through the parking lot. We ran up the trails on the field in the blazing sun, my faithful dog sticking close every step of the way. The power lines ran over rolling hills. In both directions. For miles. No parking lot in view.

I had to guess where I was, then popped back into the woods for shade for Poppie, which led to the Lake Loop. Perfect! I’d been here before! I circled the lake. Again. And again. And again. Seriously, I could not get off this stinkin’ Lake Loop. I didn’t even know which way was the way back to the center. Did I mention this whole time, I’d only seen 2 people on the trail and that was early on?

I could have pulled up my GPS to get my bearings, if I hadn’t inadvertently left my phone at home. We’d been running for an hour. We could be miles away. I cried out, “Lord. We’re lost and needing a little help now. You have GOT to get us out of here. Please send help!” Within a matter of minutes, I heard music and two bicycle dudes approached. Thank You, Jesus! Those angels led us back.

Lessons learned in trail running and writing…

  1. Don’t be overconfident.

Don’t assume you can’t get lost. Don’t assume you’re always gonna have projects to work on. There will be seasons of abundant inspiration, and seasons of quiet. Draw close to God in both.

  1. Don’t put your trust in the wrong voice.

That construction sound may not be what you think it is. Don’t listen to the voice saying you can’t do it, you’ll never get published, you’re going nowhere or that you’ll never have another inspiration. Those are lies from the deceiver. Focus on the Voice of Truth, the One who gave you the gift of writing, the One who believes in you, who says, “You can do it! You’ll write again.” Listen to the One who loves you and desires the best for you.

  1. Explore God’s World

God’s world is simply amazing. His world is full of inspiration! Take in the beauty, the fresh air, the sounds of nature. Many of my inspirations for stories have occurred on runs. Listen to others around you. What sparks an interest?

  1. Cry out to God

Why did I try to find my way out on my own? Why did I wait until I was exhausted and had exhausted all possibilities before pleading for help? Can’t find your way in writing? Plead to God for direction, cry out for inspiration, for a way out of your slump then trust He will answer.

  1. Let others help you

I would still be circling that lake if I hadn’t followed those dudes’ direction. I needed them. Connect with other writers. We need each other. Learn from them,  let them critique you, inspire you. Don’t think your writing doesn’t need help. All of ours does. Join a critique group, exchange your work with other writers, join an online critique group. Don’t try to go it alone. You might be the Godsend somebody else needs, as well.

  1. Be thankful for other writers

I was thankful to have had Poppie with me. She was a sense of support, a reminder that I wasn’t alone. Writers are a unique breed. Others may not understand us, nor understand what we’re going through. But other writers will. They know the struggles, the heartbreak, the loneliness, the fears we face because they’ve most likely experienced them as well. Depend on each other for accountability. Embrace each other with shoulders to cry on and hugs to share the joys.

  1. Enjoy the ride

I got much more of a work out than I’d planned. I experienced more of God’s nature than I’d anticipated. I became a stronger runner. God gave me an experience to write about. See what God has in store for you. Learn from your trials, depend deeper on God, stand amazed at His answers. Enjoy the swervy path and know that you can always use your experiences as fodder for your next project!

God bless you all on your trail runs and your writing! May you never get lost… and if you do, you know the One who knows the way out. Happy trails (and trials)!

Categories
Child's Craft

Overcoming Obstacles

Obstacles. Disguised in various ways, they reveal the same evil – blocks to what we want to achieve or to where we want to go.

When I first began running, I recall my first 5K race. As I struggled up a grueling hill, an old woman (probably younger than I am today, but old to my young eyes back then…) flew up next to me, slowed her pace even with mine for long enough to say, “Child, lift your knees just a little bit higher to get up the hills and focus on the pavement, not the top of the hill.” With that, she soared on past.

Since that day, I lift my knees just a little bit higher and focus on the pavement with every hill I face. That was over 30 years ago. Hills are not grueling obstacles for me anymore. While I can’t say I enjoy them, I know how to manage them.

I wondered if I could apply this sage advice to other obstacles in my life. So I broke down the elements of her tactic.

Lift knees higher. This might equate to working harder. Seriously? Sometimes I work like crazy and still face obstacles. I can’t work any harder. Maybe it equates with trying something different. If the same stride isn’t working, try something new.

Focus on the pavement. Perhaps I should stay focused on the task at hand. Don’t keep my eyes on the seemingly impossible goal and all the hard work it takes to get there, but enjoy every step of the way and I’ll eventually get there.

So, what obstacles are you facing in your writing? What prevents you from getting to your finish line? Do you have writers block? Impossible deadlines? Can’t find the right word to fit your cadence? Can’t find the time? Too many words for your children’s book? Having trouble finding an agent or a publisher? Today I’ll offer a few suggestions.

Run. I think running fixes just about everything, but if you don’t run, then try walking, biking, or exercise to get your positive endorphins flowing. There are numerous studies backing up God’s amazing endorphins and the creativity linked with them. Here is one you can read. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/10491702/Lacking-inspiration-Exercise-found-to-boost-creativity.html. Some of my best writing ideas were inspired during my runs. Check with your doctor first if you haven’t exercised in a while.

Get away from your computer and get out into God’s world. Sit outside. Breathe in the fresh air. Running outside takes care of this one too. Get the fresh oxygen flowing through your veins to fuel your body and your brain. This change of scenery, may ignite the imagination and get your creative juices flowing. It may clear the mind to start fresh when you return to your task. Even if you’re struggling with making a deadline, getting fresh air and exercise may be just what you need.

Write in a different place. Don’t trap yourself in your office, no matter how peaceful or productive it has been in the past. If it isn’t working for you at the moment, try a different location. Go to another room in your house, Starbucks, or Panera.

Keep writing. Thankfully that lady didn’t tell me to quit running and go home. She wanted to help me through the obstacle of what I was already doing. So keep writing.

In future blogs, we’ll discuss other ways to manage the obstacles we face with writing. But for now, keep lifting those knees a bit higher and focus on the pavement, not the obstacle looming before you.

Share what obstacles you may be facing below and if you have the solution for another’s obstacle, share that below as well.

 

 

Categories
Child's Craft Uncategorized

Let Jesus Do His Thing

I traveled to India with Samaritan’s Feet earlier this year, which I’ve already shared a few experiences in this blog. Please, let me share one more. It was our commission to wash children’s feet, place new shoes on their feet and pray with them. The shoes were merely vehicles in which we could pour Jesus’ love, hope and joy on those children. However, when we were going to a government school in a Hindu village, we were instructed not to pray with the children nor hug or even touch them much as touch was not a part of their culture. Okay then. How in the world were we supposed to pour the love, hope, and joy of Jesus on these children without touching them nor praying with them? And so we were on our way.

Those of us in the feet washing stations gently washed the children’s feet, asked them questions through our school-aged interpreters and placed new shoes on their feet. For many children, this was the first pair of shoes they had ever worn besides flip-flops. So we jumped with the children or taught them to run in place to try out their shoes. Then we sent them out to the courtyard to Jeffrey and Laura. Laura showered them with toy bracelets, rings and airplanes we’d brought and she loved on them. Jeffery led the children around like the pied piper. He had them repeating every move he made and soon they were laughing and giggling like only children can. Then we heard Jeffery shout, “I AM LOVED!” and the children quickly echoed, “I AM LOVED!” He marched and danced around with the children following. “I AM BEAUTIFUL!” And the precious voices echoed his words. As we washed the children’s feet, they anxiously awaited the opportunity to join in the parade. We quickened the process so they could participate with Jeffery and Laura. Soon the whole school was marching around giggling and shouting, “I HAVE JOY! I HAVE HOPE!” These children spoke Telegu. They had no idea what they were saying, but they seemed to be having the time of their lives.

The next day, Caleb Sir, our Indian host, sat us all down before our next excursion and showed us a newspaper from the village that day that featured a picture and article of us! He translated it for us and it basically stated that a group of foreigners from far away America came to wash our children’s feet and give them new shoes. In the process, they brought the children so much joy, hope and love that we are forever thankful for them. Wow. The word “Jesus” was never spoken in that village that day, but Jesus did His thing. He loved on those children and poured His joy and hope on those children through the feeble, unworthy travelers with Samaritans Feet. We just needed to let Jesus do His thing.

And we need to let Jesus do His thing in our writing. We may not have to preach and shout Jesus in bold letters to get our points across. We may not have to end all our stories with scripture or a prayer. Perhaps the word “Jesus” won’t even be mentioned in our work. But Jesus can still shine through. If we cover our writing in prayer, write what He leads us to write, or step out into new territories, if that’s where He’s leading us, then Jesus may still be seen. While we can’t physically touch our readers or hug them nor pray with them, Jesus can still touch lives through our writing. It may be that our work brings love, hope, joy, laughter, distraction, encouragement, wisdom, or knowledge to a reader. We may never know, but let’s write with our hearts focused on Jesus so He can do His thing.

I must sadly add that last week Jeffrey was killed in an accident. He was on another mission trip. While our hearts are broken over the loss of this incredible God-loving young man, so many lives were touched through His life. Jeffrey brought love, hope, and joy to children in a way they had never experienced because he let Jesus do His thing through him – even more of a reminder for us to let Jesus do His thing through our writing and through us. Don’t put it off any longer. Others may need to read your message today.

I miss you Jeffrey. You brought love, hope and joy to us, too. Thanks for touching my life.

Categories
Child's Craft

What Children’s Publishers Want

What do children’s publishers want? That is the question that all children’s writers long to have answered. What is the magic formula for writing a book that is sure to get published? There is nothing sure in publishing but I’ve scoured the internet and attended numerous conferences in search for that answer. I’ve compiled my findings into three categories of what I call the CUT factors. If our stories don’t include the CUT factors, they are more likely to be “cut” from a publishers list of “possibly publishable” books. This is what I’ve discovered, but keep in mind these are guidelines and not guarantees of contracts.

The CUT Factors:

  1. The NUT factor. This means our stories must be entertaining and fresh, maybe a little nutty. Picture books should be enjoyable for adults and children because if the parent doesn’t like reading the book, it won’t be read. The stories could be nutty, funny, amusing, mysterious, joyful, playful, deep, other-worldly as in taking the reader away from this reality, or thought provoking and meaningful. Christine Tangvald, an author of a gazillion Christian children’s books, used to teach a Children’s Writers class at a Christian Writers Conference and talked about the Pizzazz factors. These included ways of energizing our writing to create an atmosphere of suspense, action, adventure, awe, wonder, gentleness, exaggeration, triumph, etc. We should aim to create moods like these.

You’ve heard the scripture that there is nothing new under the sun. Then what do we write to create fresh stories? We should write our passions, whatever gets us excited.  What lights our fire? What makes our hearts sing? What moves us or what do we find amusing? We should write that and write it from our hearts. It’s our job to find new twists to old themes. To help kids view the world differently or to look at common elements in a new light, then we should add a new twist to that. Shouldn’t we strive to make our stories so enticing that the readers will want to turn the pages, so that they are longing to see what’s next? We should create new worlds for them in the pages of our books. Maybe they’re nutty worlds, maybe they’re not. But they should be entertaining and fresh. That’s what we write. Nothing less.

  1. The WHAT factor. Our stories must answer the “so what?” question in that it must be educational in some way. The key is educational, not preachy. Children get preached to all day long from parents, teachers, baby sitters, older siblings. They know when they’re being lectured and taught right from wrong. We don’t want to do that outright. But there should be some sort of ‘take home’ message whether they realize it or not. Our job is to get our message across in a fun, unpreachy, and almost un-educational way. Why should a publisher spend upwards of $100,000 publishing your picture book? Novels cost less, but still a substantial amount. What is the point? Is it a deeper understanding of a Biblical truth? A moral action? A lesson in how to treat others? Maybe your story is so fun and entertaining it simply shows children that books and reading are fun. We just don’t want parents and children finishing our books saying, “So what?” We want to leave them with an emotion, a new thought, a powerful message. Somehow make them wiser, smarter, safer, calmer, more aware. Let’s leave the readers somehow better people because they’ve read our books.
  1. The GUT factor. Gary Richardson, an amazing man and previous (late) editor at a Christian Publishing house taught a Children’s Book Writing class at a conference I attended years ago. He said that at their publishing house they always looked for the GUT factor in manuscripts. So this is a real thing. He said they looked for stories that brought tears to their eyes, that made them laugh, made them squirm or jump, that somehow touched their hearts or elicited gut reactions. Those are the stories they would pursue. There must be an ‘aha’ moment somewhere. Maybe it’s an unusual ending or a funny, unanticipated twist in the drama. We should write the unexpected. We want to leave the reader changed somehow, maybe refreshed. Maybe elicit emotions they hadn’t felt in a while, maybe leave them laughing hysterically, or left more aware. We want the reader longing to read it again and more than excited to share our books with friends so that they too, may be changed for the better.

 

That, my friends, is why we write. That is a sampling of what publishers want. If you are an editor or publisher and desire different criteria, please let us know below. Thanks!

Categories
Child's Craft Uncategorized

Writing is like crossing the streets of India

I traveled to Hyderabad, India recently and we had one day of sightseeing and shopping in the city. This city had streets like no other in the USA. Though two lanes of traffic were designated, at least four lanes of traffic ensued, in all directions. If there was a light signal, it was merely a suggestion, but one that was never followed. In intersections, four lanes of traffic moved in all directions at one time: cars veered left at the same time vehicles charged forward, all the time while people and wild dogs attempted to cross the street, which we did.

A group of five of us women headed to a salwar store late one evening so we’d look beautiful for the upcoming Republic Day ceremony. Usha, a native, escorted us. We were merely two street crossings away from the beautiful salwars. She instructed us to hold one hand up, grab hold of the person next to us and follow her across. Well, cars flew by in all directions as she held her hand up and stepped into the oncoming traffic. The others followed. I did not. Cars weren’t stopping! Usha looked back and saw me standing on the side, “Jill, you have to cross with us!” I couldn’t move, so they returned for me.

“But the rickshaws are flying by.” I replied. “They aren’t stopping.”

“They aren’t going to stop,” She answered sternly. “Just follow me.”

I grabbed hold of a friend as I held up my hand and we boldly strode into the crazy peril. I held my breath as cars flew around us. When I thought we were securely across, I let out my breath and released hold of my friend only to have a motor scooter whirl a left turn directly in front of me. I screamed in startlement as he laughed mockingly at me. I was scolded once again for letting my guard down too early. Too early? We’d made it to the side walk. Didn’t matter.

One more street to cross. Usha grabbed my arm and instructed me to stay with her. I threw up my hand, allowed her to escort me through the zooming rickshaws, motor scooters, dogs and cars till we arrived safely to the storefront of the clothing store.

Later I realized this is just like writing!

God convicts us with an idea to write. We either agree to write it or we don’t. When we agree, we throw up our hand in a commitment to write, grab hold of him and charge forward. All the while, Satan is shooting his blazing arrows at us: Arrows of discouragement, of accusations, of comparisons. “Who do you think you are writing this?” “You’re not qualified.” “Look at all the others getting published. You’re not like them.” Oh, Satan is just like those rickshaws, motor scooters and vehicles threatening to take us down, but we must hold onto the one who knows the way. Satan may laugh and sneer but we must allow God to grab hold of us and lead us safely to the other side. We must believe that the One who convicts us to write a story will empower us to see it through.

We had a great time shopping. Some women purchased several beautiful salwars, and others purchased just one. I, however, did not find any that fit me or that I could make work on me. And isn’t that just like writing, as well? Some stories will make it to publication, some will not. Some are meant to be shared with others close to us, or to strengthen our relationship and trust in God or for our own personal growth. We just have to be obedient and let Him direct the outcomes.

Don’t hesitate to jump in with an idea He has planted in your heart. If I had stayed on the sidewalk and never crossed over, I’d have missed the whole experience. Jump in with both feet, make the commitment and hold onto God. Those fiery arrows will fall on the ground around you and miss you completely if you cling to the One who knows the way.

Categories
Child's Craft Uncategorized

Questions Childen’s Writers Should be Asking

When I was in India recently, our team leader told of an Indian child who asked her if the streets in India were anything like the streets in America. Umm. No. Not one street in India resembled any form of a street in America. She explained that we don’t generally have men walking their oxen, camels or goats down the streets in America. At which point the child quickly asked, “Then where do you walk your goats?”

Where do we walk our goats, indeed! That is a question a children’s writer needs to ask.

What would happen if a shepherd walked his goats through the streets of San Francisco? What might Los Angeles look like if a woman rode her camel down the boulevard? What if a farmer’s pigs got loose and wandered through Macy’s in New York? Would they try on the dresses, shoes, jewelry? Ride the escalators up and down?

Why might a shepherd even end up on a street of San Francisco? Well, his goat was sick of course and he’d heard that an ingredient in sour dough bread could cure his sick little goat. Or maybe he was chasing his dream of becoming a chef and making the best clam chowder. He was done being a shepherd. Play around with your idea until you find the story, the goal, the lesson, the mystery. Was the shepherd following a suspect whom he thought had been poisoning his goats? What brings him to San Francisco? How can he get there? Then what happens? Do others help him achieve his goal? Is he ridiculed? Is he forbidden from bringing his goats, then how will he ever find the cure? His goat is dying! Each minute counts!

Children’s writers seem to ask the question, “What if?” And a story is born. What if a man placed gold tickets in candy bar wrappers as tickets to visit his chocolate factory? What if a boy was actually a wizard and attended a wizard school? What if a man was bitten by a spider and took on spider qualities and could sling himself across buildings with his silk webbing?

Thinking differently is what creates amazing stories. What was a little lamb thinking when he saw Jesus born? What other animal could have been present? How could they make a difference? What would it have been like being in the garden when Jesus arose from the dead? What did the giraffes see from their point of view on the Ark? Or a slug’s point of view? Was he being trampled? Ridiculed for being invited on the cruise? Did he feel stomped on? Did this little slug matter in the scheme of things?

We don’t always need to know where a story is going from the onset. Ask the questions and pursue it. See if an interesting, amusing, or sweet story emerges. Other stories may blossom far different from your original story, but ones that may not have even budded had you not started with the first idea.

Be observant in your world. Listen for interesting comments. Watch for strange ideas, or new slants to established concepts. Twist it around. Ask the ‘what if’ questions and run with it. Have fun on the journey! Create a new world for children. Take them to new places. Help them view normal things in a fresh way. Open up their world of dreams, stretch their imaginations. Take them deeper, higher, swifter, slower. Show them a new side of Jesus, an amazing side of God. A new truth in a fashionable way.

There is nothing new under the sun. But as writers of children’s stories, it is our goal, our adventure, our desire to create new twists and slants to common entities. So roll up your sleeves, put on your specs, and jump in with both feet. But watch where you step, there may be goats out there.

Categories
Child's Craft

Keep the FAITH in your Writing

Keeping the faith in your writing can be difficult. I remember sitting on my back porch with a rejection letter in my hand just sobbing. I had received the go ahead from this publisher to send in my full proposal. I’d been waiting in anticipation for several months and believed this was the publisher the Lord had provided. I’d worked so hard to perfect this manuscript but then it came. The dreaded rejection letter. It wasn’t what they needed at the time. Rejection letters weren’t new to me as I’d already received a year’s worth of them, but for some reason, this publisher hurt me the most. I just wanted to quit.

Have you been there? Are you experiencing this or something similar now? It seems that rejection letters aren’t sent so much anymore, as the dreaded silent treatment. No news is not good news in these cases. Luckily my youngest daughter, saddened at seeing her mom sobbing at that time, cuddled next to me and said, “You have to write, Mommy. You’re a writer.”

That was just what I needed to hear at the time to gradually snap me out of my Writers Pit of Despair. We all have one. Some of us visit it more than others. But believe me, we all have them.

What do we do when we don’t have a precious toddler telling us that we have to keep writing?  I think it’s okay to visit the pit once in a while for a brief pity party, but don’t set up camp down there. Claw your way back out. Keep the FAITH. That may sound cliché but I’ve come up with an acronym of FAITH for writers to keep us out of the pits of despair.

F – Fully believe in God’s anointing of your gift of writing.

God gave you the gift of writing for His glory. We don’t know what that means to Him, but we are to use the gifts He’s given to us. You may be asking, “How do I know if He’s given me the gift of writing or not?” People who do not have the gift of writing know it. They don’t like anything having to do with writing. They probably don’t journal, they dreaded writing assignments in school and don’t doodle in idle time. They aren’t looking at the world differently. They may not even enjoy reading. But if you can’t NOT write, you’ve probably got the gift.

A – Actively write or create. God is the Great Creator and I believe loves to see everyone creating in one form or another. Even when you’re visiting the pit, reach for a pen and your beautiful journal (life is too short to use ugly journals) and scribble your thoughts, your feelings and prayers down. Scratch out a note to your mother. Write a letter of praise to God. Draw. Color in those new adult coloring books. Make a craft with your child. Paint. Organize a drawer. Cross stitch. Sew. Find something to create to get your creative juices flowing again.

I – Involve yourself with other writers. Join a critique group. Word Weavers has local chapters all over. See if there’s one close to you or check out http://www.meetup.com/ to find local writers groups. Attend a conference to network with other writers. Join a writers group on facebook. Get creative to find other writers. You know they’re out there.

T- Thank God for your inspirations, for your time to write, for blessings and anything else that comes to mind. Giving thanks brings joy. In fact, giving thanks may be what lifts you out of the pit.

H – Hope, have faith. You have a hope in Jesus and in His love for you. Believe he has the best in mind for you and will use you and your writing in ways you probably can’t even fathom at this point. Be open to His leading. Believe in Him. Believe in your gifts and have FAITH.

Know you’re not alone in this. Anybody who claims to be a writer will receive a rejection or ‘silence’ at some point or many points. Rejections are the battle scars that show we’re writing. Keep writing and keep the FAITH.

Categories
Child's Craft Uncategorized

Where to Begin?

Where to begin? I had a friend ask me this question recently, who is interested in writing a young adult novel. She was worried that she didn’t have an agent or know of a publisher. I’ve had people tell me they wanted to write a picture book but didn’t have an illustrator. I know another man who keeps talking about writing a novel, but keeps buying books on how to write novels so he knows how to write a novel correctly before he begins writing. That was about six years ago, and he still hasn’t put the pen to the paper yet.

Let’s clear up some of the above misconceptions then I’ll share my three thoughts on where to begin. If you’ve never been published before in any manner, an agent isn’t necessary at this point. You must have something written. They want to see that you can write. You need a tangible manuscript as a new author.

If you’re writing a picture book, most publishers provide their own illustrators. They just want the text from you. I’ve heard that unless you are an artist and draw your own illustrations, do not submit pictures with your manuscript. However, with that being said, you need to write a picture book with varying pictures in mind to make it enjoyable for the reader. Write creatively so your words illicit what pictures would appear on each page. Write so that the illustrator will have fun designing the pictures.

Reading books is also helpful in directing your writing, but not to the extent that it becomes an excuse not to write. It’s great to learn as much as you can about the craft. Go to writer’s conferences, attend critique sessions, and read books to hone your craft, but keep on writing. You generally need to be in the midst of your project to get as much as you can out of conferences and critique sessions and book advice. When I was in anesthesia school, the first semester was didactic book work. But if all we did was read about anesthesia, that would not mean we’d know how to actually administer it. We needed hands on experience and a lot of it. It’s the same with writing. It’s good to read about the craft, but you won’t have a full understanding of how that works until you jump in and begin writing.

So, where to begin? First, you must have an idea in mind of what to write, an inspiration that can’t help but be written. It’s difficult sitting in front of a white page trying to will the words to appear. You definitely need an inspiration. Once I get an inspiration, I usually have to mull it over for a few days, take it for a couple runs, play with it in my mind so I can imagine a direction it may go. Do whatever you need to do to help formulate the idea in your mind.

Secondly, once you have an idea in mind, sit yourself down and let it flow. Write with the creative side of your brain. Don’t edit yourself yet. That comes later. Let it go. It may flow in the direction you imagined or it may grow feet of its own and charge down its own path. But start writing and see what you’ve got. Sit anywhere you feel the most creative. I actually hand wrote my first manuscript sitting on a sofa before plugging it into a computer.

Third. Have fun. Writing is a calling, a joy, a pleasure. God will not place a calling in your life that will place you in eternal misery. It may not always be a walk in the park, but it’s what you are made of, made for, it’s who you are. This is not a high school book report or grueling essay. It’s what you choose to do and what chose you! Have fun with it. Work at it. Then the critique groups, conferences and books can help make your writing better, stronger, publishable. But in order for that to happen, you must have something written. Begin by sitting down and starting to write. That, my friend, is the hardest part.

Categories
Child's Craft

Rhyme Time

‘Twas the evening before Christmas, and through the entire shack

Not a soul moved, especially tiny rat.

If Clement C. Moore had written like that, I’m pretty sure the story would have died and we’d never all cherish that fabulous story that he imagined. The above is why editors and agents cringe when they receive children’s stories written in rhyme. Some publishing houses refuse to even look at manuscripts submitted in rhyme because so many people get it wrong and rhyme written wrong is just plain painful.

So, what is the magic in Clement C Moore’s writing? What is the charm in his rhyme that kept the story alive and thriving all through the years? What can we learn from his writing to mimic in ours to write in beautiful rhyme?

“Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a Creature was stirring not even a mouse.”

Ahh, much better. He wrote in perfect rhyme and perfect meter and perfect rhythm.

First he used perfect rhyme. Every time. Shack and rat are close to rhyming as they have the same vowel sound, but we should try to make a perfect rhyme especially when writing for children. Imperfect rhymes send mixed messages to children about what rhymes are. Some words look like they should rhyme: pain and again. Word and Lord. They don’t. Strive for perfection in your rhymes.

Try to find different words to rhyme. Clement C. Moore rhymed clatter and matter, flash and sash, foot and soot, teeth and wreath. He stepped away from the hum drum of the normally rhymed words.

Secondly, he used perfect meter. In the opening stanza, there is no meter. Accents on words fall all over the place. It is difficult to read. However, Moore places 12-13 syllables in each line and rhymes the last words. His accents fall consistently on every third syllable making it a joy to read. Everybody reads it the same. Every time. We don’t have to figure out how to read it correctly. It just happens.

We don’t have to use his meter in our writing. There are tons of different meters. Pick another, make up your own, but be consistent.

I love the 8/6/8/6 lines with 8 syllables in the first and third lines and six in the rhyming second and fourth lines. I have found that the accents fall naturally on every fifth syllable. So that’s what I strive for in this type of story.

If Jesus came to visit me

I know just what I’d do.

I’d wrap my arms around him tight

And say I’m glad it’s you.

 

Find one that works for you and play with it.

The reader will figure out the meter in the first verse and will come to expect the same meter throughout the story, so stay consistent. Play with your words to find the ones that have accents in the right places.

“The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave a luster of midday to objects below.”

Don’t you know he must have played with those words and plugged in numerous words until he obtained the flow and meter that he wanted? Luster may not have been his first choice in words, but glow or gleam would throw off the meter. This is the fun of writing – finding the perfect words.

Finally he wrote in perfect rhythm. This is a combination of perfect rhyme and perfect meter that evokes natural speech. Don’t force words to make a rhyme. Don’t use ‘Sally did run’, to make a rhyme with sun. Nobody talks like that. Sally ran. Don’t rhyme it with sun. Find another word to rhyme with ran. Be creative. Play with words. It all works together to form verse in beautiful rhythm.

If it’s too painful to play with the words to make it beautiful then write in prose. Children need all kinds of books, but if rhyme comes naturally to you then strive to make it perfect!

Please spend lots of time in writing your rhyme.

So that your book soars, like Clement C. Moore’s.

Categories
Child's Craft

Picture Book Submissions – The Mighty Manuscript

Picture Book Submissions – The Mighty Manuscript

The third item to include in your full proposal submission for a picture book is your mighty manuscript. This is the reason you are submitting to a publisher in the first place. Once you’ve written your killer picture book manuscript, tightened it, strengthened it, had it critiqued, rewritten it several times and feel it’s ready to send, now it’s time to put it in the correct submission format.

Always use Times Roman Numeral 12-point font and double space your text. Always. Editors read all day long and this is easiest on their eyes. More importantly, they may not read it if its in a different format. Create one inch margins on each page and stick to it. Don’t adjust these to squeeze in more text. Create a title page with your name, address, phone number, email and web address in the left upper corner. One third to one half of the way down in the middle of the page place the Title in Caps and Bold if you’d like. This can be 14-point font though nothing fancy. Don’t include clip art or any form of pictures on this page.

On the first page of your manuscript in the header in the top left put your name – brief title. In the header upper right put page numbers with the exception of the first page. This is in case your manuscript gets dropped, they’ll know if pages are missing and to which manuscript a stray page may belong.

Begin the text one third to one half the way down again with the title centered. Four spaces below this begin your text.  I usually put my suggested page count and pages of text below the title.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I support and suggest breaking your picture book manuscript into spreads and pages. The publisher may not stick to your lay out and has the right to change it as they desire, but it makes for easier reading and gives them an idea of how it will fit within the pages. The right side of a spread are odd pages, the left are even. Remember the book will have front matter so keep in mind as you lay out your text in spreads that the text does not begin on page 1. If you choose to submit in this format, this is the way it may look:

Title

32-page manuscript

26 pages of text

Introduction

Page 6-7

Begin text here with your hook. I usually indent the text but it may not appear that way in this blog.

Spread 1

Page 8-9

Continue your story for these pages. I add a space between the spreads for ease in reading but it may not appear that way here.

Spread 2

Page 10

You may break the spread into separate pages like this.

Page 11

And continue your text here, which your text would indicate the pictures needing two pages for this spread.

Spread 3

Page 12-13

Break your spreads into a combined pictures across both spreads and separate pictures on each page to break up the monotony of each spread looking exactly the same.

I continue on like this and end with my conclusion.

Conclusion

Page 30-31

Ta Da! The fabulous conclusion of your manuscript.

Look through multiple picture books and notice the layout of the spreads. Watch where the pages turn. Are there pictures on each page or across the full spread? How often does this change?

Make sure you don’t put too many words on a page as you want to keep the children’s attention.

Have fun with it and keep in mind that the editor will most likely change your layout so remain flexible.

The editor may change your page count.

Do not suggest specific pictures as your beautiful writing should elicit the images for the illustrator to create.

Keep in mind that this is just one form of picture book submissions. If you have found success with another form, please comment below. I’d love to hear about it. Good luck and happy submitting!

Categories
Child's Craft

Picture Book Submissions – The Powerful Proposal

Apparently this is a controversial issue – To submit a children’s Proposal with your manuscript or not? I always do. The editors can choose to read it or not, but I submit it, unless the Market Guide for a publisher states specifically not to submit a proposal. I will share with you what I learned at a conference from Christine Tangvald, back in the early 2000s, who has had a gazillion children’s books published. I figured if it worked for her, then I would do exactly what she did. I have not learned anything different through the years, it has worked for me, so this is how I still submit.

I don’t use the same form of proposals as is encouraged for adult books. Those seem to be more in paragraph form. Children’s Proposals are shorter, more precise with bullet points and sub-headings, and to the point. If you are an editor and prefer receiving children’s manuscripts in a different form, please mention it below. We’d love to submit the format you hope to receive, especially if it has changed in the last 20 years.

Here is a sample of a proposal and a short description of what each section may look like. Number the pages, with the exception of the first page, in the header right corner. In the header left corner put your last name and brief title. Use Times Roman Numeral 12 point font. Let’s use a purse theme and call it For the love of Purses.

In header: Lord/purses

Top left corner

Single spaced

Name/address/phone

email/website

 

(start this about 1/2 way down)

For the Love of Purses

Proposal

By Jill Roman Lord

 

Proposal: A Picture book for girls celebrating a child’s passion for purses that becomes a passion for sharing. (In one sentence tell what your book is about)

Purpose:

  • Bullet points here.
  • What point do you hope to make?
  • What impression do you want this book to make?
  • Any lessons you hope will come across?
    • For example – to demonstrate a girl’s passion for purses
    • To exemplify the joy of having a passion
    • To demonstrate a girl going ‘overboard’ in her passion
    • To serve as an illustration of a girl sharing her passion with others less fortunate
    • To exemplify the joy in giving and sharing
    • To encourage girls to reach out to others in need
    • To encourage girls to share their passions
  • Hopefully you get the idea – not too many but enough to state your purpose.

Target Market:

  • Girls ages 4-8
  • Girls who love purses
  • Girls learning to share with others in need
  • Get as specific as you can… All girls is too broad.
  • Not too specific as to shrink your market too small.

Special Features:

  • What makes your book stand out? List them here.
  • Written in delightful rhyme
  • Scripture verse at the end
  • List of charitable organizations at the end to which children may donate items
  • Template for making purses with items around the house
  • Apps for children wanting to sell purses
  • Whatever creative idea you come up with to help your book ‘rock’!

Specifications:

  • 750 words (shows your word count is within this publishers target range)
  • Written as a 32 pages book (flexible) – always be flexible here, but let them know you’ve thought it out
  • Colorful pictures on each page
  • Any other specifics here…

Comparisons:

  • Do your homework and see what other books are already published similar to yours and list them here, but don’t slam them as theirs is published and yours isn’t, yet…
  • Mention how yours is different. Briefly. Editors don’t have time to read too much detail.
  • Clifford’s Big Red Purse – List author, publisher, date: Story illustrating a big red dog and his love for his new purse. Written in prose. For the Love of Purses is written in rhyme and also demonstrates a love of purses but takes the reader further into sharing this passion with others.
  • Next one, etc.
  • Not an eternal list but enough to show it’s a popular topic but why yours should also be published.

Credentials:

  • Any published work?
  • Start with most recent and work down to oldest
  • Important accomplishments related to your manuscript
  • Won award for starting collection of purses to send overseas
  • Articles published or number of articles if you’ve written a ton
  • This is the place to let them know you’re the one to write this book
  • Not the place to mention your high school summer work at Walmart, unless of course you were manager of women’s/girls purses.

And that’s it. This is not the one and only way to submit, but I learned this method from a professional at a writer’s conference and it has worked for me. Again, if you are an agent or editor and prefer different submissions please let us know! Spend time on this, do your homework, and make it powerful and make it sparkle!

Categories
Child's Craft

Picture Book Submissions – The Great Cover Letter

You might be asking what you actually submit to a publisher when you submit a picture book manuscript. I submit three items. This may be debatable, and many of you may submit items differently. I’d love to hear what the rest of you submit, but I’m going to share with you what I learned at one of my first conferences and therefore, what I submit. I’d especially love to hear from you if you’re an editor and like to receive submissions in a different manner. Please comment below.

The three items I submit are a cover letter, proposal and formatted manuscript. We’ll cover each item in separate blogs.

Today we’ll talk about the killer, knock the socks of an editor cover letter. If a publisher requests query letters first, before full submission of the manuscript, then this will be your query letter. The Market Guides relay which method the publishers prefer. Send in what they prefer. Don’t stuff your whole proposal into an envelope if the publisher prefers queries initially.

A query letter is a single letter asking for permission to submit your full proposal.  A cover letter accompanies your proposal and briefly describes your proposal. Both may be the only item an editor reads, unless it’s good. This letter should do more than pique an editor’s interest. It should reflect your great writing skills and make them want to keep reading and ask for more. Both letters serve the same purposes of highlighting your book and making it something an editor will want to pursue.

It’s nice to start with a name of an editor as opposed to Dear Editor. If you can find the name of the editor, by all means, use it. If you have met the editor at a conference, make that the first item mentioned.

“It was a pleasure meeting you at the XXX conference on (state the date). I enjoyed dining with you that evening and discussing possible book titles with you, (or whatever you discussed to bring who you are to their mind). I have a manuscript I thought you might be interested in reading.”

Then start with a bang, a hook, a question, something to tap an editor’s interest and touch on the main idea of your book. If your book is about a girl who loves purses and can’t get enough, you might start with something like this:

What’s not to love about purses? What if you had one in every shape and size to match every pair of shoes you owned but didn’t have room enough to put them all? What would you do? I’ve written a story about a girl who can’t get enough purses…

I know you could make it stronger. Spend time on your hook. Make it playful, fun, interesting.

State the audience for whom you wrote it and get as specific as possible. Elementary age children is a bit general. Tell which age group and if there’s a specific market, highlight it here. Say for example, it’s a book for children having surgery, or a bed time story for preschool children, or for young girls 4-6 who love purses. Tell specifics, but not too specific to make your market too small.

Briefly state any special ideas in your book that will make yours stand out. Have you included an easy how-to-make-your-own purse template or an easy how to stack and store your purses chart? Mention this here.

Note the word count, projected page count, and a brief bio about yourself, especially if it would help shine on why you’re the right one to write that particular book. I wrote a book once for children to ease the stress and fear of surgery and mentioned that I’m a Nurse Anesthetist. It relayed the fact that I’m a professional and might know a little about the topic. (I still don’t have a contract on the book, but hopefully it’s not because I’m not qualified to write it…)

Mention why you think this is the perfect publisher for your book, why you chose them. Why you think your book might complement other books they’ve published. If you’re sending it to more than one publisher, mention that it is a simultaneous submission.

Keep your cover/query letter one page or less. Keep your writing tight. This is not a letter to your best friend, so keep it short, simple, to the point, but enticing.

End with something like, Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, XXX and sign it.

Before you send it, make it perfect. This letter reflects your writing skills. Don’t let them find grammatical errors, typos, wrong use of commas, etc. or they may not pursue your book further, even if the idea sounds great. Spend time on your query/cover letter and make it shine.

Categories
Child's Craft

Picture Book Manuscript Layout

Let’s take a look at the layout of Picture Books. Most books, including picture books are produced in pages divisible by eight. Board books may contain as few as 8-16 pages, picture books 24-48 and chapter books 64 and up. However, not all the pages contain text.

The first few pages are the front matter. This includes the title page, dedication page if there is one, copyright page, chapter page, and anything that occurs before the first page of text. Pick up picture books and look at these pages. The text may not start until page 5 or 6. If this is the case, a 32 page book would contain 26 or 27 pages of text or about 13 spreads. A spread is the two facing pages when a book is open. Two pages make a spread.

Back matter is the pages following the end of the story. There may not be any in picture books, but in non-fiction it may contain a bibliography, appendix, or glossary.

The first spread is your introduction. Here, the reader should be able to get an idea of the story ahead. The introduction may occur on the single right page or on a full spread of two pages. Either way, the introduction must grab the reader, entice them, and lure them into the book. This first page must contain just enough words to make the reader wonder what’s in the story and want to turn the page for more. Pique their interest in this introduction.

Think about the pictures that will accompany your text. Your text should be full of action on each page, brilliant colorful scenes, or asks questions to keep the pages turning. If much of your story occurs in conversation around a dinner table, what will the various pictures relay on each page? Children will tire of the same dinner table setting on each page. Think of your story in terms of pictures.

Are cliffhangers written into your story to make the reader want to turn the page? This is where the page needs to turn. Look at picture books and notice where pages turn. Add more action, mystery, or reason for the readers to turn the pages of your book.

If you submit your picture book in paragraph form and the publisher loves it she’ll need to break it down into a 16, 24, or 32-page format. She may decide it’s too much work and reject it. Make her life easier, reduce your chance of a rejection, and break it down for her. This will help you stand out as a professional. She may ultimately change the page layout from what you’ve submitted, but it will make her job easier.

There are many ways to lay out picture books, but I learned to break my story down into spreads, so this is the way I submit. This gets me thinking about the pictures on each page and what the illustrator has to work with to come up with the pictures. Are there too many words for a single page? Maybe I need to shorten the text or add more excitement in some way. So, look at your story in terms of pages and pictures now. We’ll look at formatting this for submission in a later post.

Categories
Child's Craft

Onomatopoeia and rhythm

Onomato-what? Onomatopoeia is what makes your picture books pop! It’s the smooth, silky, wispy words that tap into other senses and emotions. It’s the silly-willy words that make your readers giggle and squeal. It’s the slam, clang, or bang to make kids jump or the plop, ooze, squish to make them squirm. Perhaps, it’s the oink of a teeny piggy, the yip-yip of a fluffy puppy, or soft purr of a kitty that will elicit an “Awwwww.” It’s the crunch of the leaves, the eerie creak of an opening door, or the faint whisper in the dark that will keep your audience on the edge of their seats.

According to Merriam-Webster, onomatopoeia is the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss) 2. the use of words whose sound suggests the sense.

As writers of children’s books, it’s what we need to use frequently. Kids don’t want to hear that a car raced down the street and quickly stopped. It zoomed across the scorching pavement then screeched to a halt. With a whoosh the car sped off then’ urrrrrched’ to a screaming halt. Play with it. This is why we write. We want to make a great story even better. We want to make it interesting for the children, a book that the kids ask for over and over again. And we want to write a book that parents actually enjoy reading. Keep your words appropriate for your target age level. A screaming halt may be too advanced for a three-year old, but certainly not for a 10-year-old.

Can you incorporate onomatopoeia into your existing story? Check out this website with an infinite list of words to use. http://www.onomatopoeialist.com/ Play with it until you find the perfect word for the rhythm of your story. Also check out http://www.thesaurus.com/ to find equivalent words that may enhance your story.

By rhythm, I don’t necessarily mean meter for verse, but all books have a rhythm, a flow. If a bunny is hopping to get away from a predator, he’ll hop, leap, jump, zip, zoom, skitter. You’ll write with short, quick words. Short sentences. You want to evoke that tension. At this point he’s not going to meander through the delicious carrot patch in hopes of escaping the hungry fox. He skitters through rows. Zips around brush. Darts through the woods.

A gentle, bedtime story however, will have a soothing effect. Use gentle, smooth, calming words, perhaps longer sentences. A story about bath time will most certainly include bubbly words, splashes, and silly, slippery soap type words. Rain shouldn’t fall in children’s books. It pitter-patters, drips, splats, sprinkles, drizzles.

The rhythm may change through your book to obtain the feel that you want. It might start peppy, zippy and energetic at first and slowly wind its way down to a lulling, sleepy, nighty-night mood by the end. Zzzzzzzz.

You have control of this by the purrrrrfect words you choose. What are some of your favorite onomatopoeia words? What makes you or your children giggle, hoot, howl, shrink back, jump or cause you to want to read a book again? List them in the comment section below. These are the types of words we want to use.

 

Categories
Child's Craft

Strengthening Your Children’s Story

So, you’ve written your masterpiece of a story. You finally put your great idea onto the pages. What a fabulous accomplishment. Great job! However, it’s still not ready to submit to a publisher. Now it must be strengthened.

Rewriting is the next step where your great story becomes magnificent! Don’t dread this stage. The fun continues. You get to play with your words. First, check your word count. It doesn’t matter at this point how many words you have. Your job was just to get it on paper – to let it flow and hopefully you did. But the first part of rewriting is to know how many words you need to eliminate.

[bctt tweet=”Rewriting is the next step where your great story becomes magnificent! #rewrite #editgoal” via=”no”]

Keep in mind your target age group. Here are word count guidelines for each group. These may vary from publisher to publisher so check the Writers Market Guide for each publisher’s guidelines.

0-2 board books (less than 250 words)

2-4 toddler board books (500 words or less)

5-8 picture book (roughly up to 1000 words)

7-10 chapter books (up to 15,000 words)

9-12 tween (20,000-35,000 words)

13+ young adult (55,000-70,000 words)

If a publisher states they accept picture books up to 1200 words. Don’t send them a manuscript with 1500 words hoping they’ll make an exception. Send them what they publish.

Check to see if each sentence, thought, idea moves your story forward. Is it all necessary? Shave off a part and see if the story still flows. If it doesn’t, put that part back in and shave off a different part. Sometimes the shaving actually strengthens the story.

For picture books, circle all the verbs. That’s right. All of them.  Picture books contain few words so choose them wisely. Try to eliminate the weak verbs: is, are, am, was, were, will, have, had, has, be, been. Then strengthen them. Check for synonyms and plug in other words. Play with it.

Next, underline your adjectives and adverbs. Try to eliminate ‘ly’ words and find stronger words.

Here is an example:

Sally ran quickly to get out of the rain. Suddenly she stopped when she saw a bright rainbow. Now she was happy.

22 words.

Circle the verbs: ran, get, stopped, saw, was.

Underline descriptors: quickly, suddenly, bright, happy.

All pretty weak. Let’s see if we can tighten it up a bit.

Sally raced from the rain but slowed when a sparkling rainbow appeared. She smiled.

14 words. Not an exciting story, but the same point is made with less but somewhat stronger words.

Now, highlight words you’ve used more than once. In the first example I used ‘she’ three times, which is too many. In the second example ‘she’ is used only once.

If you’re writing a story about a kitten, how many times did you use the word kitten? Unless repetition is your goal, can you replace it with another word while keeping the words age-appropriate? Kitty, cat, ball of fur, fluff ball.

Shorten, tighten, strengthen.

 

Categories
Child's Craft

From Story to Book Part I

So you have this fabulous idea of a story for children. You’ve told bedtime stories to your children every night from this one story idea and they’ve loved it! It could sell millions of copies! You may never have to work again but will live off the royalties from your story idea.

The only problem is… ideas don’t sell. Books sell.

Let’s look at some things to consider as you begin moving your idea from story to book form.

For what age group do you wish to write? When you pitch to a publishing house, you shouldn’t say your book is for newborns up through young adults. Twelve year-olds don’t generally enjoy the same book as their two-year-old siblings. So, narrow your range. Here are some acceptable age brackets:

0-2 newborn – concept books

2-4 toddlers – board books

5-8 picture books

7-10 chapter books

9-12 tween books

13+ young adult

While these ages may vary a year either way between publishing houses, check the Writer’s Market book for the publishers you wish to submit to and market to one of their stated age ranges. Keep these ages in mind as your write.

Which point of view do you wish to use? Do you want the child to tell the story? This would be first person. If you use this, you can only write what the child would feel, see, think, and experience. The pronouns used would be I, my, me, we.

Do you want to write from a parent’s point of view or have a narrator tell the story? This is third person. Limited third person is when the narrator knows only the thoughts and feelings of one person. Omniscient third person is when the narrator gets inside each of the characters’ heads. Omniscient can be confusing for young children, so generally stick to a point of view from one person. The pronouns would be he, she, they. Figure out which POV you wish to use and stick with it.

Next, get writing! Don’t let your head get in your way by editing at this point. Just let the words flow and pare it down later. Write as if the story is ready to burst out of your head onto the page. Let it flow. Let it flow. Don’t hold it back anymore… (That should be a song.) We’ll look at editing and perfecting your story in future blogs. For now, pick an age group and point of view and write! Oh, and have fun. Play with it. Crafts should be fun!

[bctt tweet=”The only problem is… ideas don’t sell. Books sell. #picturebook #kidlit” via=”no”]