picture book dummies
Okay, that's not dumb picture books! It's actually a smart way to make sure you're reading your picture book ms or proofs the way it'll be read when it's a real book. It's surprising how much difference it makes to turn pages in a book rhythm, instead of turning over the whole big spread and putting it down on a stack. It also makes you realise the size, which is surprisingly hard to adjust to if you've printed out proofs on A4 or letter size paper.
Since I don't want to spoil any surprises about the interior pages of Princess, I've used a double page pre-illustration spread of Too Much Stuff, which came out a couple of years ago, just to clarify what a double page spread means. In this case it's pages 6 & 7. (bottom photo)
All you do is fold each spread in half, individually - with the blank side out, like the top photo with the double page spread folded in half, beside the finished dummy book of the Princess and her Panther.
Stack up these folded papers. Then you get your paste or glue stick and glue the blank side of p 3 to the blank side of p 4, then the blank side of p 5 ( other half of the page 4-5 spread) to the blank side of p 6.) Much easier to do than explain!
So then it looks like a big stack of folded papers - the middle photo is the first proof dummy of Princess. But when you open it and turn the pages, you can read it like a normal book and listen for the pacing of the page turn. (And if you have the dustjacket proof as well, you can even cover it up as I have in the top photo.)
Blog Talk Radio interview
Nothing like phoning in for an interview and discovering that your phone card has mysteriously emptied overnight! However that was quickly solved, and I had a really good chat with Sean Berry on his Casting Couch program. It's always lovely to be interviewed by someone who's read the books and asks insightful questions!
Labels: Wendy Orr blogradio, Wendy Orr interview Nim's Island book to screenplay
publicity photos
I sometimes have trouble emailing publicity photos, so am posting some here. These are all available for free use, though the photographer's credit should be noted in any publication. The credits in order are: Courtesy of Walden Media for the family shot at the Hollywood Graumanns Chinese Theater Nim's Island's premiere. Courtesy of Universal Studios, Australia for the Seaworld Red Carpet photos with Jodie Foster;Roger Gould (individual portraits);
Labels: Wendy Orr publicity photos
Guest Blogger, Simon Rose
Here's something a little different - a guest blogger.
My guest today is Canadian children's author Simon Rose. His novels include The Doomsday Mask, The Heretic's Tomb, The Emerald Curse, The Clone Conspiracy, The Sorcerer's Letterbox, and The Alchemist's Portrait. He's also a contributing author to The Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction: Volume One and founded the almost legendary networking group Children's Authors and Illustrators on Facebook. Here's what Simon has to say about his work.
Welcome, Simon. Let's begin by learning a little about your books.
My books are in the science fiction and fantasy genre for middle grades, around ages eight to twelve. You can see full details of each of them, including excerpts and synopses (and you can even listen to recording of my readings) at the Books page at simon-rose.com.
The Alchemist's Portrait is a time-travel story, in which Matthew journeys through the centuries using magical paintings which act as doorways into the past, in order to save the world from the clutches of an evil alchemist. The Sorcerer's Letterbox, another time-travel tale, is based on the famous mystery of the Princes in the Tower about Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York, who were supposedly murdered on the orders of Richard III in 1483. The Clone Conspiracy is a science fiction thriller involving clandestine laboratories and secret experiments, while The Emerald Curse, based on my own reading of comic books while growing up, concerns Sam's adventures in a bizarre, and at times deadly, superhero universe. The Heretic's Tomb is set in the medieval period once again, this time during the Black Death in 1349.
My latest novel, The Doomsday Mask, was published in the spring. It's once again for ages 8–12 and in the science fiction and fantasy genre. It's a fast-paced adventure about ancient civilizations, mysterious artifacts, and shadowy secret societies.
How long have you been writing books for children?
One of the best things about writing for kids is that I can write about the kinds of things that fascinated me when I was young. Stories can be very imaginative if they are for children, which makes writing them so much fun. And, of course, in science fiction or fantasy, more or less anything you can imagine is possible, as you craft stories involving ancient mysteries, the unexplained, the paranormal, science fiction, time travel, parallel universes, alternate realities, weird and wonderful characters, and a multitude of "what if" scenarios.
Once I had children of my own, I came into contact with children's books again for the first time in many years. Picture books initially, of course, but then early chapter books and novels. When I decided to try my hand at writing novels and stories, I found myself drawn to the types of things I used to read as a child. I read lots of science fiction, as well fantasy writers and ghost stories while growing up. I also read a tremendous number of comic books, in which the stories took me across the universe, into strange dimensions, into the land of the Norse gods or had me swinging from the New York rooftops. At high school, I studied a lot of history and have retained my interest in the subject up to the present day. I also read voraciously on ancient civilizations, mysteries, the supernatural, and the unexplained.
Do you offer school and library visits?
Yes, I offer a wide range of presentations, workshops, and author-in-residence programs for schools and libraries. I cover such topics as where ideas come from, story structure, editing and revision, character development, time-travel stories, history, and research. You can learn more about them here and I offer study guides for all the books.
I also conduct virtual author visits via video using the Skype network, and you can get some idea of how it works from my videos on YouTube.
I also offer workshops for adults, both in person and online, as well as online workshops for children, which are proving very popular. I did a lot of work in summer camps this year, some of which you can learn about here. In addition, here in Calgary I work as a writing instructor with home school children, the local school board's continuing education program, the University. I am also an instructor with the National Writing for Children Centre and will be presenting at schools libraries in the UK as part of the Off the Shelf Festival of Writing and Reading this fall.
What are you working on now?
I have another completed novel on a paranormal theme which I am seeking a home for, if there are any interested editors and publishers reading this. I'm working on a number of editing projects for other writers, have numerous projects of my own for future novels, and I am collaborating on several picture books with a local illustrator. In addition to novel writing, I offer copywriting services for business, such as editorial content for websites. I have a few of those types of projects, as well as upcoming articles for magazines and online publications on a wide variety of topics, such as the articles written for Dark Roasted Blend on a bewildering variety of incredible and fantastic topics You can search or my articles on the Dark Roasted Blend home page.
I'm also involved in a large local event set for the fall called the Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference.
Any advice for aspiring children’s writers?
Writing is in some ways the easy part. It can be a very long process not only to write a book, but also to get it published. A book is a marathon measured in years rather than weeks or months. Don’t be afraid to revise and revise over and over again. Most authors go through many revisions before their work reaches its final format. Remember, too, that your book will never be to everyone’s taste, so don’t be discouraged. A firm belief in your own success is often what’s necessary. After all, if you don’t believe in your book, how can you expect other people to?
Read as much as you can and write as often as you can. Keep an ideas file, even if it’s only a name, title, sentence, or an entire outline for a novel. You never know when you might get another piece of the puzzle, perhaps years later. You also mustn’t forget the marketing. You may produce the greatest book ever written. However, no one else is going to see it if your book doesn’t become known to potential readers. Be visible as an author. Do as many readings, signings, and personal appearances as you can. Get your name out there and hopefully the rest will follow. Especially for newly published authors, books don’t sell themselves and need a lot of help.
You can read some of my tips and advice for writers at Ezine Articles. I also belong to a number of writing organizations and am the Assistant Regional Advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators in Western Canada.
Where can readers find out more about you and your books?
Autographed copies of my books are always available from me directly, but they are also available at all the usual places such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and many other places online — and details can be found for each book here. You can also easily order any of the novels from your local bookstore if they don't have copies on the shelf. You can stay up-to-date with me and my work by visiting my author site and blog, connecting as a friend on Facebook, joining Children's Authors and Illustrators on Facebook or my own groups for each of the novels or following me Twitter.
Labels: guest blogger, Simon Rose
The Author - Illustrator relationship
The other question I’ve been asked recently is on working with illustrators. I’ve been lucky enough to work with many wonderful artists – and I think I was particularly lucky that I loved Gillian Campbell’s images in my first book, “Amanda’s Dinosaur. Like most novice authors I’d thought of the book as purely mine, and imagined the pictures that were in my mind as I wrote the story. Of course, they were not exactly the same: they were much, much better, adding elements I hadn’t considered. I remember looking at them for the first time with a strange mixture of déjà vu and delight that allowed me to realise that this was Gillian’s book too.
Even in chapter books with very few illustrations, the pictures enhance or add another interpretation to the author’s words. People often ask how I feel about pictures that aren’t the way I imagine the characters, but the answer is simple: if I haven’t described it, the artist is free to use their own imagination – they certainly can’t be expected to tap directly into my head! The story in a chapter book, however, tends to belong very much to the author.
Of course there’s interaction, whether directly or through the editor. Sometimes the artist needs something clarified – which might mean the reader will too, and that it needs rewriting – or it might mean that it’s a useful place for a picture to show something not easily described. Occasionally a page will need a few words removed to fit the picture in. And occasionally the artist makes a mistake. By the time it’s discovered it’s usually easier to ask the author to change the text to fit in. If it makes no difference to the story I agree – a couple of times I’ve had an illustrator’s mistake that I thought was an improvement on what I’d written. If it changes something important, and a few times it has, I fight hard to get the image altered to fit the story.
When I think of the hundreds of illustrations scattered throughout my books, it seems amazing how few of these sorts of problems there have been - and equally amazing how much richness they've added to my stories. For the reader, the artist's portrayal becomes the character that enters their own imagination, an indissoluble part of the whole.
But picture books, even though the original story still comes from the author, are truly a joint creation – which I’ll talk about more in my next blog.
Labels: author-illustrator relationship; illustrated books; writing children's books
Editing
I did a Writing for Children morning with a class of 2nd year Professional Writing and Editing TAFE students last week. One of the things they were struggling with was the thought of being edited: how to deal with someone wanting to change your work; how to negotiate - and even wondering whether an editor's suggestions affect your copyright (No, they don't.)
I think the most important thing to remember is that the editor and the author want the same thing: the best book possible. Sometimes you'll disagree about what that means, and the more you each care about the book, the more passionate the disagreement can be. That's one of the reasons I enjoy this part of the process so much: it's a dialogue, and it's how a sudden surprising solution may be born. You'll rarely get a chance to discuss your work with anyone who cares that much, so you might as well enjoy it.
I find there's a psychological process, rather like the Kubler Ross stages of grief, when an editor asks for a major change: Denial "She can't be serious! It's perfect the way it is!"
Despair, "Maybe it's not working, but there's no way I can fix it."
Acceptance, "I can't see how to do it yet, but there's going to be a way."
And finally, "Ah, ha! This is exactly what needs to happen."
Sometimes if an editor asks for major cuts or changes I copy the whole ms into a new document, so mine is still intact and I can try what she suggests without feeling I have to commit to it. Usually when I see it like that, I can see that most of what she's suggested is right.
Of course you won't agree with everything an editor suggests. Sometimes they will miss the point of what you meant; sometimes they'll suggest a change that is contrary to what you mean. But even if their change isn't right, it nearly always means that there's something in that scene, paragraph or sentence isn't working, and you need to look at it again.
And occasionally, an editor will simply have misread, or have a different opinion, and you'll feel passionately that this is something you can't change. So don't. It's your book, and your name on the cover.
I've been lucky over the years, and have worked with a variety of editors - and learned from all of them. We haven't always seen eye to eye during the process, but the best editors are the ones who've challenged and pushed me to take this ms into the book I want and haven't always known how to find.
Labels: children's literature, editing
The March of Books in Israel
My wonderful Hebrew translator, Gili Bar-Hillel Semo, recently emailed to tell me
that "Nim's Island" was voted the most popular book for 4th to 6th graders in "Mits'ad Hasfarim" - "The March of Books".
This is an interesting award: there's a jury-selected shortlist that includes all sorts of books, some very old, and then a poll of Israeli schoolchildren conducted by the department of education. (Sounds like a wonderful way to do it!)
So, I'm thrilled!
Here are some of the other winners - (Gili says she's omitted Israeli books I couldn't have heard of):
1. NIM'S ISLAND by Wendy Orr
3. THE ISLAND ON BIRD STREET by Uri Orlev
4. PRIhttp://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1147064&id=669674397NCE CASPIAN by C.S.Lewis
6. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID by Jeff Keaney
8. THE LEGEND OF SPUD MURPHY by Eoin Colfer
10. WHITE BOOTS by Noel Streatfeild (Gili translated this one too)
Labels: Nim's Island Israel; "Mits'ad Hasfarim" - "The March of Books".
