By Kourtney LaFavre Children experience the world differently than adults. They have a natural curiosity and desire to learn about the world around them. When writing for children and young adults, it's important to know and understand the audience you are serving. A wonderful way to gain a deeper awareness of who you're writing for (and find inspiration for stories) is to go back to your own childhood. It may seem a little strange for some people but you can talk to your inner child too. Here are some questions to ponder from your childhood or to ask your inner child:
My inner child is where I found the inspiration for IF SUN COULD SPEAK, illustrated by Saki Tanaka. I was enrolled in a course with Children’s Book Academy, and Mira (director of CBA and picture book whisperer) prompted us to think of a problem or question we had as a child. That piqued my interest, so I set the intention to recall a childhood memory that would make a great story. It was the next day that a memory from my childhood popped up. I was about five or six when I first discovered that the sun doesn’t actually rise and set. I had assumed that the sun was moving up and down in the sky, because the word RISE means to move upward. That was the definition that my five year old self understood, and five year old brains are very literal. It totally blew my mind that it was the earth’s movement that created sunrises and sunsets. And I felt mad that I was mislead to believe inaccurate information. I was frustrated whenever I heard people say anything about the sun RISING. That’s where the concept of a book told from the sun’s perspective began, to clear up any misunderstandings about the sun. I took my childhood feelings and transferred them to the main character, Sun. Sun would be a feisty character, wanting to teach people the truth. I pictured Sun saying things like, “How dare they think I rise. I do not rise.” The title to my first draft was I DO NOT RISE. The main character, evolving through many revisions, kept a slightly egotistical trait. It happens when the world revolves around you. Sun had two goals when talking to readers: One is to share information about who Sun is and what Sun does. And the second: to inspire readers to wonder and search for discoveries. Traveling back in time to your childhood is a wonderful exercise to gain a deeper understanding of children, and you can use it to fuel your writing for children. You may even find the inspiration for your next story while you are there!
By Melissa Stoller This month, focus on picking ideas that MAY blossom and turn into manuscripts. Here are a few prompts to help you get started. 1) Use the word “MAY” as a prompt. Write the word on a sheet of paper or on your computer screen and see what springs to mind. Also write the word “MAYBE” and see if you conjure up a different list of story possibilities. Image from Canva 2) Do an internet image search using the words “MAY” and “IMAGES.” Maybe some of the images will spark inspiration for a story title, line, or plot point. 3) Check out this calendar of May holidays – perhaps a holiday such as “Bird Day,” “No Socks Day,” or “Frog Jumping Day” will set the tone as a jumping off point for a new manuscript. https://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/may.htm 4) Enjoy springtime in your neighborhood. Take a nature walk and sketch flowers, animals, people, and more. Perhaps write a poem about one of your sketches. And then use the words and images for a story idea. 5) Reminisce about your favorite activities in May . . . family trips, holidays and celebrations, outings, foods, games, movies, and books. Maybe some memories from childhood will filter to the top of your consciousness and bloom into an idea. Happy MAY, and may your ideas turn into exquisite bouquets this month! Let me know in the comments how you are finding ideas this season. MELISSA’S BIO: Melissa Stoller writes to bring connection, joy, and a bit of magic to her readers. She is the author of the chapter book series The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection - Return to Coney Island, and the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush; Ready, Set, GOrilla!; Sadie’s Shabbat Stories; Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom; and Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom (co-written with Callie Lovvorn and Shirin Rahman). Melissa is a Blogger and Course Assistant for the Children’s Book Academy, a Rate Your Story Judge, a volunteer with SCBWI/MetroNY, a Book Meshuggenahs member, a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Advisory Council member, and a past school and synagogue Trustee. She also interviews authors and offers resources on her blog. In other chapters of her life, Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer/editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and Central Park walks. Melissa is represented by Jonathan Rosen at The Seymour Agency. CONNECT WITH MELISSA: https://www.MelissaStoller.com https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller www.twitter.com/melissastoller www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller By Shirin Shamsi Writing is a journey with many twists and turns. We can all agree on the fact that every writer has their own unique path to publication. One of the most frustrating “stops” in the journey is the one of waiting. When you know you have a manuscript which you have polished to a shine; when you feel satisfied you have given it your all, after many rounds of critiques, much editing, multiple revisions. You hold your breath when it goes out on submission- and wait. And wait. Crickets. Cicadas. Silence. It can feel like an eternity. You begin second guessing your abilities as a writer. Maybe I’m not good enough? (It happens to the best of us!!) It’s all part and parcel of this path we have chosen as writers. Patience is what we need. Helpings of it, and then some. The best advice I can give is, once you send your said baby out into the world, then move on to your next project. Throw yourself into it, so that one day, weeks or months from now, when you hear back - an offer for acquisition, perhaps a contract - then it will be a wonderful well deserved surprise you can celebrate. Until then, keep creating. Keep writing. Onward and upward.
By Kourtney LaFavre Hello Again! I wanted to use this month's opportunity to share about social-emotional learning (SEL) and what to consider when writing/illustrating for children and young adults that supports development of social-emotional learning. SEL, according to the Committee for Children is “the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.” Social-emotional skills help all people successfully manage everyday life, make good decisions, and be good friends, family, and community members. It also helps to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve goals, and develop empathy. SEL is important to thriving relationships, communities, and global success. So what does this have to do with children's literature? Literature is an opportunity for readers to experience and feel things through text and images. Stories allow us to explore human social and emotional life as we identify with characters’ desires, challenges, motives and feelings. As a mom and educator I have always turned to books to help my children, students, families, and myself whenever faced a struggle. Have a kid that's afraid of the dark or having trouble making friends? There's books for that! Is your family moving or struggling with the loss of a family member? There's books for that! Teens struggling to figure out where they fit in? There's books for that! I think you get my point. Writing and illustrating for children is an opportunity to reach readers and help them not only learn or connect with something new, but also help support their social-emotional development. Some things to consider when writing and/or illustrating to support SEL in children and young adults:
by Bryan Patrick Avery Once you’ve written and published a book, you will eventually be asked to present your writing in some way, shape, or form. This can be a fun way to connect with your readers, interact with teachers and librarians, and network with other authors. It can also be terrifying. #1 –Introducing Yourself Depending on where you’re presenting, you might be introduced by your host at the start of your presentation. Whether someone introduces your or not, be prepared to start your talk with a brief introduction of your own. This simple introduction should include the following items:
For example, my introduction for an event honoring the Tuskegee Airmen might go something like this: “Hello, my name is Bryan Patrick Avery. I write picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels. Some of my books include, OFF BASE, EARL LEARNS A LESSON, and the MR. GRIZLEY’S CLASS series. Today, I’m excited to talk to you about my picture book, THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH.” #2 –Introducing Your Book Immediately after that, you can jump into talking about your book. You’ll want to start with these three things:
Here’s an example. “THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH was illustrated by Jerome White. It is the story of young girl whose father, a Tuskegee Airman, is arrested during the 1945 Freeman Field Mutiny. I’m honored to be able to talk about this book on the day of dedication of the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Dedication at Freeman Field.” #3 – Honoring Your Audience Lastly, remember to honor your audience. This can mean many things but, for starters, focus on these two:
This last point is critical. If you are doing a book launch event, make sure to show your gratitude to your audience for coming out to support you. If you’re presenting at a larger event with a theme or objective, make sure to tie your remarks back to that theme. One last word on presenting. One of the most important keys to a good presentation is your comfort. Your style is yours and yours alone. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to look or sound like someone else. If you love PowerPoint, use it. If you’d rather stand up with just your book in your hands do it. Ultimately, the best presentations are the ones that come from the heart. Well, that’s all for this month. Happy writing presenting and have a magical month. Bryan Patrick Avery is an award-winning poet and author of more than a dozen books for children including the middle grade collective biography, BLACK MEN IN SCIENCE, illustrated by Nikita Leanne and THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH, illustrated by Jerome White. Bryan is also the author of the middle-grade story, “The Magic Day Mystery”, which appears in SUPER PUZZLETASTIC MYSTERIES, the Jake Maddox JV Mysteries OFF BASE and SOCCER SUSPICIONS, the early chapter book series, MR. GRIZLEY’S CLASS, illustrated by Arief Putra, and the picture books EARL LEARNS A LESSON and MAX’S MAGIC CHANGE, both illustrated by Roman Diaz. He is the 2021 recipient of the SCBWI Work in Progress Award for his chapter book mystery THE ROBOT IN THE LIBRARY. Bryan serves on the Board of Directors of the Northern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and is an Amplify Black Stories Fellow, a joint program presented by the Brown Bookshelf and the Highlights Foundation. Bryan lives in Northern California with his family. |
We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our awesome bloggers!!
Here's our lineup: 1st Mondays begin with former school psychologist Dr. Debra Collins who will be writing about Social emotional Learning in kidlit and behind the scenes as well as Jewish children's books. 2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books. 3rd Mondays will feature our new blogger coming soon. 4th Mondays features new blogger, the fabulous Brentom Jackson, who has a beautiful approach to blogging. And 5th Mondays we'll be taking a break Archives
May 2024
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