I
contemplated showing a movie "You've Got Mail" in class.
It does a good job of presenting the atmosphere of a children's
book store and a bit of the business machinations that must go on
in the retail end of the business. It is a nice tale with a happy
ending, but might not make an appropriate story for a children's
book. Seeing the collected number of picture & story books with
little stories about the books makes for a satisfying experience.
I recommend it even if I don't require it.
In
our text book the authors spend several chapters talking about storytelling,
and the process of making a children's book from a well tried story.
Sometimes the story is written for an individual child and sometimes
for more. However they recommend giving the story a repeated trial,
telling it several times to gauge reactions and modify the form.
In addition the process of story telling enhances our abilities
making us better children's book authors.
Earnest
Hemingway often told about his writing process. He set aside several
hours (4) a day and did nothing else while he sat in front of his
typewriter. Sheer boredom would get the best of him and he would
write - forcing a process that never waited for inspiration. Many
hundreds of years have been spent waiting for inspiration. By comparison
a little lost time sitting in front of a typewriter seems like a
small thing. A computer keyboard is a bit different, there are always
internet places to explore and pastime computer games to eat up
our concentration. Concentration and focus seem like relics of a
bygone era, but they are as close as our desire and imagination.
I have said that I don't believe in talent. I believe in desire
and tenacity. If you have these you will do what you need to do
to get what you want.
On
the pragmatic side, keep in mind the fact that the initial consumer
is the adult parent or buyer who looks for interesting worthy examples
to give to children. You are writing for them too. A good escapist
story serves a wider audience than you think; remember the "children's"
book "Harry Potter"! What they enjoy as children, or what
they can imagine enjoying by the child within they will enjoy today.
We also write for the child within that adult. As the parents buy,
so the children will read what is provided. Write for the former
child - the audience is vast.
Last week's homework: http://www.loisbrandt.com/Princess.html
Last
time I mentioned that the text for children's books is often put
together in thematic formats. In the movie, Meg Ryan's character
describes the "Shoe books" by Noel Streatfeild [Ballet
Shoes, Dancing Shoes, and others]. In other creative forms, there
is often a theme or series that serves as a cohesive link to a collection
of works.
I once
asked a mentor to tell me how he was able to produce enough work
for 5 one-man shows a year. He told me that in every good
idea it is possible to produce variations in size color or emphasis
to manage at least 5 pieces per good idea. This also generates a
process of perfecting the original concept to produce an ultimate
or "prize-winning" piece that could be used for competitive
work or for museum donations to make the artist's name. I've never
been at a loss for good ideas since that time. This process will
translate well into any other creative work generating a series
of short stories or eventually a series of books.hese devices are
relatively easy to conjure into existence, but can be difficult
to polish and refine into authentically appropriate forms that serve
the purpose. Sometimes too much fiddling can have a negative effect
on the result, but the fact remains that poetry is the fine art
of writing carried to its natural upper limit. At the same time
poetry can represent the ultimate degeneration - the limerick. Keep
the first in view, while avoiding the second.
Most "how-to-books suggest many ways to construct our tales:
character studies, plot lines and word pictures. Images are a big
part of children's books, whether written or drawn, they paint the
pictures we see when we read the books and influence how the story
is accepted or remembered. Whether we choose picture book or story
book, the job of the illustrator is integral. Remember that we are
telling two stories, one with words and word pictures and one with
pictures, designed to stand alone apart from the writing to convey
almost the same story as the words, but designed to augment and
enhance the experience of the word pictures. Neither should be dominant,
as far as we are able to control such things. Learn to draw word
pictures as well as thumbnail sketches to help explain the work
to yourself as well as your audience. Use the journal & sketchbook
as a prod to memory or as a tangible memory extension for editing
& future work. Record your ideas while thinking & composing.
Allow yourself to make images not much more than doodles to generate
ideas. Illustrate your stories as you write. |
