Where do you want to land in 2009?

It was great to see everyone at the Illustrators Schmooze in OC on Saturday. And thanks to Marilyn Scott-Waters for leading us through our goal setting exercise. For those who weren't able to attend, here are the questions we discussed.

What are your current projects?
What are your big goals for 2009? What do you want to do?
What are some small steps to get you there?
What is your stretch goal? Your absolute wildest dream?
What part of your art career do you want to grow?
What would you do if you could not fail?

Let's help each other to accomplish our goals in 2009. Please bring your written goals to the next meeting. We want to hear about the small steps you took this month towards accomplishing your goals.

See you at the next schmooze on Saturday, February 21!

Veronica Walsh
green2cats@yahoo.com

January's LA Westside Writers Schmooze - First Lines!

Over 35 schmoozers (not all pictured here) met on Wednesday night, January 14, 2009, (in a room with enough light for people but clearly not enough for my camera), to talk about, analyze, and have our own first lines read aloud!

The incredible Rita Crayon Huang and myself (Lee Wind) steered the maiden voyage of our captaining the schmooze with some wisdom of, err... others!

I shared this quote to start us out:

"There are so many different kinds of writing and so many ways to work that the only rule is this: do what works. Almost everything has been tried and found to succeed for somebody. The methods, even the ideas, of successful writers contradict each other in a most heartening way, and the only element I find common to all successful writers is persistence - an overwhelming determination to succeed."

-Sophy Burnham

I like this quote because it kind of sets up that even though we were talking about a lot of "answers" at the schmooze, there may be other ways that work for people, and there's no single way to do it correctly.

Then Rita shared some great overall stuff about FIRST LINES:

A first line is a promise to the reader about what kind of book this is going to be. Often you can figure out a LOT of things from just the first line (or three.) Things like:

Genre
Setting,
Time,
Tone / Voice / Mood
Main Character —in most cases, though not all—
Intrigue – would you read on?
and even Theme

More on first lines (adapted from Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, by Donald Maass):

Some first lines speak in a narrative voice that engages, talking to us directly as if we are already listening.
Others have buried in them a little question that is begging to be answered, that makes us wonder, "What does that mean?"
Others present a physical situation that is in some way vivid or arresting.
Mood setting is a weaker way to go.
A detail that is a bit out of the ordinary can set us wondering why this place is different.
Good first lines lead us into the world of the novel. Each has a little mystery or intrigue that makes us want to know more.

And more, from an article, “Killer First Lines” by Susan Sundwall,

A dynamic first line will set the tone for your entire piece. It doesn't always have to be an explosive line, but it should arrest your readers' attention and entice them to read on.

Like that looming front door, the first line brings your reader through a portal into the world you've created for them. That line greets them with a smile, a leer, a shout or perhaps an awful truth.

The power of recall – Readers love a memorable first line. Like a perfect song lyric, it enables instant transport to some other place and time where borders are fuzzily defined and possibilities are endless.

The first line imparts information that often touches us on a subliminal level.

Then Rita shared what's perhaps the most often-cited FANTASTIC first line:

"Where's Papa going with that axe?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.

You may recognize this as the first line from E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. Take a look at all the information you can glean from it.

- Someone's child, Fern, is speaking.
- Curiosity and a touch of fear are expressed in her question
- There are at least three people present at the beginning of the story
- The story begins in the third person
- It's morning.

Words in Good Order
. . . So what has made the first line in Charlotte's Web memorable? . . . It may not seem so, but the actual arrangement of the words make a difference too. If we try some variations with the first six words we may find they lose some of their effectiveness.

"Why does Papa have the axe?"
"The sight of that axe worries me."
"It's a little early for Papa to be out with that axe."

. . . It could be that we lose the sense of motion or impending activity when the word "going" is omitted. Leave Papa out in the next variation and a crucial element goes missing; the presence of a perpetrator. And we lose some of the sense of urgency with the last, simple declarative sentence. None of the lines are grammatically faulty; they simply don't work as well.

Right away, he starts by threatening to tell a truth about life that not everyone would handle the same way. This is a hook that works for both grownups and children, no matter how aware you are of what’s coming.

Eric Drachman shared three earlier, very DIFFERENT drafts the author had written of this now-classic opening line, two of which had been written by hand and transcribed by a librarian. It was fascinating to see how many different ways you could start the same story, and yet how much better the one in the final book was!

Then we READ and discussed some real world first lines, trying to see which of the 7 points we could glean from just the first few words. Could we determine the Genre? Setting? Time? Tone? Main Character? Theme? And perhaps most important, was there a sense of intrigue? Did we want to read more?

Rita and I mixed and shared over 20 first lines of schmooze attendees, as well as about 8 first lines from published works. Everyone tried to figure out which was which, and by a show of hands, we voted on whether we'd want to read more.

If you want, you can play along at home with these published first lines. What can you figure out? Would you keep reading?

My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macarani-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a dog.

—Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo (MG, Newbery Honor). Candlewick Press, 2000

Pirates have green teeth—when they have any teeth at all.
I know about pirates, because one day, when I was at the beach building a sand castle and minding my own business, a pirate ship sailed into view. I knew what it was, because its flag had a skull and crossbones on it and because I could hear the pirates singing, “Hey, ho, blow the man down.”
They were a little off-key.

—How I Became A Pirate, Melinda Long. Ill. David Shannon. (PB) Harcourt Inc., 2003

The wolf tasted the babe's face with the tip of his tongue and pronounced her sweet, and the fox licked the back of her head to see if it was so. For the rest of her life, when this child grew into a faerie with bright eyes and a laugh as loud and unladylike as a crow's, that spot on her hair would never lie flat. And though she wouldn't remember the night the creatures had gathered round to look at her and taste and smell her, she would call those unruly hairs her foxlick, without knowing why.

- From "Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer" by Laini Taylor, G.P. Putnam's Sons (Penguin), 2007

Cowgirl Kate rode her horse, Cocoa, out to the pasture.
"It's time to herd cows," said Cowgirl Kate.
"I am thirsty," said Cocoa.

- From Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, By Erica Silverman, ill. by Betsy Lewin

SEPTEMBER
Tuesday
First of all, let me get something straight: This is a JOURNAL, not a diary. I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I SPECIFICALLY told her to get one that didn’t say “diary” on it.
Great. All I need is for some jerk to catch me carrying this book around and get the wrong idea.
[Cartoon follows here, of a big boy punching a smaller boy and saying, “Sissy!”]

—Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (MG, younger. Main character in 7th grade)
Amulet Books/Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2007

I'd never given much thought to how I would die - though I'd had reason enough in the last few months - but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.
I stared without breathing across the long room, into the dark eyes of the hunter, and he looked pleasantly back at me.

- Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer (YA, Little, Brown Young Readers, 2008)



Then, braving something NEW, Rita and I had everyone do a writing exercise. (Also from the Donald Maass workbook) For 5 silent minutes (okay, I actually got caught up in it and gave everyone 7 minutes!) people worked on this:

What is the intrigue factor in your opening line? What question does it pose, or what puzzle does it present? Write that down. If you can't answer that first question, try shortening your first line or try your second line for the lead spot. Or combine elements from your first paragraph into one short, super-charged sentence. Write your new first line down now.

Then we set goals. Rita and I urged everyone to set a goal for what you'd like to accomplish by next month's schmooze. Go ahead - you can do it now. It can be output (i.e., finish chapter 4) or input (write for 2 hours every week)
It can be craft or business... no matter what it is, try to set a goal - a realistic goal - for yourself and write it down.

We had everyone clump up in groups of 3 and share their goals with each other. (Share yours with a friend, or in the comments section below!) At the next meeting we'll group off again - in maybe different groups - and we'll let each other know how we did. Note: the motivational tool at work here is ACCOUNTABILITY, not humiliation - you won't have to announce to the whole schmooze whether you made it to 8 hours of writing or not - but you'll share and cheerlead with your small group.

And yes, Rita and I set goals as well...


And that was pretty much it. It was a great meeting, and our thanks to everyone for participating, bringing cookies and stuff to snack on, and most of all, for being brave enough to share your work - we all learned a lot!

See you next month, on February 11th, when we talk about CHARACTERS (details on the calendar, here!) Specifics on where and when the schmooze meets are here.


Namaste,

Lee

Happy New Year! Let's get together!

SCBWI Illustrators Schmoozes in O.C.
Saturday, January 17
and Saturday, February 21
10:30am - 11:30am
at the studio of Marilyn Scott-Waters

With a new year ahead of us, our topic for January is
Illustration Goals for 2009
Make plans so you know where you want to land.
2009 = Our year to shine!
Please come prepared to share your goals--or--to set a few.

As usual, bring your latest children's book project, dummy, or self promo--rough or complete--to share with the group.

See you on the 17th!

for info about the Illustrators Schmooze in O.C., please contact:
Veronica Walsh
green2cats@yahoo.com

San Fernando Valley Illus Schmooze Dec.

Our December discussion was: What good book have you read lately and/or your favorite children’s book character? (we had books to share and books to trade. If you haven't seen some of these check them out!)

There are so many greats that we discussed and a few favorites were..
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type Doreen Cronin
Olivia by Ian Falconer
Corduroy by Don Freeman
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willlems

Also more favorites from others:
Published in 1964, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh was a top read. Also the two female characters in children’s books that you can identify with while growing up are Ramona from the Beverly Cleary series and Pippi Longstockingby Astrid Lindgren (Haven’t you ever wanted to travel and be an exotic adventurer just like Pippi).

Your favorites… Emily’s Runaway Imagination and Golden Name Day, by Jennie D Lindquist. It might have been the illustrations by Garth Williams that drew me in, or the idea of a Name Day. The two books that followed are The Little Silver House and The Crystal Tree

Frances the badger from Bread and Jam for Frances. Nancy Drew and anything by Judy Blume. Thank God for Judy Blume.

The children in The Box Car Children, School House in the Woods and Clematis were three of my favorites, and of course all three of Jennie’s books.

Sarah crewes, of the little princess, by fhb, and loved her generosity!, and how resourceful she was!

Helen Fuller Orton’s mystery books, and Edgar Eager’s magic books, and all of Alcott’s and also all of the five little peppers, and all of a kind family.

Characters that you grow to love and children can’t get enough of..
What is your favorite character?

South Bay Writer's and Illustrator's Schmooze

Happy New Year..
From the South Bay Writer's & Illustrator's Schmooze.We hope you all have had a lovely Holiday with your friends and families..
And are gearing up for a fantastic 2009!!!

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events, starting with a fantastic speaker; Published author/illustrator, June Sobel.

Also. the South Bay Schmooze will be starting the first annual Writer & Illustrator Exchange in February & March. Come to our Schmooze on Feb 10 to participate.


January 31st - One Rhyme at a Time - My Road to Picture Book Publication
Guest Speaker: June Sobel shares about her road to publication and shares the journey from messy first drafts to press ready final lines. She will bring illustration sketches and discuss the collaboration between illustrator, author and editor
10:30 - 12:30 at Bobaloca - Manhattan Beach
RSVP to Suzanne - South Bay Schmooze mailto:gibsonandgibson@socal.rr.com


February 10th: "Schmooze" = Bobaloca - Manhattan Beach 7 - 9:00 p.m.
**** 1st annual Writer & Illustrator Exchange - Part One****
Bring a one page descriptive introduction / or 8 x 10 illustration of a NEW character -sealed in an envelope. We will exchange characters and write/illustrate, with our collaborations revealed at the meeting in March!!!
Discussion Topic: Short Stories and Quick Sketches / Submitting work to trades, magazines, and educational resource publications.


March 28th - : Saturday Morning - Writer's and Illustrator's Schmooze
**** 1st annual Writer & Illustrator Exchange - Part Two****
Reveal the illustrations and share the developed characters exchanged at the Feb meeting. The final results will be posted on our schmooze website and a viewer's choice will be posted!!!!
Discussion Topic: REFRESHING NEW IDEAS!!! HOW TO PITCH A STORY. and get it down in writing.
Bristol Farms / Redondo Beach
10:00 - 12:00


Suzanne C. Gibson & Jessica Chrysler
SCBWI - South Bay Schmooze Coordinator's

December's LA Westside Writers Schmooze - Best Tips On "The Writer's Life"

In the Finale of their illustrious run as Schmooze Coordinators, Sara Wilson Etienne and Greg Pincus led December’s LA Westside Schmooze this past Wednesday night in a great think-tank style discussion of tips and advice about “The Writer’s Life.” 35 people participated in extending our appreciation to Sara and Greg, and everyone enjoyed the cupcakes, conversation, and camaraderie!

Here are some of the best tips shared (and if you recall others, or didn’t get a chance to chime in at the Schmooze, join the discussion now in “comments!”)

On What to Write

“Write your passion.”

“Write what you love.”

On How to Write

“You just have to have faith in the gradual accrual of pages.”

“Just spew it.”

“Just keep writing because you can’t edit a blank page.”

Put a cap on covering your eyes while you’re writing so you can’t go backwards to try to make the earlier stuff perfect… just go forwards.


On Making Time

If you have a favorite TV show and no time to write – stop watching your show and you’ll suddenly have that regular time every week.

Some authors put their kids to bed in the clean clothes they’ll wear the next day to school – it saves time in the morning!

Some authors let housework slide (“You can eat off my kitchen floor. For a week.”)

Write first thing in the morning while your gate keeper/built-in self-editor is still asleep.

Set a kitchen timer and you have to write until it rings.

Piggyback on another commitment so you write after or before you do something else that is set in your schedule.

Schedule blocks of time to write as appointments.

Try not to obsess so much on the “business” side of being a writer that you don’t have time left to write.

On Motivation

Set aside time just to write.

Give yourself permission to be quirky about your process (one author only writes at writer retreats, another only at cafes…)

Give yourself permission to write crap.

Give yourself permission to write as something positive you’re doing for yourself.

Set yourself up for success: leave yourself something fun to do right away the next time you sit down to write.

Try writing the first paragraph of the next chapter so you have an easier start to the next writing session.

Try reviewing your work from the time before as a way to get started.

Try a writing exercise to “limber up” your writing muscles.

Sometimes doing some menial task (making models, walking, etc…) can trigger your creative thoughts on your story – part of your brain is busy, freeing up the story part…

Use contest and magazine submission deadlines as motivators.

Tell some kids you’ll have it ready to share with them – you won’t want to disappoint them.

Get over your guilt about enjoying writing or taking the time to write.


On How Writing is Hard AND Joyful

“People like having children but they don’t like giving birth”

“Writing that perfect sentence – there’s nothing like it.”


On Community

Go to workshops and conferences and schmoozes – approach writing as a career.

A lot of The Writers Life is about building a community around yourself (for support, advice, and to feel like you’re not alone)

Take yourself seriously as a writer – respect yourself and your time, and once you do, others (family, friends) will respect you as a professional, too.

Just ‘cause it looks like you’re on the couch, um… napping, you are actually WORKING (thinking), and that’s hard for non-writers to understand.

On Submitting

You’ve got to send the work out!

“Eventually cream rises to the top.”

“Don’t throw something out there that’s half baked.”

“Never give up!”


On Impatience

We’re pretty much all impatient about the process.

You don’t want to send things out too soon. You don’t want to let your work sit in a drawer and never submit it to be published. And once you have submitted your work, it takes months and months… with all the waiting, what can you do?

Try blogging.

Submit stuff to magazines.

And start a new writing project!



Books recommended by attendees:

“The Vein of Gold” by Julia Cameron (by the author of “The Artists Way”)


Websites recommended by attendees:

Jott.com - register your cell phone, you leave messages and it sends you an email of your dictation.

Critiquecircle.com – a place to have your work critiqued online.



Happy Holidays to all, and Happy New Year! Rita Crayon Huang and I (Lee Wind) hope to see you all at next months' schmooze on Wednesday, January 14, 2009. Topic: New Beginnings, First Lines! Check out more details on the Calendar, here!


Namaste,

Lee

ps- Thanks to Mara for baking and Graeme for documenting those awesome cupcakes!!!

Terrific Schmooze meeting West San Gabriel Valley

The West San Gabriel Valley Schmooze meets every other month at the Hastings Branch of the Pasadena Library.
Our topics vary, as does our attendance. This year's highlight was the presentation on picture books by two of our schmoozers, Ann Garrett and Susan Lendroth. In tandem, and with a professional flair which made us urge them to 'take their show on the road' they covered the creation of a picture book.

Susan is never without her 'note' notebook. An idea - a jot. She admits to breaking all the rules about limiting vocabulary, or avoiding rhyme. Her first picture book, Why Explore? was the result of responding to questions about the value of space exploration after a shuttle tragedy. It contains a variety of rhymed questions and answers about the importance of exploring new lands, the microscopic world, ancient civilizations, etc.

Ann's picture books include What's for Lunch, What's for Dinner, and Tales of Tails. Each is a book with lift-up flaps - and one had sales of more than 25,000 copies. Evidence of its success was the ear-splitting tantrum thrown by a boy who refused to let it go long enough for his mother to purchase it. The entire bookstore was treated to the shrieking enthusiasm of this young reader.

Both writers emphasized the importance of maintaining a constant work-in-progress, work submitted, idea-hatching ethic. With a delightful sense of humor, while facing the reality of today's grim marketplace, Ann and Susan are an act worth
booking.