RAINE, a local interior designer with a shop on my parade, arranged a Christmas Wreath-making workshop. If you come knocking at my door (left), you'll see my splendid artwork!
Using secateurs, cut pine branches about 8cm long and poke one end at an angle into previously soaked oasis (wreath diameter 30cm approx). Alternate clockwise and anticlockwise directions.
Result!
After Saturday's focus on my writing, Sunday was picture book day for me. This was the main draw to the conference weekend. I had to get working on new picture book ideas.
It all began with the Pitch competition entry. (Incidentally, I didn't win but I had my pitch ready for a picture book submission on the following Monday. Fingers crossed!). Then on to Chris Wormell's breakout session, Style Versus Content: Working In Different Media.
This is the style I recognise as Chris Wormell in his first book:
Blue Rabbit and Friends
And this:
George and the Dragon
Chris felt limited by his wood engraving techniques and colour pencils took too long. He said that using Watercolour in books like George And The Dragon, gave him the chance to be more realistic in his illustration. More realistic! He passed around some of his original lino engravings - the detail in the rhino cut, for example was astonishing and highly realistic by my standards! If anything, I would say the dragon is less realistic but it is more immediate and makes you feel part of the action.
As the session continued, I began to be inspired by his work all over again as he revealed, Molly and the Night Monster
Painted on 300gms of heavy weight pre-toned paper. I asked him how he masked out areas of his work (by now I really am thinking of painting again, even though I said I'd given up!) - masking fluid and silicone molding brushes, he replied. Right.
Chris is a perfectionist. His first four spreads are thrown away before he's happy.
Just when we thought it was all over - Chris offers each of us a double-page spread to work on. We had a choice to write the text for one of his illustrations or to illustrate some of his text. I chose the latter and I'm very proud of my first rough. I wonder if I'd be happy after my fourth attempt!
When I showed this to Chris, he said it reminded him of the giant story he had been working on and never quite finished - he showed us his rough spreads for this story in the afternoon talk. This was probably the most exciting moment of the whole weekend - seeing his roughs. It all starts with the roughs...
pssst!
Andersen Press sent me their calendar for 2009 and they're in it - The Quiet Woman and the Noisy Dog
'Small children will relish this great read-aloud story with its satisfying ending.'
Hear that, eCritquers - a satisfying ending after all! (After a little revision, naturally.)
Can't wait until 5th.
Still buzzing from the morning and the night before, I joined the breakout session with Lee Weatherly talking about writing series fiction. I can do that; I have done that; now how do I get it published!
Unfortunately for me, Lee began by introducing us to her latest series Glitterwings Academy: Flying High No. 1 (Glitterwings Academy)
No!
The school for fairies is the glittering example of the books I came across while co-writing the first in our series of books for 5 to 8 year olds about - a school for fairies. Back to the drawing board or in this case, Lee's Powerpoint presentation.
Yes, I know it says Titania Woods - love the name too. O.K. Don't rub it in!
So, what is Series Fiction?
Books in a series are stories linked by the same characters in the same world that have been planned as a series from the start or that are developed in to one. Some authors produce 1 book a year, like Anthony Horowitz and Jacqueline Wilson others like Lee, 1 every 2 months.
The key to the success of series fiction, Lee tells us, is Wish Fulfilment. The characters do things the reader wishes to be able to do themselves. The key to selling the idea to a publisher is the USP or Unique Selling Point. How does your series differ from what is already out there? Are there any other series about a school for fairies? (grrr!). The competition is fierce. There's ASTROSAURS by Steve Cole - Dinosaurs in Space and now ASTROSAURS ACADEMY- a school for dinosaurs in space; BEAST QUEST - 6 different mythical creatures; MAGIC BALLERINA, Darcy Bussell. HORRID HENRY by Francesca Simon; FAME SCHOOL by Cindy Jeffries and the one that never seems to fade, SECRET SEVEN by Enid Blyton.
The common theme is the magical fantasy adventure. A cosy series of stories that work as independent titles. The reader doesn't have to read all the books to understand each story (as opposed to a serial with the story arc over several books) but they may want to collect them!
Lee turns to us and asks, is series fiction for you? I'm beginning to ask myself the same question. Could I devote my life to book after book about one character or set of characters for a series? (Harry Potter is a serial, so he doesn't count - but yes, in this case). I have no trouble thinking like a child, I have great difficulty writing quickly, I'm still learning story structure and I think I would struggle to be consistent in a series if I were sick of the story. SO - probably not - yet.
All cameras were out at the SCBWI Annual Conference, except mine - I haven't worked out how to take good photos indoors at a distance with or without a flash. I took this one the night before at the Friday Critiquers' meal.
Ah, the wonders of facebook - I virtually met the group of illustrators in my critique group which helped us spot each other in the crowded foyer. Funny how just a few words exchanged online can help you focus on the purpose of the event - to discuss each others' work and go away feeling that you know the next step in your book proposal. I think this set the tone of the whole weekend. From the moment we entered the room, there was a buzz about it. Many of the critque groups had already read and made notes on each others work and were keen to talk about it. I thought we'd have had difficulty hearing each other but the moment the circles closed in, heads were down and the serious business of discussing the art and craft of story, began.
Natascha Biebow opened the conference reminding us that the Professional Series was in its 5th year and plans are already under way for the next in 2009. There will be a new UNDISCOVERED VOICES Anthology in 2010 with a launch in March 2009 and to get our competitive juices flowing at the conference 2008 - there was the last chance to pin up comics for the extravaganza and time to fine-tune the 2-line pitch before the deadline the next morning. I skipped to my first chosen breakout session - Lee Weatherly and her talk on Series Fiction. I'll be back with the details in my next post!
My fellow critters:
Jo Loring-Fisher
Mary Harris
Paul Morton
Jamie Stevenson
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