Friday, August 21, 2015

SCBWI-MI Conferences: Looking Forward and Back

Registration is now open for the SCBWI-MI Fall Conference - Homegrown Talent on October 3, 2015 in Dexter, MI. The jam-packed day will feature a variety of presentations for writers and illustrators, as well as editorial critiques and portfolio reviews.

Maybe you've already registered and are looking forward to the event (like me!) or maybe you're questioning if it's worth your time and money. Betsy McKee Williams attended the SCBWI-MI Hook of the Book conference in May, and even though the primary focus was on an amazing illustrator (E.B. Lewis), Betsy took away many lessons as a writer too.

A Writer Learns from Illustrators at Hook of the Book by Betsy McKee Williams

I’m writing middle grade novels and, while I am also interested in writing picture books, I will never be an illustrator. So I debated registering for Hook of the Book. But this conference was so close (only 10 miles from my home) and, thanks to the generosity of Thomson-Shore publishers, so affordable. And I love to learn. So I went.

I am so glad I did.

E.B. suggested that SCBWI might be called the Society of Children's Storytellers, and introduced himself as the one who "writes the pictures."

He started his talk with a metaphor: Some of us speak English, some French or Italian, and illustrators speak Visual Language. I found this metaphor very apt, because I spent much of the day translating his advice to illustrators into words for novelists, and building conceptual bridges between words and illustrations.

Here are just a few examples.

E.B. spoke of perspective, of the angle from which we view the illustration. Are we at the characters' level? Or do we view the characters from below or from above? How far above? And how does the perspective affect our connection to the characters and to the story?

And I thought about point of view: first person, close third, omniscient...

E.B. told illustrators not to have a character look directly at readers, because doing so "breaks the wall."

And I thought of avoiding second person point of view.

E.B. told illustrators to keep the light source consistent. He showed us images of outdoor scenes where the light and shadows were not consistent with having one sun in the sky.

And I thought of avoiding "head hopping," and of revising for consistent point of view.

E.B. and Matt Faulkner both discussed technical aspects of how they illustrate, answering questions about the steps they take from sketch or storyboard to finished illustration.

And I thought an analogy for writers might include an outline. (But I wouldn't know... I confess that I don't start with one.)

Both illustrators shared specific ideas for illustrating characters to convey personality and emotion, and for showing setting.

And I thought of much specific advice to writers on writing dialogue and showing character emotion*, and of my struggle to select only the best bits from my extensive (excessive?) research, to show historical setting without subjecting my readers to info-dumps.

Leslie Helakoski's presentation gave me a great overview of qualities to look for in published picture books, and to build into my own texts. And the QA session gave me helpful insight into how illustrators work with authors. (The short version: most work separately.)

E.B. spoke of revision, and of the love of the process. He told us to allow ourselves to make mistakes: "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which to keep."

Those words certainly apply to writers as well as to illustrators.

At the start E.B. said that, just as we in the western world read words from left to right, we read pictures in the same way. While I think I knew that truth before the conference, I came away a much more sophisticated reader of images. And I learned a great deal about how illustrators compose and arrange images to tell a story and to hook the reader.

Novelists and illustrators both seek that hook!

Betsy McKee Williams lives in Ann Arbor, where she balances writing for children with a full time job and coordinates local Meet Ups for SCBWI.

The next Ann Arbor Meet Up is August 29th, 10-12:00 at the Ann Arbor District Library. Shutta Crum will speak about adding "extra value" to PB manuscripts. She will also collect new or like-new books to be donated to the Martin Co. library in Kentucky.

Here's everything you need to know about the fall conference:

SCBWI-MI Fall Conference 2015: Homegrown Talent

Learn from the amazing talent grown right here in Michigan! This will be a jam-packed one day conference held at Thompson-Shore in Dexter, Michigan on Saturday, October 3, 2015. Open to all who are interested in creating literature for children, it includes a limited number of onsite portfolio reviews and written editorial critiques. It is going to be an event that blossoms with enrichment, community, and fun. Join us!

For information regarding the Homegrown Talent Conference access the links below!

Conference will be held at Thomson-Shore: a book publisher, printer, and distributor
7200 Joy Road
Dexter, Michigan 48130

(Thomson-Shore is a 100% employee owned book publisher, printer, and distributor located in Dexter, Michigan. The venue lies 18 minutes west of the heart of Ann Arbor, an hour and a half east of Kalamazoo, two hours from central Grand Rapids, and five or so from da' UP, eh.)

Register HERE!

Coming up on the Mitten blog: Writing a Trilogy, a September back-to-school 3-part series on Voice, and another round of Hugs and Hurrahs. Please send your good news to Patti Richards at pgwrites5@gmail.com.

Have a great weekend!

Kristin Lenz

Friday, May 22, 2015

Let Me Hook You with Some Stories from the Conference by Charlie Barshaw

Here’s the thing about co-chairing an SCBWI-MI conference: you prepare for months, and then it’s over.

As for what happened between 8 am and 5:30 pm? Better to ask Kevin, the owner of Thomson-Shore and yoga partner of Deb Gonzales. Probably during some impossible pose, Kevin found that Deb was a member of the coolest kidlit organization in the world.

He graciously offered his facilities for our “Hook of the Book” conference featuring E.B. Lewis. Then, he sacrificed his day off and sat through the conference (when he wasn’t giving tours or answering TS questions).

Sorry though. Kevin’s not available. (Heavy sigh from some of the attendees; he’s alarmingly handsome.) All I’ve got is scribbled notes and random images, but I’ll try my best to tell some stories:

Deb Gonzales and E.B. Lewis

“Uh, E.B., it’s after midnight.” Deb and John Gonzales graciously opened their home for a Friday evening BBQ, and by 10 pm only people named Gonzales and Barshaw remained, talking with E.B. The conversation flowed deep and easy, and though I often checked my dumb-phone clock, it wasn’t until pumpkin time that I spoke up. E.B. slept about 5 hours before the conference.

“We are storytellers.” With a dozen round tables, illustrators and writers found themselves neighbors. E.B. cemented their friendship when he assured us all that, no matter what language we use, our vision is to tell stories. And, like learning a new language, we are not truly fluent until we can tell a joke.

“You need to go down the rabbit hole.” Lewis Carroll brought Alice to life for readers because he didn’t just dispassionately describe the wild journey, he became part of it. In every story we tell, visual or textual, we don’t hold the snow globe in our hand, we are inside it, being shaken. “We,” said E.B. “are in the business of amazement.”

The picture book “is a movie between two pieces of cardboard.” Every element of the art and text needs to enhance the story. E.B. described a movie scene where the ultimate care was taken in choosing the curtain fabric, just so that when it fluttered in the breeze, the viewer would understand that something was coming.

Image: E.B. sauntering through the lobby in a tailored shirt. The conference finally over (E.B. stayed long to sign books, then longer to do more portfolio reviews), he had a moment to “freshen up” before we drove to the restaurant. Six foot three with a washboard stomach, I asked, with his hectic travel schedule, how he remained so slim. “I do 100 pushups and 250 crunches every morning.”

“I thought YOU were keeping the time.” From 9:40 till noon Sunday morning, E.B. offered seven illustrators twenty minute portfolio reviews. The first one ended exactly on time (no breaks for E.B.). However, the second ran over 7 minutes, because E.B. expected me to knock. From then on, I pounded as time expired, yet he stayed extra minutes with each illustrator, intent on giving each what they needed. He finished at 12:15 pm.

“Take it all in, then give it all back.” No time to even dine at a nice restaurant before he rode to the airport, E.B. ate a burger and laptop-played Ruth and Leslie and I the inspirational film he had mentioned, Celebrate What’s Right in the World. National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones espouses a positive life-outlook, and E.B. obviously embraces it.

E.B. Lewis gave it all back to us this weekend.

Charlie Barshaw has resolved to try E.B.'s workout regimen, though he'll start with 1 pushup and 2 crunches. His squirrel MG rests comfortably in a drawer as he enthusiastically tackles a modern YA version of Treasure Island.

Enjoy a few more photos from E.B. Lewis's visit with SCBWI-MI, and stay tuned for Ruth McNally Barshaw's illustrator's perspective of the Hook of the Book weekend.

E.B. Lewis and Ruth McNally Barshaw

Picture book Power: Leslie Helakoski, Shutta Crum, and Deb Pilutti

Happy birthday to SCBWI-MI Co-RA, Carrie Pearson!