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This June Illustration was sent in by Joanne Friar. You may recognize her work, since she was featured in March on Illustrator Saturday.   She says, “As a child I spent summer vacations hiking with my family and that tradition continued with our own children. Nothing says summer to me like the cool shade of a mountain forest and the smell of pine trees!  www.joannefriar.com

The Books Go On and On: Creating a Chapter Book Series – Workshop given by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

Written by: Tiffany Alexander

Sudipta gave us a great inside view of chapter book series creation. She narrowed down the topic of chapter book series to writing commercial/genre stories. The overriding principle is that, throughout the books in a series, a couple of elements stay the same, with some differences included in each book.

Sudipta stressed that series books (or any book) must start with character. The main character of a series will have to support the creation of many stories, so character is important.

1.)  The character has to be both charismatic (in that you can draw from him/her repeatedly for new stories) and ordinary (so that readers will be able to relate to the character).

2.)  The character should have one or two unique characteristics, weaknesses, or quirks to give them depth and make them interesting/sympathetic.

3.)   A character can be ordinary, but not boring or flat – give your character specific traits.

Sudipta advised us to “give the ordinary a bit of a kick.” She also showed how developing character can create the series hook. For example, for her series, Sudipta formed a character described as someone who is self-conscious about wearing glasses and feels it is a weakness. As Sudipta developed the character, she realized that the glasses (the character’s apparent weakness) would also hold special powers, and further, would be a source of conflict and strength. At first they were just glasses, but in the process of writing they became an object from which the story/plot emanated.

A well-formed series must also have a good cast of supporting characters. They will help maintain the series and make it rich in story possibilities. Sudipta named five different stock character types:

1.) The sidekick – stays with the main character through thick and thin; if there is more than one sidekick, each should bring something different to the table.

2.) The nemesis – a character who either intentionally or unintentionally gets in the main character’s way and foils his/her plans, and it could be someone who always seems more skilled or “better” than the main character in some way.

3.) The secret-sharer – a peer who knows the main character’s secrets or feelings, and  who might also impart wisdom or help keep the main character on track, without making decisions for the main character.

4.) The positive authority figure – possibly another source of wisdom or reason, or someone who offers comfort to the main character, and often someone the main character wishes to emulate or does not want to disappoint.

5.) The negative authority figure – someone who has power over and creates difficulty for the main character, not necessarily the person who creates the big problem, but who is still problematic in some way, think “mean school principal” or the like.

Interactions between characters are definitely key.

Setting is impor

Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen is this months featured author to critique this months first page picture prompt.  She is the author of many, many books for children, ranging from fourteen picture books to over a dozen    nonfiction books for young readers. Her picture book Quackenstein    Hatches a Family was selected for the California Readers 2011 Book Collections for School Libraries. Ballots for Belva was named to the 2009 Amelia Bloomer List and received an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award in 2008 and Tightrope Poppy, the High-Wire Pig was named one of the Best Children’s Books of the Year in 2007 by the Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street. Flying Eagle was a National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Book  selection for Students K–12 in 2010 and was named one of the Bank    Street’s Best Children’s Books of the Year in 2010. Her science book, Nature Science Experiments, was named a finalist for the 2011 AAAS/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Excellence in Science Books. And her books Chicks Run Wild and Hampire! are her personal favorites, and just fabulous.

Below are four submissions and Sudipta’s critiques. Click this link if you want to see the picture prompt.

Eddie’s Tall Tale

One strength of this excerpt is that it is very visually evocative. This is not an easy thing to accomplish in so few words. You make some great language choices and overall, this is a good first step toward creating an illustratable Halloween manuscript. Here are some of my thoughts.

As Eddie spun his new tall tale, the children watched in awe.

Eddie leapt above the flames, a snarl spread cross his jaw.

“a snarl spread cross his jaw” doesn’t read like natural phrasing to me

“I took a shortcut home after my Trick or Treat last year.

The wooded path was dark, but I was brave.  I had no fear!

Again, “I had no fear” is strange phrasing for a child character – that is a very adult statement.

Halfway through the forest I heard rustling in the trees.

I held my breath and listened, shaking slightly in my knees.

A slight side note – your meter is very consistent, which is quite important when trying to publish rhyme.

I ate a chewy chocolate bar to calm my jumpy jitters.

‘I ain’t afraid of you!’ I shouted at the hidden critters.

Marching like a soldier does, I headed out of there.

No silly little squirrel would give me another scare.

At this point, I’m noticing several places where Eddie’s phrasing doesn’t seem child-like (“shaking slightly in my knees,” “my jumpy jitters,” “Marching like a soldier does”), so I’m starting to wonder. Because Eddie is trick or treating and carrying candy, he struck me as a child, and while I know it is a “tall tale,” I’m worried that kids wouldn’t purposefully tell a tall tale. They embellish, but usually that means the stories they tell are grounded in reality. Since Eddie is going home alone, he is coming off as older, not a child – but then, why has he been trick or treating? The logic of this bothers me.

Heavy shuffling footsteps followed close upon my trail.

I walked a little faster, then I ran and clutched my pail.

Witches?  Ghosts or demons?  What was chasing me that night?

What terror they did give me!  I had never felt such fright!

A vicious, snarling grizzly sprang before me in a flas

The Deadline for sending in your first page prompt is November 12th. Don’t miss out, you can learn a lot from a first page critique and Sudipta Bardham will be critiquing four next Friday the 18th.

All you have to do other than find a beginning of a story in the picture, is to use the word “Watch or watched” in the first line.

Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “November 18th First Page Prompt” in the subject line.

To learn more about Sudipta use this link:  www.sudipta.com  She will be part of our faculty at our conference in June.

Inspiration provided by illustrator Colin Throm. http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/illustrator-saturday-colin-throm/  or visit: www.ccthrom.com

I have a feeling that many of you who came out to our Free Craft Day last weekend might have missed Dan Santat on Illustrator Saturday last week. I think there is so much information for our writers and illustrators, that I want to remind you to take a look.

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/illustrator-saturday-dan-santat-2/

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

I would like to announce that author Sudipta Bardham will critique up to four first pages from the writers who submit a first page using the picture below by Colin Throm for inspiration.

All you have to do other than find a beginning of a story in the picture, is to use the word “Watch or watched” in the first line.

The Deadline for submitting is November 12th. Don’t miss out, you can learn a lot from a first page critique.

Results will be posted on November 18th.

Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “November 18th First Page Prompt” in the subject line.

To learn more about Sudipta use this link: www.sudipta.com She will be part of our faculty at our conference in June.

Note: Writer’s don’t miss Illustrator Saturday tomorrow. There will be lots of info on graphic novels, besides amazing artwork and talent.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy