Illustrating Children's Books: Debbie Ohi Dishes About I'M BORED

 

Debbie Ohi is a rockstar. Not only is she a writer and illustrator, but she is an extremely involved member of the kid lit community. As the founder of Inkspot and Inklings, one of the very first online writing communities, Debbie has a fresh voice and a wonderful sense of humour (check out her webcomics!).

With the recent launch of her very first children’s book, I’M BORED, Debbie somehow managed to find time to answer some of my pressing questions! Read this interview to discover how this rejected manuscript turned into a book publishing deal, how writers and illustrators work together, and what Debbie learned during this collaborative project.

What was it like working alongside writer, Michael Ian Black? Any advice for writers looking to collaborate with illustrators?

Picture book illustrators don't usually interact with the authors, so although I was working closely with Michael's editor and my art director at Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, I never interacted directly with Michael during the process. It was only after the book was finished that Michael and I have had some contact, and I've found him to be always supportive and enthusiastic. I had so much fun working on his story!

Advice for writers looking to collaborate with illustrators: Be warned that in most cases, publishers prefer to choose their own illustrators. You can submit as a team if you'd like, but you may be hurting your chances of getting published. Some great advice here.

Did you discover something about PB writing and yourself while working on this project?

It's easy to write a picture book. It's much more of a challenge to write a good, unique picture book that stands out in the marketplace.

Do you have any writing and publishing advice for those who are getting ready to submit their PB manuscripts?

If you're one of those people that think “hey, I can whip off a picture book on the side for some easy money,” then you're on the wrong track.

My strongest advice: Go to your local bookstore and library, and read as many picture books as you can. Read older picture books, newer picture books. For the picture books that you enjoy the most, analyze why you like them so much. Look at how the illustrations and text complement each other, and how neither would be as strong on their own.

Also, when writing a PB manuscript, leave room for the illustrator. I've found that early attempts at PB manuscripts often read like short stories rather than picture book texts.

Not only is I’M BORED Debbie’s first children’s book, but it was rejected two years before publication. To find out how she overcame the rejection blues and turned this into a book deal, click here.

Creating A Great Setting: An Interview With Susan Dennard

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One of the best parts of reading is being shown a new world. Setting can often serve as its own character in a book. When I think of my favourite settings, I think of The Chronicles of Narnia, Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Kite Runner, and To Kill a Mockingbird. All these settings are dynamic, as they are constantly evolving and ultimately, helping to unfold the story and re-shape the characters involved.

When I heard about debut author Susan Dennard and her book, Something Strange and Deadly, I just had to contact her for an interview. Read more about how Susan used an original setting to create and develop her plot and characters.

In your YA novel, Something Strange and Deadly, you created an interesting setting, as the story takes place in 1876 Philadelphia. How did you go about developing this setting?

Well, I started by doing a ton of research (I mean weeks and weeks and months). Since Philadelphia is, you know, a real place, I wanted to make sure I got everything right in terms of locations and scenery. But on top of that, I really wanted to get the year right--what did 1876 feel like? How did a young woman behave? What would she eat for breakfast and wear to dinner? I found all those little details, and then as I wrote, I dropped them in.

One thing that historical writers will tell you is that you always do way more research than you actually use--if I had dropped in everything I learned, I'd have bored the reader to death. There's a very fine balance between not enough detail to paint the scene and so much detail the story gets bogged down.

How did the setting influence your plot?

One of the reasons I actually chose 1876 Philadelphia was because I wanted to have the Centennial Exhibition as a backdrop to my story. I honestly thought: how horrible and terrifying would it be for this giant celebration--the first American World's Fair in which people came from all over the world to share their countries' latest technological advances and artistic endeavors--to be crashed by walking corpses?

Additionally, I really liked how much conflict the time period would automatically add for a girl like Eleanor. She wouldn't be able to leave the house with a chaperon; she would be expected to behave a certain way at all times; she'd probably be very sheltered and stifled. On top of that, corsets are no laughing matter--can you imagine outrunning zombies when you're ribs are constricted so much you can barely breathe? I loved that there were all these layers of conflict already inherent to the time period. It gave extra obstacles for Eleanor to hurdle.

How did the setting contribute to the development of your characters?

Because girls of high society were so protected and so restricted to certain behaviors/clothing/ambitions, Eleanor was at a pretty big disadvantage from page one. She'd never had much need to think for herself, and she'd certainly had no exposure to people outside of her social circle.

Her setting made her the naive character that she began the book as, but because she's also curious and brave to the point of stupidity, she was able to step outside the confines of her society and experience other walks of life (or death--haha!). Of course, stepping outside and accepting outside aren't always the same thing, and it takes Eleanor the course of the book to really find her place in the world.

For many writers, especially science fiction and fantasy writers, setting is crucial to story and characters. What advice do you have for them when creating setting?

There's a balance between story and setting--whether the book is historical, mystery, or whatever. You might have created the most amazing fantasy world ever, but if you spend too much time describing it, you're going to bore your reader no matter what.

The key is to only show the parts of the setting that matter during each scene.

Oh--your character is running through a graveyard with zombies hot on her trail? We definitely don't need to know the history of the graveyard or why that big monument in her path is significant to the local town, but we do need to know there's a big monument in her path. We also should probably know the character's familiarity (or lack thereof) with the place. Is she stumbling and lost or does she know exactly where she's going because she visits her mother's grave everyday?

Setting is more than just what the world looks like or its history--it's also a critical tool for showing character and developing plot.

Learn more about Susan and her writing here.

Romance Writing: What I Learned From Adriana Trigiani

Although one of my favourite books is Jane Eyre, I don’t read romances very often. I did, however, recently read Adriana Trigiani’s The Shoemaker’s Wife and fell in love with her writing. It had been a while since a romance pulled at my heartstrings, making me swoon over characters and setting. Here are three things Trigiani does exceptionally well in her romance, The Shoemaker’s Wife.

The sympathetic heroine is strong, resourceful, and kind.

Enza comes from a hard-working family who has strong beliefs in angels, Catholic prayer, and honesty. While Enza’s religious beliefs help her through many hardships, particularly emigrating from Italy to America, it is her strong moral compass that is so intriguing, amidst characters at the turn of the 20^th Century, who seem to be losing faith in both religion and humanity.

Enza uses what she has to achieve her goals of starting a family, leading an honest life, and relying on her design skills for her livelihood. The relationship she has with Ciro Lazzari, who she meets at her sister’s funeral has never been easy. But it’s with Ciro that Enza is most content, especially later on in America. With Ciro, she finds comfort as he represents her home in Italy.

One of the most memorable pieces of dialogue that Enza says to Ciro:

“And I want—more than anything—to see my sister again. So I’m going to try my best in this life so that I’m sure to see her in the next one. I’m going to work hard, tell the truth, and be of some use to the people who care about me. I’m going to try, anyway.”

To me, this seemingly ordinary dialogue between Enza and Ciro reveals her true character. She is brave, good-natured, smart, and independent, a refreshing mix of qualities in a romance heroine. And it’s this mix of qualities that helps her survive.

Timing is everything and is the intangible, powerful thing that affects romance.

Enza and Ciro meet as young teenagers in the Italian Alps. They share a kiss—Enza’s first—which remains in both of their memories until they both reach America. They reunite in an American hospital shortly after, but the reunion is not satisfying:

“She tried to walk away quickly, but she found that the steps back to her  room were painful for an altogether different reason. There was no doubt: Ciro Lazzari had fallen in love with someone else.”

When Enza is discharged from the hospital, she loses touch with Ciro and tries to forget him. Enza moves to New York City and becomes a respected seamstress for the Opera while Ciro grows to be a talented shoemaker. They reunite again, but it may be too late. That is, at least, what you’re supposed to believe as the reader. Timing has never been favourable for either lover, as it separates them and reunites them, with the reunions so fleeting. Even as the two eventually marry and raise a family, timing once again, interrupts their romance.

Setting fuels romance.

In The Shoemaker’s Wife, the story begins in the Italian Alps, boasting a lush landscape and vivid colours. One of my favourite passages in the book describing the Italian setting is:

“Primavera in the Italian Alps was like a jewelry box opened in sunlight. Clusters of red peonies like ruffles of taffeta framed pale green fields, while white orchids climbed up the glittering graphite mountain walls.”

In these two sentences, Enza describes her home in the mountains, which she continues to long for as she travels to America. Her deep attachment to the majestic beauty of the Italian Alps is moving with the use of poetic and dreamy language.

While the setting in New York differs, romantic imagery continues:

“Trumpet vines cascaded down the drainpipe in shots of bold orange and soft green like fine silk tassels against the freshly pointed coral bricks. Purple hyacinths spilled out of antique white marble Roman urns on either side of the black-lacquered double entrance doors of the Milbank House at 11 West Tenth Street in Greenwich Village.”

At this point, Enza has finally left her awful factory job and terrible living conditions in Hoboken, New Jersey to begin an exciting life in New York. This very house becomes her first real sanctuary away from Italy. It’s one of the first passages that describes beauty and serenity in an American setting, signaling that the romance between Enza and Ciro is not over.

Two Italian peasants meet as teenagers whose destinies continue to intersect throughout their lives. It’s a basic premise, but it’s the sensual imagery, vivid characters, and chaotic timing that unfold a beautiful, moving, and heartbreaking romance.

Four Fiction Writing Prompts for Plot

If you’re currently working on a story outline, first draft, or even in revision mode, and are experiencing that dreaded plot drought, check out these four writing prompts. I hope they inspire you to shake up your story a bit and keep on writing.

Introduce a new character
If you’re a bit tired of exploring the stories, conflicts, and moral dilemmas of your current characters, why not introduce a new villain or unsung hero? This might help alter a plot point that needs some revitalizing.

Put your character in a new world

Get your character out of their comfort zone and immerse them in foreign experiences and obstacles. This could be as major as another spiritual world or as simple as relocating to another town, city, or country.

Create the ultimate competition

Have two characters fight over a coveted prize, whether it’s something tangible like land or abstract like vengeance. Who is fighting and what are they fighting for? What’s at stake in this competition? What can be gained or lost?

Initiate a disaster

Inflict a disaster for the characters in your story. Have them face a town flood, a murder in the family, a mysterious illness that has killed thousands…
When you create disaster, your character must go through psychological stages including fear, anger, and acceptance. This is a great prompt for both thickening your plot and for exploring the internal mind of your character and how they react to disaster and tragedy.

The Writer's Mind

We are all busy. Sometimes, even the thought of devoting a few minutes a day to meditate seems far from reality. There’s so much going on in our daily lives, that we risk losing a deeper connection with ourselves. As writers, we are constantly creating, re-creating, thinking, re-thinking, writing, re-writing…

Sometimes, we may feel so disconnected from our minds and bodies that our work may suffer. I had the pleasure of interviewing Katie Marshall Flaherty, a Toronto-based poet who leads poetry sweatshops and writing-as-a-spiritual-practice workshops. Read more to learn about her insight on mindful writing!

Thank you so much for being with us today, Katie! I have some questions for you…

Why did you begin the Writing From Within Workshops?

I began the Writing from Within Workshops because I found that having prompts, such as reading a poem, listening to music, smelling cinnamon, meditating on the breath, or recalling a childhood snapshot brought incredible images to mind. And I found that if we just wrote without editing, just let the words flow, and just entered the feelings that arouse with the prompt, that lovely poetry-from-within poured out.

Most participants were astounded at the beautiful images, words, and the deep emotions that came out. Often, a participant would read her own work aloud and say either, “I can't believe I wrote that!” or “This writing brings back such a flood of memories and sensations!” I began these sessions because I could see how therapeutic and affirming it was for people to realize their own writer within, their own inner poet.

What is involved in a typical workshop?

A typical workshop begins with an "emptying exercise" where the participants just write free-flow, beginning with a statement such as "what keeps me up at night" or "before I forget" or "a list of things I need to put down". This exercise lets all the thoughts and concerns of the mind release, sets the mind free to write, and clears the path for writing.

Then we have prompts that often invoke the senses. I might have participants close their eyes while I bring lavender around for each to smell and then they write free-flow as soon as something comes to mind. Or, I might read a poem by Rumi and have them write a "river of words" as I read the poem, allowing some words to evoke others, and some perhaps to be recorded.

After each exercise, participants are invited to share a small gem from their writing, or the entire piece. The rest may comment constructively about what moved them from the writing, or what images were powerful, or how the writing made them feel. There is always one meditation as a prompt, as this allows things to come up from deep within. We end with a little forum on what contests, readings, events, or articles are out there for aspiring writers.

How can writers benefit from meditation and breathing techniques?

Meditation connects us with our true self, with the divine light within, with our inner artist. When we centre the mind and relax, subconscious truths emerge, images appear, memories surface, feelings can bubble up. The breath is the way to bring us to a relaxed state, to calm the body, and still the mind-- the breath, as Ghandi said, is our best friend. By attending to the breath, we leave the clutter of the world behind, and we can enter into that mystical place of creativity.

What are some things writers can do to approach their writing with more clarity?

- Read, read, read! Let your mind marinate with other writers’ words and images.

- Keep a notebook with you at all times to record any and every thought.

- Keep a notebook by your bed for dream fragments that stay upon rising.

- Practice attending to the breath before writing.

- Create puzzles, prompts, and exercises for yourself to surprise your inner artist.

- Practice describing a smell, sound, taste, feeling, sight, and seeing where it leads.

- Listen to music.

What are your favourite tips on achieving a mind/body connection for the busy writer?

Learn to do a body scan, where you can go through the body asking each part to relax. Learn to find a breathing practice that calms the mind (witnessing the breath, alternate nostril breathing, counting four in and four out, or having a mantra such as breathe in/breathe out or hum/sa or one/breath for each inhalation/exhalation). Massage your own temples as you breathe, letting your mind relax as your face does. Practice a few yoga poses, concentrating on integrating the breath with the pose.

Katie has two sessions in Meditation and Mindfulness and two sessions in Writing from Within on Saturdays at St. Michael’s College Continuing Ed at U of T this 2012/13 year. For class details, email Katie!

Revising Your Manuscript: Tips From Author, Susin Nielsen

Television writer and novelist, Susin Nielsen, is the author of Word Nerd and Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom. Her latest book, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, published by Tundra Books, is a young adult novel about a thirteen-year-old boy who comes to terms with the horrible crime his older brother committed.

I was intrigued by the concept of this novel, as it is darker than Susin’s past work, but I also wanted to discover more about her editing process.

In this interview, Susin shares some of her revision tips.

In your new book, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, you use the strategy of journal writing to help with the narrative and character development. How did you incorporate Henry’s voice in the journals? What kinds of changes did you notice in the journals in comparison to the reality around Henry?

It wasn't a matter of incorporating Henry's voice into the journal, as his voice really is the journal ... I guess I felt that the only way Henry would ever share his story would be slowly, under a bit of pressure, hence the journal as suggested by his therapist.

In my first two novels, I also use first-person narrative, but they are not journals, and what I found intriguing (and occasionally frustrating!) in this case was that it really was a different kettle of fish, using a journal structure. I couldn't write things as they were happening; they had to have happened, in order for Henry to write about them, if that makes sense. It made plotting and pacing a unique challenge.

Do you have a particular revision process or did you find it different to edit The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen?

I do quite a lot of revisions before the manuscript ever gets sent to the publisher (Tundra). My husband reads the ms, my agent, and usually a good writer friend of mine. In this case, because I was nervous about the balance of tragedy coupled with humour, I also gave it to a local young adult book club, run by a fabulous woman named Christianne Hayward, to get feedback from her young readers. I actually love the re-writing process; it's much easier to work on something that is already there, than staring at the blank page. 

How much time did you spend on this manuscript in the revision process? Did it change drastically from the first draft?

It's hard to calculate the time, but I did a fair amount of revisions. They were probably smaller things until it went to Tundra, at which point I got what are known as "substantive' comments from my editor, and at that point, I would say I did change the manuscript quite a bit, though I wouldn't say drastically. I think the biggest changes I made were: 1) Henry stopped talking to his therapist - that was how I had written the first draft, and 2) I really brought his therapist, Cecil, to life. He had been almost nonexistent earlier.

How do you deal with cutting scenes out that you have grown attached to, even though you know your book doesn’t need them?

I've been writing for a long time (TV for years, books more recently), so I'm actually quite good at being ruthless. Kill your babies, as they say. If it isn't working, if it's slowing the pace, I chuck it, and it usually feels great, like a weight lifted off my shoulders! 

Do you follow any worthwhile bits of advice when it comes to revising your work?

I read my manuscript aloud. It takes longer, but I do it quite seriously, and it's amazing how that helps. It really points out the spots where the story is lagging. 

Do you have any advice you can share with new writers who have completed their first draft and are about to begin revising?

Be ruthless. Try to get trusted friends/family members to read and critique, and don't get defensive when they give you their honest feedback. You can choose to take it or leave it - not all comments are helpful or worthwhile.

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen hits bookstores this month! To read more about Susin and her work, click here.

Questions I Ask My Middle Grade Character

I’m one of those people that saved all my journals. My earliest entry was written at the age of seven, when I wished for someone from the Babysitters Club to babysit me and signed off the entry with “From your friend Lorna. Also I want a dog that can talk and I will keep it in my room but it can play outside too. I just do not want anyone to know my SECRET.”

I consider myself lucky that I have kept these journals, because whenever I’m creating a new middle grade character, I refer to my junior high entries I like to call The Wonder Years. It’s been a while since I’ve been in middle school, so these entries really take me back.

However, if you haven’t kept your journals and you need a refresher as to what a middle grader thinks about, these are the questions I always ask my characters to get me started on writing their profiles.

1.     What do you look like?

2.     What does your voice sound like? What kind of language/catchphrases do you use?

3.     Where do you come from?

4.     Who are your parents? What is your family life like?

5.     Who is your best friend? What does friendship mean to you?

6.     What do you daydream about?

7.     What do you want to be when you grow up?

8.     What do you love most about school? What do you dislike most about school?

9.     What is the best thing that can happen to you right now? What is the worst thing that can happen to you right now?

10.  If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?