Although this looks like a tsunami, the waves are actually clouds.

Things are not always as they appear…

Use this image (from yahoo news) to inspire a short story or a poem.

I followed his fourth choice, although I’m not sure I would have thought to call the work I did “life experience’ jobs.  I worked in a Pilates Studio, belly-danced at a Greek restaurant, and managed a small independent bookshop.  I’ve also tried the teaching/editorial route and found that it made writing very difficult indeed.  I’m teaching right now and I find that I get so caught up in the work of my students that I don’t have as much time for writing.  I’m using the same part of my brain as I do for my own writing when I read the work of students and I end up not wanting to write, even if I have been inspired by something someone has said.  I loved the physical aspect of some of the other jobs – they got me out of my head and gave me enthusiasm to sit at the computer when I was done.  How does your job influence your writing? Could you make changes to give you more time for that book you want to get onto the page?

GRAVE

WATER

WIRE

READINGS

ECHO

GARDEN

INVENT 

Who has left it like this?  Why is the window not closed properly?

What do you, as the writer, imagine is happening outside the frame?

2- Unless you are an illustrator yourself, publishers tend to want to choose their own illustrators.  They usually have a bank of artists that they like to use and they don’t necessarily want to work with your friend/aunt/neighbour etc

3- If the story is over 1000 words, it is probably too long.  Just as an example, Where The Wild Things Are, one of my favourite picture books, is less than 400 words.

4- According to rumour, Dr Seuss wrote a thousand pages for every page he published.  Even if this is not exactly true, it gives a sense of how many times a picture book needs to be rewritten to make it perfect.

Just because it is short, doesn’t mean it is easy.

5- Read contemporary picture books.  There is scope and opportunity to write some wonderful, cool things.  See what’s out there so you don’t limit yourself.

6- Read your own text out-loud.  It doesn’t have to rhyme, but it does need rhythm and cadence.  Language is key.

7- Remember you are writing for people who can’t yet read themselves.  This is the thing I find most exciting about picture books – the author is introducing words and stories to fertile imaginations.

8- Strong characters, strong narrative, and beautiful language are baseline requirements.  Again, don’t think that because the book has only a few pages, that you can skimp on any of these elements.

9- 32 pages is the conventional length for a picture book.  Make a dummy book by folding eight sheets of paper in half.  Don’t use the first couple of pages, these will be for titles.  The dummy book is for your eyes only (i.e. don’t send it to a publisher), but it is very worth doing as it shows you visually exactly where your text is working well and where it is lacking.

10- Now get someone else to read your book out-loud to you.  Notice where they stumble.  Remember, your readers will be children and also their caregivers – keep in mind the adult who has to read the book again, and again, and again to a tiny inquiring mind.

You’ve got a great idea for a picture book and you can imagine it as a gloriously illustrated and engaging piece of work– but how do you go about getting your story on the page? Join bestselling author Alice Kuipers for a course structured to help you write a draft of your picture book over the space of eight weeks.

Even if you’re not currently focusing on writing for children, this course will greatly help with structure for any longer piece of writing you may be working on.

The course structure is unique (for the Coop, anyway)—a face-to-face class at the beginning and another at the end, with the intervening weeks being conducted online. Week by week, you’ll focus on the key elements of a good picture book – characterization, story and language. The course will start with a two hour in-person seminar at the Refinery, then you will work on seven weekly online assignments as you complete your manuscript with online feedback from Alice. After seven weeks, there is a final in-person class to talk about what to do to try getting your finished picture book published.

Alice Kuipers is the award winning author of Life on the Refrigerator Door, and the young adult novels The Worst Thing She Ever Did and Forty Things I Want To Tell You (March, 2012). Her first two picture books are being published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Alice was the 2010-2011 Writer in Residence at Saskatoon Public Library.

First session Saturday January 28, 2012; final session Saturday March 17, 2012

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Jessie Miller Room, St. James Church basement (next door to The Refinery, 607 Dufferin Avenue)

Registration deadline is Saturday January 21, 2012. Coop members $120, non-members $130. Please confirm your interest, or ask for more information, by emailing winterclass@writerscoop.org as soon as possible. Then follow up with a mailed registration, following the instructions at http://www.writerscoop.org/coop-registration-policy.html

Goals for the week.

It’s your choice.