Stimulate Your Imagination With Online Prompts

Where do your ideas come from? If you are like many writers they come from all over. My ideas come from reading, music, playing with the grand kids and so on. Sometimes I use online prompts as a stimulus. I listed a few below.

Illustrationfriday.com – this site is very interesting. Illustrators visit this site each Friday to get a key word and then they produce a piece of art and link it to the Illustration Friday site. This is a way for them to showcase their art and expand their portfolio. If illustrators can do this why can’t writers? This week the word is Repair. Click here to view a list of art from a variety of artists and mediums. Who knows, you may get some wild ideas from a number of illustrations. There are many illustrations in the category of children's art as well.

Dictionary.com sends out a word of the day. October 28 word of the day is execrable which means detestable, abominable. If you don't like this word, look on the previous word of the day list. You can also subscribe for free to receive the word of the day.

For while agents and editors often misunderstand their market and sometimes reject good or even great works, they do prevent a vast quantity of truly execrable writing from being published.
-- Laura Miller,

Quotationspage.com is a great page and I love browsing around here. The trouble is I could end up spending hours perusing. Here are a couple of quotes on writing.

All of us learn to write in the second grade. Most of us go on to greater things.
Bobby Knight

The way you define yourself as a writer is that you write every time you have a free minute. If you didn't behave that way you would never do anything.
John Irving

Can you see how quotes can stimulate your creativity?

I fell in love with Rhymer.com. It is a free online rhyming dictionary. Look up a word and then let your brain bounce around with all types of possibilities. For instance I typed in moustache and selected end rhymes. Thirty words popped up. Example: moustache/slapdash, moustache/panache, moustache/mishmash. If you like words and what writer doesn’t, you can see how much fun this site can be. There are six types of rhymes and a section on phonics and alternative pronunciations. This site is especially exciting for me since I am working on a picture book that needs to have a cadence to it.

Prompts are good for collecting ideas but it may take some patience and time. Stretch your imagination. Start with one workable goal per prompt. The more you actively brainstorm ideas, the better chance that one of them will grab you.

Try playing the “what if” game. What if boy meets girl becomes boy meets dead girl. Or girl meets cyber-boy. It doesn’t matter how you choose to practice generating ideas, just keep on practicing. The more you practice the more open you will become to possibilities that are all around you.

Write it down,
Carma

Writing Conference Secrets

Chance favors a prepared mind

These are the words of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) keynote speaker and author Elizabeth Partridge. Partridge is the author of biographies of John Lennon, Woody Guthrie, and Dorothea Lange, which is an SCBWI Golden Kite Honor book; winner of the Jane Addams Peace Honor; an ALA notable book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. The tranquil campus of Mills College in Oakland, CA was the perfect setting for a wonderful conference.

Writing conferences are the best way to meet and network with other writers and meet editors, agents and publishers from houses that do not accept unsolicited submissions. However, editors, agents and publishers graciously accept manuscripts from writers who attend an SCBWI conference. What an opportunity!

When you attend a conference and hear the presentations, you will learn more ways to get your proverbial foot into the door. Editors and agents know a writer is serious about their craft when they attend writing conferences. Also, editors and agents are more likely to read queries from conference attendees.

Editors and agents are also serious about their business. However, issuing rejections are the least favorite part of their job. Another little bit of information I learned was that we are all equal until the first page is read. How well your first page is written will determine if that first page is turned.

A query letter is the first sample of your writing an editor or agent sees. This is why queries are so important. Also, remember to research the agent. Find out what kinds of work they want. Do they want queries by email or snail mail and what about professional stationary? Should you use it or not? Make your cover letter and your query stand out from the manuscript you send in. Show your professionalism and show your knowledge of the market to agents.

Julie Romeis, editor at Chronicle Books related the story of first-time author, Lisa Klein’s Ophelia from acquisition to development and publication. A two year process that was satisfying and successful for editor and author. Romeis also took us behind the scenes and gave us a detailed look into the cover design process.

Write it down,
Carma

Hurty Feelings - Book Review

Here is a sneak preview of Hurty Feelings that will appear on The National Writing for Children Center, home of the Children's Writing Coaching Club on Saturday October 25.

Title: Hurty Feelings
Author: Helen Lester
Illustrator: Lynn Munsinger

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardback: 32 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books; 1 edition (March 26, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0618840621
ISBN-13: 978-0618840625


An emotionally fragile hippo named Fragility and a rude elephant named Rudy will delight children from ages four to eight (and a few parents along the way.) Fragility is over sensitive and Rudy is overly rude. Author Helen Lester begins her humorous tale with Fragility was a solid piece of work. When she walked her world wobbled.

Fragility is very happy in her own world, she has strong jaws that could munch grass faster than any lawn mower, she never cries when she stubs one of her toes or all sixteen. However, something did bother Fragility and it was injured feelings.

Click here to read more about the author and illustrator.


Write it down,
Carma

Seven Reasons to Attend a Writers Conference

Mills College campus in Oakland, CA is where I will be this weekend at the SCBWI Nor Cal Writer's Conference. What a beautiful place. Below are seven strong reasons why I think you should go to at least one writers' conference every year. Anyone who has a desire to be a better writer will gain benefits for the taking.

1. Meet other writers. Well, of course, but where else can you meet hundreds of people who are at varying stages in their writing career? You will even meet others who have been there done that and who are ready to help you. Writers tend to be shy but a conference is one place to put your shyness on hold. Take a deep breath and make an effort to say hello and by all means take business cards with your name and phone number on it.
2. Find practical information you can put to immediate use. You might learn how to format a manuscript or how to send a query to an editor or how to do your taxes. You will definitely get some basic knowledge you can use to further your writing career.
3. Become energized. Becoming a successful writer is a goal for most writers. When you are mixing with hundreds of other writers who are dedicated to their work just as you are, you will find the desire to write more than you ever have before.
4. Find new markets for your work. Many writing conferences attract all kinds of writers unless you are attending one that is specific to children’s writing like the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) At a children’s writers conference you will meet writers of all genres for children’s books. Some of them will write for genres you haven't considered yet. They might know of a magazine which uses the kinds of things you write. They may know of a publisher who is looking for a book like yours.
5. Improve your professional effectiveness. Writers' conferences are an excellent way to continue your education and improve your knowledge about your craft. If you are serious about your writing, attending a conference will prove that you are committed to your profession.
6. Become inspired. If you go with an open mind and open ears, there will be speakers who seem to be talking directly to you. It is rare to find a writer who has never received a rejection slip or faced difficulties and hardships. You may receive encouragement or that little push that sets you out on the road to success. The one thing I know you will find is the courage to keep on writing.
7. Meet editors and agents. This is the ultimate payoff: editors and agents take time out of their busy lives to attend writers' conferences because they are looking for people like you who have a book or an idea that will make money for them. Writers really do find agents and editors this way. At many conferences, you can sign up for an appointment and find yourself face to face with a living, breathing editor or agent who wants to hear about your work. This is a thousand times better than sending out a manuscript that will almost certainly land at the bottom of a slush pile.



I hope you make a decision to attend a writer’s conference near you. If you are a member of SCBWI go to their website and click on calendar of events. This will direct you to a number of events this organization sponsors. Another writer’s conference worth checking out is the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference coming up in summer of 2009.

Write it down,
Carma

Monday Links for the Inquiring Mind

Write4Kids.com is a wonderful site and has hundreds of resources for children’s writers. I recommend you take some time to look around their site.

In the mean time I am going to point you to a few links to some free articles on The Business of Writing. This is information that all writer’s need to know about. For instance, “How do Authors get Paid” This is a vital subject. Yes, I know we are not going to get rich writing but we do expect some type of compensation for our hard work.

Also be sure to read the article “What do Editor’s Want?” and also “Researching the Market.” Research is essential and don’t miss the interview with publisher Josephine Nobisso.

Write it down,
Carma

Blabber Mouse - Book Review

Title: Blabber Mouse
Author and Illustrator: True Kelley
Harcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books (division of Penguin Young Readers Group) 2003
ISBN-10: 0439441994
ISBN-13: 978-0439441995

Check out my book review of Blabber Mouse by author and illustrator True Kelley over at The National Writing for Children's Center.

It's about a funny and lovable mouse named Blabber, who talks too much. How fitting. Everyone will laugh out loud with this book.

Author and Illustrator True Kelley has written over 100 books. She says the excitement of holding her 100th book was just as thrilling as when she held her first one.

Write it down,
Carma

Know Your Copyrights and Rights Publishers Buy

A copyright is a form of protection provided to creators of original works, published or unpublished. It is not necessary to include a copyright notice on unregistered work unless you feel your work is not safe without it. Example of copyright notice: © (year of work, your name) For more information on copyright (not legal) go to the Library of Congress Web site: www.copyright.gov. There are also FAQ’s and forms to download.

Below is a list of publishing rights with a short definition that you will most often sell to publishers. Also before signing any contract, take time to read and understand what rights it specifies before signing. An agent will often help sort out these issues but for those of us who are just starting out, we are our own agent and sometimes our own publisher. As you can tell, a career in writing or illustrating involves more than just talent.

First Rights. The buyer purchases the rights to use the work for the first time in any medium. All other rights remain with the creator.

One-time rights. The buyer has no guarantee that she is the first to use a piece. One-time permission to run written work or illustrators is acquired, and then the rights revert back to the creator.

First North American serial rights. This is similar to first rights, except that companies who distribute both in the U.S. and Canada will stipulate these rights to ensure that another North American company won’t come out with simultaneous usage of the same work.

Second serial (reprint) rights. In this case, newspapers and magazines are granted the right to reproduce a work that has already appeared in another publication. Proceeds from reprint rights for a book are often split evenly between the author and his publishing company.

Simultaneous rights. More than one publication buys one-time rights to the same work at the same time. Use of such rights occurs among magazines with circulations that don’t overlap, such as many religious publications.

All rights. Just as it sounds, the writer, illustrator, or photographer relinquishes all rights to a piece—she no longer has any say in who acquires rights to use it.

Foreign serial rights. Be sure before you market to foreign publications that you have sold only North American—not worldwide—serial rights to previous markets.

Syndication rights. This is a division of serial rights.

Subsidiary rights. These include serial rights, dramatic rights, book club rights, or translation rights. The contract should specify what percentage of profits from sales of these rights goes to the author and publisher.

Display rights or electronic publishing rights. They’re also known as “Data, Storage, and Retrieval.” Usually listed under subsidiary rights, the marketing of electronic rights in this era of rapidly expanding capabilities and markets for electronic material can be tricky. If a display clause is listed in your contract, try to negotiate its elimination.

Bottom line. Always read your contract or publishing guidelines carefully. This is just basic information. For a more in-depth look check your local library or bookstore for books and magazines to help you.

Write it down,
Carma