Yeah, I'm trying to change the look of my blog again. It isn't going as planned. The title image isn't centered, I'm missing some links in the yellow ribbon area, and the T-Rex image didn't shrink to fit. So much for doing a quick fix-up. Ugh!
I haven't posted in a little while- I've been super duper busy working on my CBook2 project, and it's due tomorrow! So when it's finally done, I will post my art here on my blog. I've learned a lot in the past week, but I will have to tell you about that some other time!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Words can hardly express...
In my writing class tonight, our teacher shared with us a book to think about on our way home, as is custom in our class. She has been talking a lot about finding your "feeling place," as an author, and bringing your audience right there with you. This book nailed it.
The entire story is about...should I even say it? Life and death. Without even mentioning the d-word, the story spoke so loudly and vividly- I did everything in my power to keep from crying and the tears still came. I don't think a story book has ever had that kind of impact on me before. And I know for sure I am not alone in that assessment, because when my teacher was done reading the story, the room was so quiet you could have heard an ant fart. I wanted to curl up in a ball and sob in my husband's arms.
So, that said, I think you should read it. If you want to be a good author, learning how to speak without actually saying is something we all need to learn to do. The illustrations at first seemed a bit simple, because I was expecting some sort of zany story about an old pig, (but it was far from that), and the images fit the hopeful and full-of-life mood quite perfectly.
Just be sure to have your snot rag ready.
The entire story is about...should I even say it? Life and death. Without even mentioning the d-word, the story spoke so loudly and vividly- I did everything in my power to keep from crying and the tears still came. I don't think a story book has ever had that kind of impact on me before. And I know for sure I am not alone in that assessment, because when my teacher was done reading the story, the room was so quiet you could have heard an ant fart. I wanted to curl up in a ball and sob in my husband's arms.
So, that said, I think you should read it. If you want to be a good author, learning how to speak without actually saying is something we all need to learn to do. The illustrations at first seemed a bit simple, because I was expecting some sort of zany story about an old pig, (but it was far from that), and the images fit the hopeful and full-of-life mood quite perfectly.
Just be sure to have your snot rag ready.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
"Two Pages"
I was reading my Horn Book magazine this morning, and found an interesting tidbit of advice from none other than the Great Katherine Paterson, author of one of my favorites ever: Bridge to Terabithia. She was just awarded the position of the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature (CONGRATS!!), and the entire March/April issue was dedicated to her. In one of the articles, an author (Linda Sue Park) talks about how following Katherine's simple advice made her the author she is today. What was the advice?
This advice is pretty similar to what we are doing in my writing class, because I have found that writing for 20 minutes a day (when I finally remember to do it) usually yields about two pages of writing. It really is true- the more you write, the better you become at doing it. This is also the theme for Gail Carson Levine's Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly, a book I highly recommend for anyone who needs a push in the right direction.
Combine that book, with your timer, while typing on Write-or-Die's scary website, you're sure to get something other than cobwebs out of that hollow head of yours!
"Two pages a day."
This advice is pretty similar to what we are doing in my writing class, because I have found that writing for 20 minutes a day (when I finally remember to do it) usually yields about two pages of writing. It really is true- the more you write, the better you become at doing it. This is also the theme for Gail Carson Levine's Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly, a book I highly recommend for anyone who needs a push in the right direction.
Combine that book, with your timer, while typing on Write-or-Die's scary website, you're sure to get something other than cobwebs out of that hollow head of yours!
Which Market?
We've been learning about different types of children's book markets, in both of my classes, and it seems every time I think I've got them straight, I find I am wrong once again! So which is it- School & Library, Trade Book, or Mass Market? It is time for me to get it right, once and for all!
In my search for the Truth, I have found an excellent breakdown of the children's book market via a very cool website called "The Purple Crayon." Click here to see the article.
I recently purchased this cute little book at BJ's, because I fell in love with the illustration, and the story. It is a squishy hardcover board book, and I think it would be considered a Mass Market book. Either way, it's super cute!
In my search for the Truth, I have found an excellent breakdown of the children's book market via a very cool website called "The Purple Crayon." Click here to see the article.
I recently purchased this cute little book at BJ's, because I fell in love with the illustration, and the story. It is a squishy hardcover board book, and I think it would be considered a Mass Market book. Either way, it's super cute!
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