Thursday, August 18, 2016

Three Tips from Don Tate





"In the face of our greatest adversities, people can still do great things using their innate God-given gifts. Regardless of the circumstances, work hard, be persistent, believe in yourself, and never give up." 
~Don Tate
 

The Fabulous Don Tate and writing peeps.
By Janie Reinart

I too am a lover of words. I had the great fortune of meeting and listening to author/illustrator, Don Tate at the WOW Retreat. Don's words encouraged me and it was a delight to see his process.

As a child, Don preferred drawing to reading. When Don illustrates a manuscript, he begins by doodling in the margins all the images that come to his mind as he is reading. 

One of my favorite books Don Tate wrote and illustrated is Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton.  Don said he became a lover of words after he wrote this book. Find a teacher's guide here.



Don said, "I began by writing and revising the manuscript many times. Then I began to sketch, which affected the words. Revised the words, which affected the sketches--it was like a moving target."

The last page of Poet reads:Words made [George] strong. Words allowed him to dream. Words loosened the chains of bondage long before his last day as a slave.”






Three Tips from Don Tate:

1.  Draw, read, and write everyday.
2. Make your scenes visual and engaging to the reader--be a visual storyteller.
3. Work hard, be persistent, believe in yourself, and never give up.



19 comments:

  1. Great advice and videos in this interview, Janie. I meet Don at the AASL conference last fall and wish I had had the kind of time you did w/him.

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    1. Kathy it was so much fun to see Don's process. Don was easy to talk to.

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  2. Don was amazing. Thanks for highlighting this particular book, Janiw.

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    1. Sherri I was so excited to meet Don, because I love his book!

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  3. The Retreat was amazing and I was enthralled by Don's presentation. o gifted. Thanks Janie for summarizing his talk.

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  4. Beverley, me too. I would sign up to see Don anytime!

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  5. Oh, thanks for sharing this. I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to meet this wonderful storyteller and artist.

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  6. Don Tate is truly an authentic soul...I loved his presentation at WOW...and am so happy you posted this, Janie. My takeaway as I work on revisions today will be: be a visual storyteller...make scenes visual and engage the reader. Thanks for keeping these important words at the front of my mind!

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    1. Vivian doesn't it make you wish you could draw? We will have to paint with words.

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  7. Thank you for this recap. I enjoyed his presentation and all his advice and knowledge. It was indeed a pleasure to participate in this retreat and get to know Don.

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    1. You are welcome. I enjoyed listening to him as well.

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  8. Thank you for this recap. I enjoyed his presentation and all his advice and knowledge. It was indeed a pleasure to participate in this retreat and get to know Don.

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  9. I am so glad Don Tate researched, wrote & illustrated the life of Mr. Horton. He created an important book for young readers & all readers.
    And it's fascinating to hear about revisions, one of my favorite things.
    Appreciations for sharing, Janie.

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  10. Read, write and draw every day. That's what I need to remember. Thanks for sharing Don's words of wisdom. He was a great addition to WOW 2016.

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  11. Read, write and draw every day. That's what I need to remember. Thanks for sharing Don's words of wisdom. He was a great addition to WOW 2016.

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  12. Thanks for posting this. Love Don Tate's work, and the book "Poet" is waiting for me at the library now. Will follow his advice.

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