The Week Of Writing {WOW} Retreat 2016, July 18 - July 22 was like no other writing experience. Hosted by Kristen and Rusty Fulton, the five day event was filled with many opportunites to grow, learn and meet writers both published and prepublished. I am thankful for the opportunity to enjoy and share the experience with many writerly friends in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Fifty plus attendees gathered together in the beautiful hills of Helen, Georgia. The outstanding faculty included seven authors, four literary agents and five editors all willing to share the ins and outs of the kid lit industry.
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| Rusty & Kristen Fulton |
Looking though my Love, Peace and Books journal I note page after page of copious notes with numerous thoughts. Thinking I want to share the entire five day experience with our GROG readers, I felt it best to focus on just one of the many highlights. Should I write about the author, agent, editor panels? How about the revision tables or even the thoughts about the first pages? And then there was the groovy hippie party!
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| Love, Peace & Books Journal |
Lisa Amstutz
Finding and Preparing Work for Hire
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| Lisa Amstutz |
- Take a chance and consider the educational market.
- Request and study educational publishing catalogs, such as Capstone and Enslow Publishing.
- Referred to work done by the following authors: Laurie Purdie Salas, Melissa Stewert, April Pulley Sayre and Nancy Sanders.
Ana Crespo
Illustration Driven Stories Non non-Illustrators
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| Ana Crespo |
- Titles are everything. Title need to be provocative and catch your attention immediately. For further information from a previously GROG Blog post read What's in a PB Title?
- Consider a critique carefully and thoughtfully and be open to a new direction.
- Understand the acquisition process as books are created by a team.
Make your story UNPUTDOWNABLE.
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| Jill Esbaum |
- The opening lines of a story carry a lot of weight. Consider a contract with your reader.
- Drop the reader into an adventure in progress as the reader wants to know who the story is about and what is the problem.
- Find new facts that make you say, "I didn't know that!"
Set Yourself Up for Success
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| Barb Rosenstock |
- Think about the most important part of a story: SO WHAT? What's universial about this manuscript? What's unique about this story?
- Keep the reader's attention with complelling characets who want/need something. Include tension and satisfy the reader with a resolution.
- Stop looking for IDEAS. Look for STORIES.
Adding Humor in Kidlit
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| Linda Skeers |
- Home is where your story begins,
- A writer can be funny writing both fiction and nonfiction stories.
- The words: booger, fart, naked and underwear all stir up laughter and even snorting!
The keynote: My Journey and Creating Winning Picture Book Biographies
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| Don Tate |
- The educational market is where Don Tate began before he snagged his first trade book contract.
- Write about what you know.
- Recommended creating a book dummy with thumbnail sketches.
Heritage and Experience
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| Duncan Tonatiuh |
- Readers must *see* themselves in books. Celebrate diversity.
- Has a great relationship with his editor and therefore does not work with an agent.
- Illustrations are created by scanning in a drawing and then adding texture using photo shop, thus unique Pre-Columbian codex style. Characters are always drawn in profile.
Share your thoughts in the comment section below. GROGgers always like hearing from our readers. Do any of the highlights shared by these seven authors inspire you or affirm you as a writer?
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| Prairie Flower Girl Suzy |
For more information about the WOW Retreat 2017, please click here: Rock'n & Rolli'n & Writ'n WOW Retreat 2017. Make plans now to attend the WOW Retreat 2017. You are encouraged to check out a previous post Meet Kristen Fulton.
If you missed an earlier post about the WOW Retreat 2016, you can check it out at Week of Writing Recap by fellow GROGger Leslie Colin Tribble. Look for an upcoming post by Sherri Jones Rivers. She too, has some words to share about the WOW Retreat 2016.
