PROSE POLYGONS

Shapes are everywhere, flashing circle alarms in your car, triangle signs on road construction, and you wouldn't ski down a diamond slope if you were a beginner.

Shapes have meaning in real life, so too, do they give meaning to your writing. Shapes add a subliminal layer to your story.

Here is a list you might consider either purposely or unconsciously when you are developing a story. Check your WIP for shape descriptions.

ROUND - Imaginative readers perceive round or curling shapes as romantic, passive, soft, organic, indirect, flexible, childish, and in harmony with nature. The circle represents the eternal and the godlike. It has no beginning and it has no end. Think of the sun or the moon, a child's ball, or an orange.

SQUARE - The square represents stability and trustworthiness. It is thought of as direct, industrial, orderly, strict, grown up and linear. The obvious symbol that comes to mind is a house, strong and stable.

TRIANGLE - For obvious reasons this shape designates aggressiveness. Arrows and spears are perfect examples of the triangle's power. Pointed up, they're associated with masculinity, pointed down, femininity.

A well-placed key shape in your manuscript can subconsciously influence how your reader experiences the scene.

Can you think of some examples of shapes in your favorite books?

The Color of Words - A Writer's Palette

Color Your Words

You’ve heard of “The Colors of the Wind.” What Disney aficionado hasn’t? But what about “The Colors of Your Words?”

Like music, color affects the readers mood. When I remodeled my nursery school, and this happened several times over the course of my teaching career, I always asked for “cool” colors for my rugs and walls.

One year we had yellow walls and red rugs. Oh boy! The children got disciplined more that year than in any other. Why? Because “hot” colors excite us. “Cool” colors relax us.

So what role do colors play in your writing?

When you are writing about royalty, what color comes to mind? Did you say purple? That’s the color I think of.

Here is a list that might be useful when you are stumped for what you want your colors to portray.

Red – blood, passion, anger, war

Blue – intellect, water, peace, eternity, sky

Violet – mystical realms, royalty

Gold – sun, godliness, wealth, immortality

Yellow – betrayal, cowardice

Green – Growth, vegetation, youth, envy, illness

Black – death, mourning, ill omen, dreams, sleep

White – purity, virginity, enlightenment.

As a writer consider including colors to evoke emotions, meaning and character.

A few years ago, I won first place in an SCBWI writing contest by describing why the “black” jellybean was the best. Needless to say, the green one was jealous. The red one was angry and hot. The yellow one was cowardly and the purple one was stuck on himself. And it was all done in rhyme. J

So, color your reader’s world with a well-chosen palette.

The Persnickety Problems of Prose Picture Book Writing

The Persnickety Problems of Prose Picture Book Writing—Told from the Perspective of a Picture Book Ryhmer.

I’ve been writing picture books for over seven years. I even have one that has sold over 113,000 copies, and it’s a rhymer. The problem, well, my problem, is that rhyme comes easier to me than picture book prose. Probably because I have a naturally older voice. I have no problem writing for older characters in Mg or YA novels. That’s why writing in rhyme for picture books suits me.

When choosing words for a rhyming story the rhyme limits you. You must choose the perfect word, not only for description, but also for meter, scansion, and rhyme. When writing prose I’m so tempted to throw in an extra adjective or a prepositional phrase, just to flavor the manuscript.

I’ve since learned that is a no-no! I’ve joined a really great prose picture book writing group. They’ve helped me tremendously. I’m happy and proud to say I’ve written my first prose picture book that actually tells a story, has lots of action, and solves the problem in less than 665 words. Whew! That’s a record for me. Here’s what I’ve learned thanks to my fellow picture book writers:

1. No prepositional phrases, or very few
2. Don’t describe what the illustrator can draw
3. Skip the extra adjective
4. Only 4-8 words in a sentence.
5. Persistence pays off!

Thanks to Lynne and Kellie of “The Prose Garden,” for helping me to “smell the success” of a well-written, persnickety prose picture book. J

Write On Conference for Children's Writers

Great news. These awesome writers and bloggers have put their brains together to come up with a great resource for children's writers; a FREE online conference, featuring a fantastic lineup of authors, agents, and editors.

It's a major effort dedicated to "paying it forward." You can't miss it! Oh, did I mention it was FREE!


See you there. 


August 10-12, 2010.

Poetry From an Expert Poet

Attended NJ SCBWI conference this past weekend.

Conference opened with David L. Harrison, poet laureate of Drury University. He has something like 93 poem books published since the sixties. He was one of the first poets to be published by Wordsong and is on a personal friend basis with Kent Brown.

Currently, he is working on a Cowboy collection for Wordsong, funny thing is once you get to be in his shoes, the publishers call you up and ask if you would like to do a poetry collection for them. J Boy, do we have a long way to go. L.

Oh, and he has a BUG anthology that just came out last year "Bugs. Poems About Creeping Things"

In his seminar he covered basic poetry. Things we already know like free verse vs, verse. He talked abouit something Billy Collins does and he explained it as “found poetry” where you take something that someone else has written (an article or a story) and then by adding and subtracting words you turn it into a free verse “found’ poetry. I thouight that was interesting.

He discussed the three kinds of ballads, the rubiyat (4 lines, 5 beats), a cinquain (5 lines) Line 1 – one word title. Line 2 – two words that describe the title. Line 3 – three words that tell the action. Line 4 – four words that express the feeling. Line 5 – one word that recall the title.

He also went over the 4 basic kinds of meter and poetic feet.

“NEVER SURPRISE THE READER WITH METER CHANGE.”

Springtime Crazies

I don't know what to do first. Have you ever had days like this?

I'm busy critiquing fifteen pages of six YA novels for a the upcoming SCBWINJ conference, revising my own historical fiction novel, creating poems for my poet's group anthology, critiquing everyone else's, submitting picture book manuscripts, entering a poetry contest, and reading novels.

Now, that does not count getting ready for a local arts festival in June, various anniversaries, graduation, retirement, and birthday parties as well as going faithfully to the gym everyday, and cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, and gardening. We still have to open the pool, too.

Then the onslaught of summer visitors will begin.

I think I need to go back to work. :)

Enjoy the weather. Maybe next spring one of the books you'll be reading will be mine.

Creative Inspiration

Just got back from an Open House at Peter's Valley Art Fair and I've decided to take a drawing/watercolor class. If I have any talent at all (and I should since Art was my minor in college) I'm going to try illustrating one of my rhyming picture books.

If that goes well, I might just do them all. Then I jump over a column to writer/illustrator. Looking forward to it. It should be fun.

Another muse! Like I don't already have enough. Will keep you posted on my progress.