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Author, illustrator and regional adviser for the SCBWI Jim Averbeck is one talented guy. I met him a few years ago at the SCBWI National and I was struck by his kindness and generosity. I asked Jim to give us the Writing Tip of the Day.
“If the problem is the ending, the solution is the beginning.”
Many times I have seen writers who move along briskly through the beginning and middle of their stories only to be stumped at the end.
I have met Suzanne Morgan Williams many times at the SCBWI National Conference. Whether standing in line for autographs or just hanging around, I've always found her charming and funny. Nonfiction and fiction author Suzanne has penned many books. This year her fabulous new book Bull Rider came out, and I am so pleased that Suzanne agreed to an interview.
When and why did you start writing for children?
When our oldest daughter was in second grade she participated in a Young Author program in her elementary school and she was invited to bring a parent and attend the district author day. The program was intended to inspire the kids to write, but I was the one who was inspired.
Petra is an ancient, hidden city carved out of rose rock. It is a hiker's dream. El Geir, known as the Monastery, sits at one of the highest points in the city. One afternoon I hiked donkey trails, cobblestone steps and sheer cliffs to sketch this well preserved building. There were other people on the top of the cliffs, but I was able to perch on an outcrop and work on the sketch undisturbed. At sunset, I was the only person left. Done with the drawing, I was able to take in the peaceful beauty of the desert below.
Writing about a national icon has brought me some interesting emails. Once people found out that I had written a book about Mount Rushmore, I recieved images of many different versions of the mountain--some political and some very funny. This was one of the more comical and PG ones.
Occasionally I got to play the golf courses that I painted. Ventana Canyon in the rolling desert hills near Tuscon, Arizona, was inspiring to play. On this par-3 hole, the bulls-eye greens were guarded by giant cactus. If you were lucky, you bounced out. If not, you were stuck in the Sororos and penalized a stroke!
Terry Pierce and I have been buddies for many years. Terry is a skilled author of chapter and picture books and a great teacher. She also has a successful blog. I knew she would come up with a unique Writing Tip of the Day.
Play with your highlighters! Not only do highlighters take me back to my younger days of engaging in art activities, but they're a valuable tool for manuscript revision. I have two favorite ways to use highlighters for picture book revisions; first, after I've done that initial draft, I go through my manuscript and I highlight every adjective and adverb.
Well, it's blue this year. I always wait to hear the theme before I start working on my costume for the SCBWI National Conference's big Saturday night party. I love this contest, wether I win or lose. It gives me and my buddies, Greg Trine and Yuki Yoshino, a chance to dress up and feed our inner hams. I try to keep with the Kidlit theme, and I also look at the event as performance art. I've been working on our costumes since April. This is one of the many bags of blue stuff that I've purchased. This year I'm learning to carve foam.
Of all the places I've traveled, Bora Bora is one of the most beautiful. I can see why Gauguin chucked rainy Paris and moved here.
The island huts, built over the water, made me feel like I was living right on the ocean. Our hut even had a glass coffee table that opened to the water below and lit it up. We could actually feed the colorful tropical fish that swam beneath us.
I painted Matira Beach several times. We could walk out about a mile on velvet white sand in waist-high turquoise water.
The locals were friendly and gorgeous. The French Polynesians are uninhibited, and to my husband's delight, most of the beaches were of the topless persuasion!
I had the pleasure of meeting Jamie Weiss Chilton at SCBWI Ventura / Santa Barbara Writers' Day last fall. She gave an entertaining and insightful talk about being an agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency. I asked Jamie to give us her insights on being an agent.
When and why did you start representing children’s book authors?
I joined the Andrea Brown Literary Agency as an Associate Agent in January 2008, but my career in children's books started ten years earlier. In 1998, I became Christy Ottaviano's intern at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. On my first day, I knew I wanted a career in children's books.
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