Summer Short And Sweets – Week 6

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In celebration of the Olympics, which are drawing to a close, and of Would You Read It’s birthday this week, let me welcome you to Week 6 of Summer Short & Sweets for The Pitch Olympics!!!!!

badge created by Loni Edwards
Does this look familiar?
[Character] who [a unique, special, or defining characteristic of said character] wants/needs [goal] more than anything but can’t get it because of [obstacle(s)].
Simple.  Classic.  Elegant 🙂
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write an awesome pitch (or 2 or 3) for a picture book.  The fun part?  It doesn’t have to be for a book you’ve written.. or even intend to write… 🙂
It can be a pitch for something you think up right here right now this very second!  Or a pitch for a work-in-progress!  Or a pitch for a bit of an idea you’ve been ruminating on since breakfast!  Or a pitch for someone else’s published book – you take the story and boil it down into a pitch!  Or take the idea from someone else’s published book, or a nursery rhyme, or a fairy tale, and change a detail of the plot, setting, character, POV etc. and make it into a new pitch idea!  Anything goes!
Just make it as interesting as you can so we all want to read it!  And if enough people put up pitches, I’m guessing we’ll all get loads of story inspiration ideas!  The great thing?  Even if 14 people wrote a story off the same pitch, it would probably come out 14 different ways!
In case you’re feeling overwhelmed and stymied, here are a few options for each category:  ( you can do the old pick a number from 1-10 and don’t peek routine if you want to be random, or just pick whatever blows your hair back :))
Character:
1. Sophie
2. Max
3. Rover
4. Stinky Pete
5. Tiger
6. Isabella
7. Lasso Larry
8. Stegadora
9. Two-Toed Ted
10. Sugar Brown
Defining/Unique Characteristic:
1. is afraid of loud noises
2. hates to get wet
3. is a pirate
4. loves licorice
5. is a princess
6. comes from Venus
7. is a ballerina
8. always has her/his nose in the air
9. is a tightrope walker
10. is impatient
Goal:
wants a sister
wants to ride a two-wheeler
wants to lose a tooth
wants to live in the jungle
want a best friend
wants to be brave
wants to be first
wants to go to school
wants to be famous
wants to go camping
Obstacles:
hmmm…. you may be on your own for this one since it’s hard to think of obstacles that can apply in any situation – they kind of need to be specific… but:
1. natural disaster (forest fire, flood, tornado, volcano, earthquake, hurricane, blizzard etc.)
2. injury (physical)
3. injury (emotional)
4. sibling interference
5. parental control
6. friend betrayal
7. lack of talent or ability
8. rules/laws
(feel free to add anything else generic you can think up in the comments and I’ll edit and add here :))
Here are a couple examples from yours truly to set the mood 🙂
1.  Goldilocks, who is tired of porridge and bears, heads for Paris to open a cafe, but she hasn’t the slightest idea how to cook!
2.  Harold, who is a master of truth-bending, wants a job to earn money for a new baseball glove so he can make the local team, but nobody trusts him.
3.  Stinky Pete, a pirate on the foul ship Treasure Stealer, longs for a kitten but is afraid he’ll be made to walk the plank if he gets one.
So, are you ready?
Pitch!
Just for a change of pace, I am on my way to Vermont as we speak, so I will have to check in on you  from afar, and probably read your awesome posts very late tonight, but I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!  Give it your best shot.  Remember, this is for Pitch Olympic Gold! 🙂 (BTW, I had an awesome graphic I was going to use for this.  I found an Olympic image on google images and Renee personalized it using her amazing photoshopping abilities, but after all the talk about fair use, I’m afraid to put it up!  But, maybe just for a day or two so you can see it… :))
Have a great weekend, everyone, and tune in Monday for a special post and giveaway (assuming I manage to return from my travels and actually write it! :))

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 52nd Pitch!!!

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Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Would You Read It
Happy Birthday to you!!!

I know!  I can’t believe it either!  Would You Read It is one year old today!  Today makes the 52nd pitch we’ve had the privilege to read – 52 writers whose pitches have benefited from all the thoughtful, helpful comments generated by YOU.  I’m really proud to be part of such a generous effort.  It’s wonderful that this community is so supportive!  Thank you all for participating, and I hope we’ll have lots and lots more pitches to look forward to.  I’m waiting for the first book to be published that was pitched here – won’t that be a day to celebrate?! 🙂

Before we get to today’s pitch, a couple items of business.

First, I want to thank the lovely, vivacious, mistress of counting, everybody’s favorite Cupcake for bestowing the Blog On Fire Award on me.  Cupcake, you are the mostest 🙂

As you all know, I am terrible at awards.  I’m supposed to tell 5 things about myself and pass the award to 5 favorite bloggers.  I’ll try for the 5 about me, but I can’t possibly pick only 5 favorites among you when I love you all 🙂 so anyone who would like the award can consider themselves chosen 🙂

1.  I have fewer dresses than Cupcake (who owns 9) and
2.  I have no tutus at all (gasp! I know! Cupcake has 2!), so clearly I need to rectify that 🙂
3.  I have been in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia in the past month.  That may be a traveling record for me!
4.  I am totally looking forward to The Bourne Legacy even though Matt Damon isn’t in it.  Sigh.
5.  I could have been an Olympic Gymnast… except I’m uncoordinated… and have no talent for gymnastics 🙂  But I really like watching them so that has to count for something 🙂

Alrighty, then.  Onward.

Due to my extensive traveling, I’m just a tad behind on ye olde blog schedule.  I was going to put the July Pitch Pick on today’s post, but the new policy states that pitchers have the chance to revise their pitches before the vote and since I’ve been wandering around the midwest and random New York airports I haven’t emailed them all to get the version they want to use for the pitch pick, so…  not Friday, because that’s Short & Sweets, and not Monday because I have a special post to share that day :)… so I guess it’ll be next Wednesday for that.  If you happen to be one of the July pitchers, please feel free to email me the version you want to use 🙂

So now, at last, it’s time to grab your Something Chocolate (has anyone tried Chocolate Cheerios?  Are they good?) and see what you think of today’s pitch which comes to us from the lovely Patricia who is a pre-published writer of picture books, with a YA fantasy and MG fantasy series rattling around her laptop.  After a meandering journey from Wall Street attorney to not-for-profit fundraiser, with many years volunteering to support arts and education in between, this mother of three mostly-grown children and two young-at-heart pups is now busy banging on the keyboard, trying to write that elusive perfect children’s book.  She loves dogs, travel & the flora and fauna of living life to the full.  Like Two Orange Pups on Facebook to share their Woofs of Wisdom each Wednesday.


And here’s her pitch:

Working Title:  Two Orange Pups And The Ball
Age/Genre:  Picture Book (ages 3-6)
The Pitch:  Two orange pups.  The perfect ball.  Sounds simple, until the picky princess pup turns up her nose at each of her friends’ perfect balls.   Follow the pair and their friends on this madcap quest at they discover that shared experiences, not possessions, matter most.


So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Patricia improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in September, which is not very far away at all at this point, so we could really use some new pitches!!
Patricia is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
And I am off – yes, on the road again! – but this time to a day care/summer camp visit with Phyllis and Woolliam – first one since school got out in June so I’m feeling a little rusty…!  I hope we’ll have a good day!

Oh Susanna – Is It Okay To Use Sentence Fragments In Picture Book Manuscripts?

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“On the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again….“

Oh, sorry!  I guess it is a little early Monday morning to be subjecting you to my singing 🙂

But, like the song says, I am on the road again.  This time it’s JFK or bust.  Talk about scary traffic loops!  I’m really and truly hoping I find the right terminal.  If anyone wants to send good vibes my way, I won’t say no!

Of course I’ve been to JFK lots of times before… but always in a cab with a taxi driver who knows where he’s going!  But there’s nothing like adding a little excitement to your life, right? 🙂

Speaking of which, where is my EZ Pass?  Seriously, the whole point of an EZ Pass is EASE!  Back when I had the Dogmobile, it was easy.  It stuck right to the windshield by the rearview mirror.  When I switched to Princess Blue Kitty, the EZ Pass came with me, but the stick-on thingies went with the Dogmobile, so now my EZ Pass is supposed to be in the glove compartment, but I have to remember to take it out and hold it up to the windshield.  And sometimes it falls down in the cracks somewhere… and searching for it makes for perilous driving… talk about excitement…  It must be here somewhere… And you must be able to get replacement stick-on thingies…

Anyway, whilst I’m driving through confounding traffic patterns and searching for my EZ Pass, you all can read the answer to today’s Oh Susanna question, another one from Darshana – she should probably get double billing on Oh Susanna since she’s always so full of helpful questions 🙂  Which reminds me, if anyone has any questions, please send them along – I’m nearly out!

Today Darshana is wondering whether it’s okay to use sentence fragments in picture books (and I happen to know Robyn was wondering this too, so I’m assuming maybe a lot of people are in the same state of wonderment :))  Here is her exact question:

Recently I was typing out Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer so I could study the text.
In a few places there were sentence fragments posing as sentences.
Example: 
“And pet kittens. And bake.”
I understand why this was done in the finished book. However, when submitting a MS should a pb author use correct grammar all the time, or can the author take artistic license to make the story more alive?

This is a very good question.  Because as Darshana so cleverly pointed out with an example, there are LOTS of instances where sentence fragments are used in picture books.

The answer is fairly straightforward.  In general, you should be as correct as possible.  Your grammar should be correct.  Your spelling should be correct.  Your word usage should be correct.  Your manuscripts should be presented in as professionally written a way as you are capable of.

HOWEVER, judiciously used, for a specific purpose, sentence fragments can be acceptable, as can sentences beginning with “and” or “but” (normally big no-nos).  It must be for the sake of effect, rhythm, or voice, though.  It has to feel right.  And it can’t be every single sentence.  It may also be best not to use one right up front to start your story, lest the editor reading it think you don’t know how to construct a sentence.

The best advice I can give you is to read lots of picture books (always a good practice anyway) and see when and how sentence fragments are used in traditionally published books.  This will give you a feel for what’s acceptable.

This question also brings to mind a related one – about proper language.  If you are familiar with Junie B. Jones, you will know that Junie speaks in a way that is supposed to sound childlike and five-year-oldish.  Personally, I have never heard a five year old speak that way – none of mine did – but I get the point.  My kids enjoyed the stories, but when I read them aloud, I always corrected the grammar.  I just couldn’t read them aloud as they were printed.  Clearly, this is something that doesn’t bother lots and lots of people, and clearly didn’t bother the editor who bought the book, so my point is, to some degree, it’s a matter of voice and personal taste.  It is also one of the things that separates one writer’s style from another’s.  Barbara Park is comfortable writing that way and has enjoyed a great deal of success with Junie (and for the record, I think her stories are appealing, as is Junie, and kids really like them – I just personally stumble over that language issue a bit).  But I think what makes it work for her is the fact that she’s telling good stories.  I can’t think of an instance where incorrect language is used in picture books, though, except perhaps occasionally in an illustrated note that is supposed to look as though a child wrote it.

Darshana, I do hope that answers your question.  If not, please feel free to ask for further clarification in the comments.  And as always, I would be glad to have anyone with knowledge and expertise in this area add their two cents – this is a collaborative effort to help all of us be better educated and prepared to do a better job with our writing – so comment away!

Now, I guess I’d better find that flingin’-flangin’ EZ Pass.  There’s a toll booth coming up!

Have a great day, everyone 🙂

“On the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again….“

Summer Short And Sweets – Week 5

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Woo-hoo!  Time for Summer Short & Sweets! 🙂

badge created by Loni Edwards

I am so happy it’s Friday!  Visiting colleges is tons of fun but also tiring and all those donuts that driving is not good for my fitness.  I am learning things, though.  Do you know what the smallest private college in the United States is?  Apparently that distinction belongs to Alaska Bible College with an enrollment of 38 students.  Who knew?  I hope you all feel as enriched by that little tidbit as I do.  We will not be visiting Alaska Bible College (our loss I’m sure) but I cannot possibly put up with Jo-Jilly for that long of a drive!

So let’s have some fun, shall we?  Let’s see what we can think up today…

First, choose an emotion.  Just in case you can’t think of any, here are a few:

Interest, politeness, surprise, anger, annoyance, contempt, disgust, irritation, serenity, relief, relaxation, contentment, calmness, anxiety, embarrassment, fear, helplessness, powerlessness, worry, courage, hope, pride, satisfaction, trust, doubt, envy, frustration, guilt, shame, affection, empathy, friendliness, love, boredom, despair, disappointment, hurt, sadness, amusement, delight, elation, stress, shock, tension, excitement, happiness, joy, pleasure…

Got one?

Second, choose an animal that emotion makes you think of – either similar or opposite – but you can also go random and see what you come up with 🙂  Again, a list for anyone who’s feeling uninspired 🙂

Aardvark, anteater, badger, beaver, camel, cat, chimpanzee, cow, deer, donkey, gazelle, gorilla, hamster, hippo, horse, jaguar, kangaroo, lamb, lion, lynx, mink, moose, monkey, opossum, ox, ocelot, polar bear, porcupine, pony, porpoise, puppy, raccoon, rhinoceros, ram, salamander, squirrel, skunk, tiger, turtle, toad, walrus, warthog, wolf, wombat, yak, zebra…

Got one?

Okay.  Here’s what we’re going to do:

1. Pick an adjective that compares/relates/associates your animal to your emotion (e.g. if you chose angry and cat, you might choose hissing, spitting, or twitchy for your adjective)
2. Write an action filled phrase describing how the animal moves (e.g. if you chose cat you might say slinking, slitted eyes shifting suspiciously)
3. Write a phrase telling where the animal lives (e.g. if you chose monkey you might say in the crown of the rainforest)
4. Write a phrase that either tells readers why the animals acts the way it does, or possibly how others react to it (e.g. if you’re writing about an angry monkey you might say screeching for the baboon’s banana)

Put it all together like this:

Emotion
is [a/an/the] adjective from #1  animal
action filled phrase from #2
phrase telling where animal lives from #3
phrase telling why animal acts that way or how others react to it from #4

and you have a) a short poem and b) great practice in simile/metaphor!

Here’s mine for satisfaction and cat

Satisfaction
is a purring cat
curled warm and soft
on a noontime windowsill,
soaking up sunshine because she can.

Here’s another for bewilderment and penguin

Bewilderment
is a tuxedoed penguin
tiptoeing tentatively
at the icy ocean’s edge
wondering where his dinner dove.

How about one for shame and snail?

Shame
is a slump-shouldered snail
creeping, head down,
in the shadow of the stone wall
hoping to escape scrutiny.

The fact that I have barely been home for two weeks, I’m cross-eyed from driving, and I’ve been dulled into a creative stupor by innumerable college info sessions and tour guide spiels should make you all feel very brave about attempting this because you can be sure whatever you write will not be the worst thing up here – I have helpfully put my own attempts in that place of dishonor 🙂

Now you try!  Not only will you be sharpening your simile/metaphor skills, perhaps you will inspire a story – for yourself or someone else – or perhaps you’ll read someone else’s and get a great idea!  Do as many as you want – they’re totally fun!  I can’t wait to read what you come up with!!!

Of course, as I will be driving home from Ohio, which is very far away, I will probably not get to read your sterling work until late sniffle sniff…  But that’s just more to look forward to 🙂

Have a great weekend everyone!!! 🙂  And remember, if you want to be eligible for Short & Sweet prizes, you must submit at least one entry for each SS&S week’s prompt.  Please see HERE for full details!  So far, 44 people have done at least one, but only a dedicated 9 have done all 4 to date… in case you were wondering 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 51st Pitch!

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Good Morning, my friends!  I hope you are all feeling happy and well today, and full of inspiration and creativity!

I, personally, am back in the car with Jo-Jilly with whom I am not on speaking terms because she decided to give me the silent treatment as I approached our nation’s capitol last week.  If you have ever driven in those horrifying belt loops or whatever they call it (especially if, like me, you are not familiar with the area) let me assure you that you do not want to be there without guidance.  Especially at night. In the rain.  When you have been driving for many hours…  So now of course she’s all, “In .2 miles turn right into Pennsylvania.”  Like that’s going to win me back!  But I’ve been up since 4:30 AM and I’m not feeling that forgiving just yet.  Maybe after I stop at Dunkin’ for some coffee (where, by the way, I think I should have a dedicated parking space with my name on it – or maybe Princess Blue Kitty’s – since I spend so much time there lately) maybe if she manages to stay civil about departing from the route I’ll consider letting her back into my good graces then…  We’ll just see…! 🙂

I think negotiating with your GPS should be an Olympic sport.

Meanwhile, we have important things to do here!  It’s time for Something Chocolate (I don’t think there’s any pretending I won’t be having chocolate donuts this morning… I love those little chocolate munchkins :))

O
in case you are wondering, this is my drawing of a chocolate donut since I have no photos!
and Would You Read It!

Today’s pitch comes to us from the very talented Randy, who blogs over at Randy Lindsay – Author In Training.  Any of you who aren’t familiar with his blog should hop over and take a peek.  He has great writing prompts and often posts samples of his work which are inspiring to read.  He is incredibly creative and has a great sense of humor!  He was my “partner” in Kerri Cuevas’s Choose Your Own Adventure last year.  He is also the father of NINE (9)!  Yes.  Really! 🙂

And come to think of it, he may be only the third person of his gender who has been brave enough to stand up for Would You Read It, so let’s give him a round of applause just for that! 🙂  In addition, he freely admits that picture books are not in his usual wheelhouse…

And now, here’s Randy’s pitch:

Working Title: Charlie The Chimney Mouse
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 6-10)
The Pitch: Charlie is looking forward to the holiday season when the unthinkable happens. His human family moves away. He does his best to celebrate the holidays on his own, but discovers that it isn’t the songs, feasts, and parties that make this time of year special . . . it’s the people you share it with. 

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Randy improve his pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in August, which is not very far away at all at this point, so we could really use some new pitches!!
Randy is looking forward to your thoughts on his pitch!
And I am looking forward to finding Ohio, with or without that Jill.  Honestly, it’s fairly large.  I should be able to spot it! 🙂
Have a wonderful day!

Oh Susanna – What’s The Difference Between A Query Letter And A Cover Letter And When To Use Which?

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Good Morning Everyone!

There were many posts last week about how much trouble you can get in posting pictures on your blog.  I will probably have to go through all my posts and delete tons, but meanwhile, I’m a bit afeared, so for today’s eye candy I will include something which has nothing to do with anything but whichI know I’m allowed to use, a lovely portrait of me reading to a first grade class, drawn by an artistic member of the young audience:

You will note my face, apparently covered by blond hair – I should have shaved:)
Phyllis talking from my unusually constructed arm from which I am also reading
and the enraptured audience of 4 behind me 🙂

Anyhoo, I hope you all had wonderful weekends!  I am so behind after being away all last week that this may end up being my shortest post ever!  Are you ready?  I might not even stop to draw breath 🙂

What with all the special events going on lately, we haven’t had an Oh Susanna day in a while, and poor Darshana has been patiently waiting for the answers to her questions so let’s dive right in, shall we?

Darshana asked:

Q1) What is the difference between a query letter and a cover letter for a picture book manuscript? 

Q2) Which do you use when submitting a PB manuscript to an editor?

Q3) Which do you use when submitting a PB manuscript to an agent?

Darshana’s 3 questions are so closely related that I included them all, and I’m betting she’s not the only one wondering about this topic, because it’s tricky and kind of splitting hairs.

The basic answer is very simple: a cover letter accompanies a manuscript, a query letter does not.

A cover letter is so named because it covers a manuscript.  It would include that a manuscript is enclosed.

Otherwise, both letters should include the following:

  • The basic facts about the manuscript: title, word length, genre, intended age range (e.g. Hillbilly Bob is a 400 word picture book for ages 3-7.)
  • What makes your manuscript stand out from previously published competitors and why it’s a great fit for this particular editor/house (e.g. there are few if any picture books about… or, this book about apples will fit beautifully into the kindergarten curriculum…)
  • Your publication history or relevant background and, if appropriate, anything that made you uniquely qualified to write this particular book.  (This would probably be more applicable in the case of non-fiction, e.g. if you wrote a book about space travel and you were an astronaut.)
  • A mention of other enclosures or attachments such as your resume, or a bibliography if your submission is non-fiction
  • Whether or not it’s a simultaneous submission
  • Your contact information
  • Anything else requested in that specific agent’s/editor’s/house’s submission guidelines.

(For works that aren’t picture books, a sample outline or a chapter synopsis might also accompany a cover letter, but that does not pertain to picture books as a general rule :))

A cover letter should supply the basics, but not much more.  You don’t want an agent or editor getting so bogged down in the cover that they never get to the actual manuscript!

A query letter is essentially the same thing, it just invites the editor or agent to request the manuscript from you if it sounds like something they might be interested in reading.

As to when you would use one or the other, most agents and editors are clear about what they want.  Their guidelines will say, send full manuscript for picture books (that means you’ll need a cover letter) or accepts queries or queries only (that means a query letter.)

Some houses that are closed to unagented/unsolicited submissions are still open to queries, so that is your chance to sell your idea and get the editor to request it.

No matter what, query or cover is a place where you can use that pitch you’ve worked on in Would You Read It Wednesdays to hook either editor or agent.  It’s no different from your manuscript in that respect – grab their attention and don’t let go!

I hope that answers your question, Darshana.  If not, please feel free to ask for clarification on anything in the comments.  And if any of you highly experience readers out there have anything to add, I’d be grateful for any extra information or clarification you can add!

Have a great day, everyone!  Hopefully I’ll see you all around the blogosphere as I play catch-up to all your wonderful posts etc! 🙂

Summer Short And Sweets – Week 4

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Woo-hoo!  Last day on the road (until next week :)) AND a Summer Short & Sweet Day!

Badge created by Loni Edwards

Did I tell you my GPS’s name is Jill?  I’ve taken to calling her Jo-Jilly thanks to my niece 🙂  But let me tell you, after this week? 1500 plus miles later? she and I need a little time apart!  She gets extremely snippy whenever I depart from the route to refuel (Susanna runs on Dunkin’ – the coffee, not the donuts… most of the time… :), Princess Blue Kitty runs on anything she can get except BP which I am morally opposed to!)  I always promise Jo-Jilly that we’ll get right back on the road, but you know, I don’t think she believes me!  It’s this lack of trust I find hard to live with.  Lucky I get a break for a few days 🙂

ANYway, are you ready to be Short & Sweet?

Alrighty then.

Pick a letter – any letter! – the first letter of your name, a letter you like the shape of, a letter you like the sound of – any letter!

Got one?

Now, pick a name that starts with that letter.  This will be your character.

Now, write us 50 – 100 words (more if you like, but 50 – 100 will do :)) of a story about this character.  But here’s the challenge:  you have to use as many words as possible that start with the letter you chose!  Nouns, verbs, adjectives, people, places, descriptions, actions, and things – see how many words that start with your letter you can work into your story.  It does not have to be a complete story (although it can be if you want), just get started and see where it goes.  You might be surprised at the directions you go trying to use words that begin with your letter!

Here’s my example, using D (which is for dogs because I miss mine!)

Delilah dreamed of dogs.
Dogs were devoted.  Dogs were delightful.  In fact, they were downright dynamite!
“Daddy,” Delilah declared, “I’m desperate for a dog.  Dalmatian or Dachshund, Doberman or Dingo, anything doggy will do.”
“Darling Delilah,” Daddy said, “how about a donkey or a duck? A dragonfly or a dolphin?”
“Don’t you like dogs, Daddy?”
“Dearest, I do!  But I’m dreadfully delicate.  Dogs make me sneeze dangerously.”
Delilah despaired.
But dreams don’t die easily.
Delilah was determined.
She developed a dog dander destruction device.
“Now a dog will be no danger, Daddy!”
Daddy drove Delilah downtown.
Delilah named her dog Daisy.
Daisy is devoted.  Daisy is delightful.  In fact, Daisy is downright dynamite!
Delilah is delirious.
And Daddy dotes on them doubly!
(122 words)

Get the idea?  Mine’s a bit pathetic, I know.  I’m drained from driving 🙂  But now no one should be afraid to give it a shot 🙂

I hope you’ll find this fun!  Perhaps yours or someone else’s will spark a story idea that you can then write normally, without using all the same-letter words.  Either way, it’s a good exercise to make you think very carefully about every word you write.  I think you’ll be surprised at how much stronger nouns and verbs you’ll think up!  And at how your ideas take off in bizarre directions in order to accommodate your letter – I personally would have been unlikely to think up a dog dander destruction device under other circumstances 🙂

Have fun with this!  I can’t wait to see what you come up with – y’all amaze me every week!

Happy writing and happy weekend 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 50th Pitch! and Straight From The Editor #10

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Grab your Something Chocolate and bring it and your computer out to the hammock so you can relax and enjoy today’s Would You Read It extravaganza (which simply means that, due to trying to stuff in extra posts and features around the edges, I’m lumping June’s Straight From The Editor in with today’s pitch :))

Yes, this is my yard – a little blurry because I tried to enlarge the hammock view.
Anyone who doesn’t have a hammock is invited to use mine – it’s just hanging around doing nothing 🙂

(Apologies to those of you with desktops – they’re a little harder to take out to the hammock – but I’m sure you’re resourceful :))

Anyhoo…  you will recall that the winner of the June pitch pick was Lori with her pitch for These Little Piggies.  Here is the original:

Working Title:  These Little Piggies
Age/Genre: Rhyming Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch:  In this Mother Goose mash-up, five little piggies are living happily in a shoe until a callous old woman forces her way in and turns their lives head over tails.  The piggies decide to set a trap for the old woman so, the first little piggy goes to market… the second little piggy stays home…  Will they succeed in giving the old coot the boot?

and here are Erin’s comments:

This is very cute! The one thing that worries me is the phrase “set a trap”. Seems too threatening. I think that, at least for the pitch, you should say, “the piggies decide to do something about her”?

You guys are getting good at this!  Erin hasn’t had a whole lot to say the last couple times 🙂

So, onto today’s pitch, which comes to us from the lovely Dana.  Dana is an illustrator/author from Michigan who revels in sketching, painting, and creating new worlds. She is currently working on the illustrations of a PB manuscript that she has also written called “CJ’s Tiger”.  Please visit her Website (which contains a link to her blog!)  (And really, I just have to insert here that her art is SO engaging!  I highly recommend a look!)  And you will be pleased to know that her pitch is for the very book she mentioned she is illustrating!

Working Title:  CJ’s Tiger
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch:  CJ thinks that it would be a great to have a tiger for a pet (even if his parents don’t agree). So CJ is thrilled when he awakens the next day to find that his cat “Tiger” has transformed into a real tiger! But he soon learns that having a pet tiger is a lot harder than he imagined when the day turns into one big cat-astrophe!

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Dana improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in August, which is not very far away at all at this point, so we could really use some new pitches!!
Dana is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  Just so y’all know, she is at work and, being a responsible type, can’t respond to comments until later when she’s on her own time, but SHE WILL BE HERE as soon as she can 🙂

Have a great day!  If you see someone looking lost in North Carolina, that will be me 🙂

Meet Tiffany Strelitz Haber, Author Of Debut Picture Book The Monster Who Lost His Mean and A Giveway!

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I know.  We haven’t done Oh Susanna in ages!  But awesome things keep coming up that I just have to slide in somewhere, one of which is today’s post about a great new picture book.  So… next week?

Today I am delighted to introduce you to Tiffany, but real quick before I do, let me just announce that the winner of Steven Petruccio’s gorgeous picture book Puffer’s Surprise from last week’s author/illustrator interview is Delores (thefeatherednest)!!!  Congratulations, Delores!  I hope you’ll enjoy this beautiful book!

Now then!  Everyone, please meet Tiffany!  I have to tell you, I found this interview so entertaining that I’m afraid you guys will never want to come back and read my boring old posts after it, so you have to promise not to throw me over 🙂

Tiffany Strelitz Haber & Co. 🙂

SLH:  When did you start writing for children?  

TSH:  When I was in third grade, I wrote my first “rhyming picture book”.  I continued writing for many years.  In fact, all throughout highschool, and a bit in college as well.  So obviously, when I was figuring out what I wanted to do for a living, I headed straight for the financial world!  I was never really one for connect the dots.  🙂   Anyway.  Yadda, yadda, yadda, cut to 24 years later (give or take)…chronically unhappy in the career I had been diligently building for over a decade, and feeling like it was ‘now or never’ to make a change, I realized I was barking up the wrong tree entirely.  I wanted to really love what I did for a living.  So I went back to what I had loved for so many years before, and started writing for kids.


SLH:  Do you have an agent, or did you submit on your own?  

TSH:  Agent.  I learned very quickly (by attending a couple of NJSCBWI conferences), that having agent representation opens doors otherwise closed to most authors.  It also allows you the freedom to really focus on writing (and later promoting) as opposed to spending countless hours researching publishing houses and editors, constructing query letters, physically printing, stuffing, stamping and mailing submissions out, following up and…well…you get the point.  


SLH:  Was The Monster Who Lost His Mean your first submitted PB or did you have others before that haven’t sold yet?

TSH:  I actually got extremely lucky.  My agent subbed two PBs of mine simultaneously to a variety of houses.  Several months later…within the same week, we had offers on both.  It was very exciting!  (SLH: OMG!  I think I speak for most of our readers when I say I could sure use a week like that! 🙂

SLH:  Tell us about the moment when you got THE CALL!!!  How did you feel?  What did you do?  Did you celebrate? Call all your friends and relations? 🙂

TSH:  Ok, so I was on a ski trip with a bunch of friends.  We were sharing a house and had been out super late the night before, so everyone was passed out on various couches and beds.  Anyway…for some reason, I found myself wide awake at 5 in the morning so I checked email on my phone.  And there it was.  We had an offer on MONSTER and as I leaped off the couch and looked around for someone to share the news with (read: tackle with uncontrollable zeal), I realized  I was surrounded by zombies.  There wasn’t a single soul within a half mile radius that wasn’t dead to the world and stickin’ to it.  So I kind of just muttered to myself in the corner for a while with a pre-dawn bloody mary.  Party of one, please!


SLH:  Do you have anything else under contract?  

TSH:  I have another rhyming picture book due out in April 2013.  It’s called, Ollie and Claire (Philomel/Penguin) and was illustrated by the amazing Matthew Cordell.

I also have a couple of stories in that critical, “at an editorial meeting” type phase where it could still go either way…but you know you’re close and you’re just kinda….waiting. (read: pacing, email-refreshing, obsessing)

SLH:  And please share where we can find you…


TSH: 
facebook:  www.facebook.com/tshauthor  (BIG facebook gal.  Let’s be friends!)
Twitter: @tiffrhymes
Blog: for tips and tricks on writing in rhyme, come check out  www.themetermaids.blogspot.com
Just for fun quick questions:

Left or right handed?  right
Traditionally or self-published? traditionally
Hard copy or digital? hard
Apps or not?  not that I know of?
Plotter or pantser? plantser?
Laptop or desktop? lap
Mac or PC? Mac
Day or night worker? DAY
Coffee or tea? Coffee (and then suddenly tea for like…a day)
Snack or not? I want to meet the person who says “not”.  And then never talk to them again.
Salty or sweet? Salty.  Althought salty and sweet in the same bite is actual heaven on earth.  #ChocolateCoveredPretzels
Quiet or music? Quiet
Cat or dog? both
Currently reading? Helter Skelter

And now, my lovelies, Tiffany has generously offered a signed copy of her brand new, hot-off-the-presses, WONDERFUL book.  All you have to do is what the Rafflecoptor widget tells you to.  And may I just say that I hope the Rafflecoptor widget is going to show up somewhere – it probably will not show up where I intend it to, so look around, be ingenious and persistent, and hopefully you’ll find it wherever it chooses to appear 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveawaySo yeah – fill that in.  You get extra points for “liking” and “following” and things of that nature.  And just in case the widget doesn’t work, and I am off in the boonies of PA/VA/NC unable to fix it, please also take part in our fun contest in the comments – it’s supposed to show up as mandatory in the Rafflecoptor thingy, but like I said, my faith has limits…. 🙂 so I’m putting it here too:

Everybody knows the ‘M’ in MONSTER stands for Mean.  When one young MONSTER loses his…and becomes THE ONSTER, everything goes awry.  What does the first letter in *your* name stand for?  How would you feel if you lost it?  Answer below for a chance to win a signed copy of THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN!

Have fun!  And if you have any questions or comments for Tiffany, fire away.  I’ll try to talk her into checking in from time to time 🙂

Happy Monday, All!

  

Summer Short And Sweets – Week 3

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Hurray!  Hurray!  It’s a Summer Short & Sweet day! 🙂

badge created by Loni Edwards

First off, help yourself to some of these delicious cookies

and a glass of refreshing iced tea

because we can be more creative after a little snack 🙂

Now then, are you ready for today’s Short & Sweet?

I totally wrestled with this one and I hope it’s going to be fun and also work right… I guess we’ll see 🙂

So we have to go on the honor system again – no peeking! 🙂 – and I need you to get a piece of paper and a writing implement of your choice.  Then write down the following things in a list bearing in mind that everything below is supposed to be related so it can hang together:

1.  A noun (you know, a good old person place or thing)
2.  A color that describes that noun or some part of that noun you’d like to highlight (e.g. red, or, lavender, or, cerulean)
3.  A comparison to that color (in the manner of simile or metaphor e.g. summer sunset, or, shadowed snow on a January evening)
4.  Something that belongs to your noun written as adjective, adjective noun (e.g. wide, feathered tail, or, slim, brown limbs, or brass ratcheted gears)
5.  A verb ending in -ing that is something your noun could do (e.g. soaring, or, stretching, or, grappling)
6. Another verb ending in -ing that is something else your noun could do (e.g. sailing, or, reaching, or, frowning)
7. A place written as: preposition [a/an/the] adjective adjective noun (e.g. over [a] broad green valley, or, across [the] shimmering shining stream)
8. A description of something your noun could do in relation to something else, written as:  verb ending in -ing preposition adjective noun (e.g. scouting for silver salmon, or, basking on sun-baked sand, or, digging up acorn jewels) – (yes, I realize “for” is a conjunction, not a preposition, but you can use it if you want.  The reason I didn’t put conjunction is because the others – and, or, nor, but, yet – won’t work.  But use “for” if you want :))
9. Repeat #8 with another description (e.g. plunging toward immovable earth)
10. Repeat #8 with a final description (e.g. hoping for sweet success, or, diving for delicious dinner)
11. A simile for the action in #10 (e.g. like a rocket ship, or, like a bow drawn across singing strings)
12.  Your original noun from #1.

Okay!  Got your list?  What we are accomplishing here is part Madlib, part poetry, and will hopefully result in lots of descriptive poems (haha – like how I tricked you into writing a poem? :)) that will also serve as story sparkers by giving all the devoted readers specific, detailed, poetic descriptions of characters, settings, or objects that they could use in a story!  For those of you who write picture books, there are a lot of similarities between picture books and poetry, so this is good practice 🙂

Wasn’t that totally awesome how I snuck that up on you?

So now, all you have to do is type your poem into the comments using this template and your list:

I am [a/an/the] noun from #1
Color from #2 as [a/an/the] comparison from #3
With [a/an/the] adjective adjective noun from #4
Verb from #5, verb from #6
Prepostition [a/an/the] adjective adjective noun from #7
Description from #8
Description from #9
Description from #10
Like [a/an/the] simile from #11
I am [a/an/the] noun from #1


Here’s my example:

I am a falcon
Gray as a stormy sky
With powerful, peregrine wings
Soaring, sailing
Across the shimmering, shining stream
Scouting for silver salmon
Plummeting toward wavering water
Diving for delicious dinner
Like an arrow sprung from a huntsman’s bow
I am a falcon.

Here’s another one because I think this is fun 🙂

I am a birch
Silver as starlight on snow
With strong, slim limbs
Reaching, stretching
For the faraway, fickle moon
Gazing at kaleidoscope constellations
Soaking in the dewdrop dawn
Standing among my slender sisters
Like a dancer waiting for the music to begin
I am a birch.

And one more:

I am Sarah
Gold and brown like honey on toast
With hidden, heartfelt hopes
Uncurling, unfurling
From their secret silent space
Running with quiet concentration
Leaving behind even the fastest few
Flying on winged feet to finish first
Like fleet Atalanta
I am Sarah.

Ok, I’ll stop now because I’m really not very good at this even though I think it’s tons of fun 🙂

So do you get the idea?  You may of course tweak a bit.  If you need a different verb form or fewer adjectives or an extra word or one less line or two colors, etc. feel free to change it up.  The word prompts and template were just to make the job easier and less intimidating 🙂

I hope you’ll all have fun with this!  I can’t wait to see what you write!  And after my humble examples, I hope everyone will feel very brave about putting theirs up – I know without a doubt you can all do better than I did! 🙂

Have a great weekend, and please join me Monday to welcome Tiffany Haber as she talks about her debut picture book, The Monster Who Lost His Mean (which I just had the pleasure of reading and it is REALLY TERRIFIC and you should all get a copy for the littles in your life, or for yourself as an example of a well-done picture book in verse!!!)

Happy weekend 🙂