Picture Book or Magazine Story?

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Not sure if your story is a picture book or a story for a magazine? Author Christine Kohler has an excellent article, “Is Your Story a Picture Book or Short Story for a ‘Zine?,” regarding this topic on the Institute of Children’s Literature newsletter. She touches on the number of pictures that should be “implied in the text” for a picture book. “Magazine articles require fewer illustrations,” she writes. 
In a picture book, she continues, “a story is … told as a sequence of illustrated scenes.” Short stories in magazines, “… do not depend upon the illustrations for clarification.” Read Kohler’s entire article to figure out where your story fits. 
School Visit
Elizabeth Bluemle posted a great article, “Standout MG and YA Covers This Month,” plus pictures of book covers on the Publishers Weekly Shelftalker blog. Take a look.

“The longer you put off getting serious about writing, the longer you put off success. Procrastination is a writer’s biggest enemy.” — Barbara Seuling

Critique Groups

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I want to talk about critique groups today. As I’ve mentioned before, I belong to two local critique groups whose feedback I greatly appreciate. My two groups are usually right on target when it comes to showing me what needs to be revised in my manuscripts. A few months ago, I was invited to join an online group. I hesitated at first. Online? Not see each other face to face? How would that work out? 

 
I had met a couple of the writers in that online group at writers’ conferences, but the rest I had never met. I accepted the invitation with some trepidation. But I had nothing to fear. Rules were set up by the person who initiated the whole thing. The rest of us tweaked a few things here and there. We were all finally in agreement about how this would work out. And it has! From Florida to Arizona to California and Texas, we have submitted our work, gotten it critiqued via email, and kept the schedule going. It’s been fun and every month I look forward to those emails with stories that have helped me progress in my own writing. 
San Jose Rose Garden
The Austin SCBWI has a brief description of what a critique group is. They mention the “sandwich” method, which I’m sure many of you have heard before. Critique etiquette and group parameters are also addressed. Join a writing group in your area and form a critique group. You’ll not only make lifelong friends, but you’ll get valuable feedback.  
“Does your story contain character conflict, change, and growth? If you are just relating a series of events that involve one or more characters, your story is likely underdeveloped.” – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

School Visit

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I just got back from an inspiring school visit in San Benito, Texas. The energy and enthusiasm of the students never fails to rejuvenate me. I had a great time. I was amazed when during a tour of the school, I witnessed kindergarteners writing stories in their own little journals!
It was also great seeing the acres and acres of cotton, onions, tall stalks of corn, and even giant sunflowers growing in that part of the Rio Grande Valley. At one of the Mexican restaurants there, I had the most delicious aguas frescas cantaloupe drink. Reminded me of my book, Alicia’s Fruity Drinks/Las Aguas Frescas de Alicia, where my main character creates her own natural juice drinks and shares with her soccer teammates. I had tried the strawberry, watermelon, pineapple, and lemon aguas frescas before, but never cantaloupe. Really refreshing!
School Visit
Here’s an interesting blog, Literary Rambles, which spotlights children’s book authors, agents, and publishers. You can search for an agent by age category, i.e., picture books, middle grade, or young adult. Neat blog!
Junie B. Jones early chapter books have been around for 20 years and have sold in the millions. Read a feature article, Random House Celebrates Junie B. Jones’s 20th Anniversary, by Sally Lodge to learn how this series of books got started.   

“A journal can be an invaluable tool for recording ideas, impressions, and anecdotes for future use. It can also help your career by instilling in you the habit of writing regularly.” – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Querying your manuscript

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Just returned from San Jose, California, where I visited their famous Rose Garden. As soon as I walked through the entrance, the fragrance from hundreds of roses was intoxicating. The weather was perfect for viewing the Rose Garden in all its glory. Very nice visit!
San Jose Rose Garden
Now let’s talk about queries. How much personal information should you include in your query? What is important and what isn’t? Mary Kole, associate agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, writes on her Kidlit blog, Biographical Information in a Query, that “there are two things you should focus on in your bio: professional writing credits and information relevant to the project at hand.”
But what if you don’t have any publishing credits? Kole writes: “If you haven’tpublished or won anything, don’t sweat it.” She then goes on to advise what to do. On this post, Kole also covers POV in Queries, Identifying Genre, and Query Formatting. If you’re ready to query your manuscript, it might be a good idea to read Kole’s post. 
Here’s an actual query letter that author Nathan Bransford, wrote to an agent (it worked) for his book, Jacob Wonderbar, which is due out this month. 
Best of luck with your query!

“This morning I took out a comma, and this afternoon I put it back again.” — Oscar Wilde

Flashback or Backstory?

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Do you know the difference between flashback and backstory? Brian Klems, online editor blogger on the Writer’s Digestblog, offers an excellent, brief explanation of the difference in his article, “What is flashback in a story?” Klems writes: “Some folks confuse (flashback) with backstory, but the time constraints of a flashback don’t allow us to share too many details. They just allow us to reveal tidbits.” For more on this topic, visit his blog.
Santa Fe
But how do you decide which one to use and when? Is there a strategy or guidelines for this?  There’s a pretty good article on another blog, Be a Better Writer,with Pearl Luke, that gives examples of both.
“Each story has a time frame,” she writes. “…backstory must be shown, however, and not told.” She also warns, “Any time you interrupt the forward moving story, you risk losing reader interest, so dramatizing the interruption decreases that risk.” She offers examples, techniques, and basic guidelines on how to get around this. See for yourself.

 
“We don’t write what we know. We write what we wonder about.”–Richard Peck

Who is your target audience?

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Who is your target audience? Have you ever been asked that question by an editor or an agent? I have. You want to have a ready answer when you reply. Is your book for middle graders, young adults, children, adults? Be specific. In literary agent Chuck Sambuchino’s post, “Who is your target reader?” on the Writers Digest blog, he notes: “See this question as an opportunity to show both the businesslike and passionate sides of yourself – i.e., why this is a marketable book and why you alone of all the souls on earth were born to write it.” 
For more on this topic and for a blog roll of literary agents, visit his site above.
School Visit
On another note, I enjoyed reading an essay by Michael Sims, “Some Book: Celebrating 60 Years of ‘Charlotte’s Web,’” in the New York Times. I think you will enjoy it too. 
“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.”  ― E. B. White

Fiesta Week

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It’s Fiesta Week here in San Antonio. Parades, queens, princesses, school bands, and thousands of locals and tourists alike enjoying San Antonio’s annual event. It is a time of celebration and fun!
According to the website on sa.org, the history of this event goes like this: “In 1891, a group of ladies decorated horse-drawn carriages, paraded in front of the Alamo, and pelted each other with flower blossoms. The parade was organized to honor the heroes from the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto.”
It has really grown since then. Visit the website above to find out more. In the meantime, I have a “Fiesta Wreath” in my home to start the week off right.
HAPPY FIESTA!

How do you start your story?

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You, the writer – you know how to start a story, right? But do you know how NOT to start a story? On her post on the Institute of Children’s Literature blog, Jan Fields asks the following questions:  “ … where are you starting? Are you engaging the reader or confusing him? Are you getting the story moving or starting at a long dead stop?” In her article, “Don’t Start This Way – Unless it Works,” Fields offers tips on how to “engage the reader and not bore him” with your opening. So do you start with dialogue, a scene, a character? Read her post to figure out what NOT to do. 
Library
Here’s a treat. An interview with author Jon Scieszka and illustrator Lane Smith on the Design Mom blog. They collaborated on numerous books including the Caldecott Honor book, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. 

“The best children’s book writers are not people who have kids, but people who write from the child within themselves.” Andrea Brown

April is Poetry Month

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Since April is Poetry Month, I would like to post a couple of my poems. These were published a while back.  

SAWDUST

                                                                                   By Lupe Ruiz-Flores

Stained old muslin apron
wrapped around his ample middle
grocer dips into sawdust barrel
sprinkles the powdery shreddings
across the wooden floor.
Like snowflakes they fall
making no sound
as they settle gently
on the decayed wood
once itself part of a tree.

Scent of freshly cut wood
uniting with old gray boards
a blend of yesterday and today
like cousins at a reunion.
                                                       Published in San Antonio Express-News
 The Time Piece
                                             By Lupe Ruiz-Flores

 

Like a pendulum I swung
from your golden chain I dangled
in tune with your heartbeat
the ups and downs of your life.
 A slice of treasured time
reflected in my golden armor
I played my soulful music
as you commanded.
 My cover, an ornate, gilded eagle
perched proudly on solid rock
a reminder of the solidarity
we once shared.

 

Detached from you forever
I now become someone’s heirloom
my fine, embellished lines
caressed by the next in line.
                                                                     Published in Voices Along the River – San Antonio Poetry Fair

Award-winning author Jane Yolen offers tips on writing a poem on Katie Davis’ blog.
“Love the writing, love the writing, love the writing… the rest will follow.” Jane Yolen

More día and poet laureate

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San Antonio has its first poet laureate: Poet/author Dr. Carmen Tafolla. This award-winning author has published numerous children and adult books plus books of poetry. We wish her a wonderful two-year term as San Antonio’s poet laureate. Publishers Weekly just did a feature on Tafolla titled, “Poetic Justice in Texas.” 
Another author in the limelight is Pat Mora, founder of El día de los niños/el día de los libros. Publishers Weekly also featured Ms. Mora on their blog post, “Día Initiative Extends Its Literacy Outreach.” Visit both posts for an interesting read. 

I am in the middle of revisions for one of my middle-grade novels. So … I visited the website, The Writing Center. Under their title, “Revising Drafts,” one of the questions asked is “What does it mean to revise?” and “Why is revision important?” This post goes through the revision process step by step. If you need guidance with revision, here it is. Go for it!

“If a teacher told me to revise, I thought that meant my writing was a broken-down car that needed to go to the repair shop. I felt insulted. I didn’t realize the teacher was saying, ‘Make it shine. It’s worth it.’ Now I see revision as a beautiful word of hope. It’s a new vision of something. It means you don’t have to be perfect the first time. What a relief!” —Naomi Shihab Nye