My First Year Learning the Craft: 2020

 
What I learned in my first year studying picture-book writing.

Don’t overestimate yourself.
Don’t underestimate yourself. 

Join at least one writers' community.
For learning, and for support.

Invest time and money in workshops, conferences and courses- 
but realize that there are quite a lot, and one cannot do everything! 

There's great deal learn about how to write a story well.
Beyond that, there's a great deal more to learn, including

• how to write for illustration.
• how to write a pitch and query
• how to know when and where to submit a pitch and query
• how to network and make yourself visible on social media
• the business aspects of  contracts and publishing

Handy References!

• SCBWI – The Book
• Writing Picture Books -by Ann Whitford Paul
• Understanding Show, Don’t Tell by Janice Hardy 

Subscribing to newsletters, following blogs, joining Facebook groups and Twitter
There are so many! I've joined so many, I can't keep up with them all!

Read picture books. Read recent picture books. Read "the best picture books" on the "best of the year" lists. 

My first Critique Group

• Learning how to accept and process feedback
• Learning how to give useful feedback
• Gradually learning how to assess my own work

Finding Balance
The many learning trails can be all-consuming!
Make time to WRITE!

Evolving the story needs deep-writing and side-writing exercises. Deep work that generates words and ideas that do not end up in the manuscript. These supplements create the healthy inner workings that make the skin glow!
Exercises to: 

• develop your characters and story
• dig into the themes, main characters, minor characters,
• identify stakes, motivation, emotions
• check for action-reaction,
• play with point of view

GIVE it Time

• Do not rush to deliver a premature baby!
• Find the heart of the story. An oak tree does not look like an acorn,
• but it only grows from an acorn.
• Keep it fit, not fat.
• The surface story serves the takeaway.
• Trust the subconscious. Sometimes the best thing to do is to leave
• the MS for awhile. When you return to it, you’ll find new growth sprouted in the interim. You’ll see more clearly where to prune back, too.
• The story becomes its own organism. Play with it. Let it try on different outfits. Letting it develop means letting it change and evolve. It has to become able to stand and walk on its own, without you holding its hand. 

SMILE!
            and express GRATITUDE to your learning community!