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Having been a member of the NSW Writers' Centre for a couple of years now, this year I joined one of the two self-help groups for writers of Picture Books for Children: 'Picture this!' and 'Picture that!'. As I have to go by public transport, and the centre is out at Rozelle, it is only feasible that I go to the monthly Saturday arvo session. Turns out I am now the moderator of this group. This weekend we had a f2f critique session out at the centre involving 5 of our members, and another 5 members are involved in an email critiques session.
It is a really hard ask, to read a manuscript for a PB for 5 minutes and then talk about its good and not-so-good points. Hard, but sooo valuable for the writer. I have one story that I have been working on since February, and another story that I cobbled together just this week. 'Cobbled' in the sense that I had it on the last and spent hours trimming the leather and tapping in fine brass tacks!
By the time we meet again on the 2nd Saturday in July, I want to have a 3rd story on the last. I gather the consensus today was that my 'story' was not a PB but rather a chapter story, albeit with a line-drawing every-so-often.
It was a fiction story about marbles, in rhyming couplets. Yes, I have to tighten up the scansion. Yes, the word 'watching' does not rhyme with 'hatching'. But it has strong characters, is firmly set in a landscape, and has a narrative. Of concern to my readers was the amount of marbles 'lingo' I used. That the story was from an adult rather than a child's point-of-view. And, that the heroine's team did not win in the end, so how could they be happy.
I have lots of notes, to consult, make a decision, and then attempt a rewrite.
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4 comments:
Oh, Julie, stay with it. You have the potential to be a wonderful shoemaker. But every apprentice must learn the craft. It takes much practice before one is commissioned to make slippers for the princess.
*grin* what a wonderful comment, BC. But then coming from thou ....
Methinks those buildings are an inspiration for a writer. I wrote a children's story once. I didn't take it anywhere because it wasn't a picture book and it wasn't a chapter book ... somewhere in between which publishers don't like much.'
I came across it many years later ... it was a hoot. What I liked about it was that is was absurd ... because the initial story line had come from my niece.
That is why I gave up trying to write for children because I didn't have enough contact with them to understand their point of view. I don't think an adult reliving the kid thing works.
Joan - There is much online publishing now. Or even consider the NSW School Magazine. You will not know it but Google it. Department of Education.
Yes, that was the criticism. The 'adult reliving the child thing'. My theme was the transferring of skills through the generations. But I must get into the head of the little girl. It may not work from this perspective. They suggest I write from a range of perspectives to give myself 'vision'. Lots to do ...
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