Category: Ask Carrie Questions

Ask Carrie (August Edition) + Bonus Links Worth Your While

8/27/2015

Jen Garrett wants to know:
Do you read mentor texts to help you decide what tense to write in?

Carrie:
Since I write as a pantser most of the time, I normally just go with my gut and write. My hope is that what comes out on the page will be the most natural tense, but that is not always the case. Sometimes, it takes some experimenting. A simple tense change is not too hard to play with, as you can try a few lines here or there to get a feel for what is more natural. I can’t say that I use a mentor text to “decide” what tense to write in. However, I do use mentor texts to research how stellar stories feel in the right tense.

More than tense, I experiment with point of view. Some of my stories have several different versions, all in a different point of view. Experiencing the comparison first hand not only helps me hear what’s working as I read them all aloud, but also enables me to grow in the process.

Bonus Links

Writing in Sips and Gulps- from Carrie Charley Brown of Writer’s Rumpus
(Revision and professional development advice)

Making Science Sing: Writing creative nonfiction about science, for kids- from Christy Mahaly of GROG
(Awesome educational tips and mentor texts to understand creative nonfiction)

Give Your Tale a Twist- from Joyce Wan and the KidLit Summer School Faculty
(Super suggestions on using fiction mentor texts to study twists!)

Dog Adopts Man (and Other Role Reversals)- from Linda Ashman of Picture Book Builders
(Excellent fiction mentor text suggestions for role reversals!)

Do you have a question for me? Feel free to leave it in the comment section. Did you participate in ReFoReMo this year? I’d love to hear about your experience and how you are using mentor texts today. Check out the submission guidelines for the Revealing ReFoReMo series HERE.

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Ask Carrie (July Edition) + Bonus Links Worth Your While

7/31/2015

1 Comment

Cassie Bentley wants to know:
How can you tell when you have enough information from the texts to write?

Carrie:
There is no time like the present to write…no need to wait. The reading we do for research helps enhance our writing. Whether we apply what we learn to our revisions or a brand new draft, there is no time limit for when to start. Write and read every day if you can. Trust your inner editor. Sometimes when I am reading a mentor text, I have an ah-ha moment about one of my own drafts. That’s my inner editor at work. Learn to listen to the inner conversation going on in your brain as you read. Perhaps the particular text I am reading excels at offering the element of surprise flawlessly. My inner editor says, “That’s it! You are missing a surprise!” Or maybe one of my manuscripts feels awkward in a certain point of view. After reading a stellar mentor text in a new point of view, I might try that POV in my manuscript. Whatever you do, just keep writing…and reading!

Bonus Links
-Pain-Free Writing and Art from Writer's Rumpus Blogger Joyce Audy Zarins

-Plot Advice from KidLit Summer School's Co-Founder Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

-Mentor Text Author Study of Author Andrea Davis Pinkney's Nonfiction Books

Do you have a question for me? Feel free to leave it in the comment section. Did you participate in ReFoReMo this year? I’d love to hear about your experience and how you are using mentor texts today. Check out the submission guidelines for the Revealing ReFoReMo series HERE.

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Ask Carrie (June Edition) + Bonus Links Worth Your While

6/25/2015

3 Comments

Sometimes we're full of questions. Questions lead to answers. Kind of powerful, huh? While I normally focus on one question at a time during Ask Carrie segments, I just couldn't leave a lonely little question sitting all by herself, waiting a whole month for her turn. Therefore, you get the benefit of all three this week!

Jen Garrett wants to know:

When picking mentor texts, do you focus on one element at a time (e.g. plot structure, page turns, theme, character) or do you look at all of them at once?

Great question! I choose my mentor texts intentionally. Every new work-in-progress needs thorough concept research, so that is generally where I start. I wouldn’t want to write a book that is already been done. Therefore, I attempt to locate as many books as I possibly can on a similar concept. I want to make sure that my concept is fresh and unique, and stands out as something that has never been done- not the same plot, dialogue, sentences, characters, not anything.

From there, I may utilize other mentor texts based on my needs. For example, if I am struggling to form relationships, I may research examples that exhibit great interaction between characters. If I am writing a sparse text, I study sparse mentor texts and the interplay between words and art. Therefore, I certainly do focus on one element at a time, and it is different for each book.

Do you ever go back and re-read a mentor text with a new focus in mind?

Based on my last response, this happens all the time. For example, I might look at several books that infuse humor seamlessly one time. But, when a new work-in-progress emerges, I might check out the same book and look at it from a character or emotional standpoint. You have to let your manuscript lead you. If you read a lot of picture books simply for pleasure, you may not need a single mentor text for you work…. just good regular reading habits.

Do you type up the texts of picture books into manuscript format? What are the pros and cons to this kind of practice?

I have done this on occasion. It can help you “live” in the text for a few moments and absorb pacing, plot, or structure long enough to learn from it. If you are researching books that you love, it might help you put your finger on the it-factor. It can also analyze relationships between pictures and words, if you take notes on the illustrations, as well. There is a huge list of pros for this practice, and I personally have not experienced any cons. But, keep in mind, I don’t rely too heavily on this process and once I am finished typing it out, I generally don’t come back to it again unless I am struggling with an aspect the text covers. I think if you stay in a text for too long, you may absorb a little too much of a book subliminally without even realizing it. Luckily, if you have a well-read critique group, they should be able to catch subliminal leaks if they appear.

Do you have more mentor text questions for me? Leave them in the comment section. I will feature your questions on future segments of Ask Carrie.

Bonus Links
-It All Starts with a Picture- from Writer's Rumpus Blogger Carrie Charley Brown
I took a mental trip back to preschool at the 2015 New Jersey SCBWI Conference. One quote, from author/illustrator Denise Fleming did the trick: “Every time you draw a picture you begin to tell a story.”
The story of a character…

(Read more of this post by Yours Truly by clicking HERE.)

-3 Things all Writers Needs to Know- from Children's Book Academy Blogateer Kirsti Call
Conferences are great for reminding us that we are not alone. I connected with my writing tribe at the NJSCBWI conference just a few days ago, and I was reminded of these 3 essential things.
(Read more of this post by Kirsti Call HERE.)

-What Can I Write About? What to Do When the Well Runs Dry- from GROG BLOG blogger Pat Miller
Recently, one of those registered for my upcoming NF 4 NF Children's Nonfiction Writing Conference asked a surprising question. "It's my writing day today and one of my task list items is to ask you for homework. Sounds strange, I know, but I feel like I'm having writer's block on what to do next."
(Read the rest of this post by Pat Miller HERE.)

Did you participate in ReFoReMo this year? I want to hear about your experience and how you are using mentor texts today! Check out submission guidelines for the Revealing ReFoReMo series HERE.

3 Comments

Ask Carrie + Bonus Links Worth Your While

5/28/2015

10 Comments

Kaye Baillie wants to know:

Maple Lam said to do thumbnails of entire mentor text on one sheet and look at whole piece. Have you tried that, Carrie and if you did, did you see how the piece worked?

Carrie:
I use thumbnailing to assist me with my own manuscripts, Kaye, but I have yet to try that with a mentor text. Instead, I sometimes type up the entire mentor text, taking time to explain in words what each illustration shows and how it interplays with the text. Although I do think visually, my thumbnails are not able to relay the same beauty, feeling, and detail that is shown in the illustration. I can get more detail by relaying it in words, and this immediately sparks the visual picture I have saved in my mind.

I used this technique while studying A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea by Michael Ian Black. I chose to study this book to help me master persuasion in manuscript I was working on at the time.

Here are a few paginated examples from that study:

Pages 10-11 [Normal sloppy, realistic looking pig illo mostly on p 11 with gray shadow shading coming into p 10- white space on p 10 w text]
“The only problem is, a pig parade is a terrible idea.”

Pages 26-27 [full spread of pigs gathered around hay and record player feeling sad. First line of text on 26, rest on 27]
“No they will not. They will play sad, sad country music ballads with titles like, “My Tears Are Wet ‘Cause My Mud’s Gone Dry” and “I just Wanna Plop into This Bucket of Slop.” That kind of music is fine for slow dancing at hoedowns, but is not appropriate for a parade.”

If you would like to try thumbnailing instead, check out THIS POST by Pam Brunskill over at Marcie Atkin’s blog. Pam uses text vs. pictures, as well, but in a thumbnail layout.

So, what works for you? Feel free to share in the comments below. Thanks!

Bonus Links
While you search for an agent and yourself as a writer, consider THIS POST from Writers Rumpus (and Yours Truly):

Marcie Flinchum Atkins Petite ReviMo post was brimming with awesome mentor texts!

How about an author study of Karen Beaumont’s work? Linda Ashman did an awesome post on Karen’s musically versed, humorous picture books as mentor texts!

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ReFoRe Bonus Links + Ask Carrie

4/30/2015

12 Comments

Lucky you! This posted early! The normal posting date for Ask Carrie + Bonus Links will be the last Thursday of the month in the future.

Ask Carrie
Urania Smith wants to know:
“How much room does an author have in dictating that a person of color is reflected in the illustrations when the topic is not cultural? I think it's important for kids to see themselves reflected in books where culture isn't the focus also.”

Carrie:
Thanks for the question, Urania! The flavor we give our text influences the way an illustrator visualizes a creation. Therefore, we need to put as much as we can into our characters before we write. Interview your character. Do you know everything about him or her? Every detail will not make it into a picture book, but the voice will come across loud and clear. Physical features and “descriptive” types of details are not normally included in illustration notes. However, as a writer who supports your statement: “I think it’s important for kids to see themselves reflected in books where culture isn’t the focus,” it can’t hurt to offer an illustration note to spread #WeNeedDiverseBooks fever.

Of course, I am one opinion. What do you think? Chime in below and start thinking of new questions. I will answer one or two during the next Ask Carrie session.

Lucky you! This posted early! The normal posting date for Bonus Links + Ask Carrie will be the last Thursday of the month in the future.

Bonus Links
Cornering Your Passion to Boost Growth
by Carrie Charley Brown

As soon as you walk into my house, you get a glimpse of my office. It is not neat. It is not tidy. The floor is covered with picture books. They’ve replaced the carpeting, with the exception of a small path to my chair. If you venture to the living room, you’ll find library bags full of picture books lining the hall. More stack the coffee table and beneath it on the floor. What’s for breakfast? Picture books. Lunch? Picture books. Dinner? Well, you know. -To read the rest of this post visit WRITERS RUMPUS

Save the Scraps
by Carrie Charley Brown

Revision ignites my thoughts… Oh, the possibilities! And with so many directions to turn, why ignore any of them? As writers, we are quick to dismiss an idea that doesn't sit right. If you are like me, typing most drafts directly into the computer, that little backspace action can permanently erase a perfectly good idea. Fast. But, what if you had kept your nearly dismissed ideas? -To read the rest of this post visit the GROG.

THINK QUICK interview with Picture Book Author Monica Kulling

Hi Monica! Congrats on the upcoming May 1st release of your second Tweedles picture book, The Tweedles Go Online. I love the family dynamic and subtle pieces of history that are weaved into this story. All of the THINK QUICK themes below appear in your book. Let’s see which way you lean. Remember, THINK QUICK!

On Communication:
Talk on the Phone or In Person?

(Read Monica's answer and more about The Tweedles at Carrie On… Together!)

12 Comments

April Mentor Text Check-In

4/21/2015

19 Comments

Now that the ReFoReMo buzz has worn off a bit, how are you doing with your mentor text goals? Is your new habit sticking with you and helping with your writing goals? I’ve heard a few say that they became rather addicted to having a little library list delivered to their inbox every day. That’s what the third Thursday of every month is for. Not only will I offer additional recommendations, but also check to see how you are doing on the current challenge.

Diverse Challenge
At the conclusion of ReFoReMo, I challenged you to write a diverse picture book. (View the challenge and additional recommendations HERE.) As mentioned in the post, diversity presents itself in many forms. I would eventually like to write several new diverse picture books. However, for this challenge, I focused my current efforts toward revising one that I had already written. Since my main character struggles to overcome a speaking disorder, I am studying The Boy and The Jaguar as my main mentor text. The rest relies on life experiences, disorder research, and continued reading of diverse mentor texts. I am still transitioning this story to include the just-right words and proper awareness of the disorder. Therefore, I’d like to extend our diverse writing challenge into next month, as well. How are YOU doing on your diverse writing goals?

Additional Picture Book Recommendations

HENRY’S FREEDOM BOX: A TRUE STORY FROM THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
By Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson

A DANCE LIKE STARLIGHT: ONE BALLERINA’S DREAM
By Kristy Dempsey and Floyd Cooper

MUMBET’S DAY OF INDEPENDENCE
By Gretchen Woelfle and Alix Delinois

ONE PLASTIC BAG: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of Gambia
By Miranda Paul and Elizabeth Zunon

DEEP IN THE SAHARA
By Kelly Cunnane and Hoda Hadadi

ASK CARRIE
Do you have mentor text questions? Please leave them in the comment section and I will address a select few in each week's "Ask Carrie" post.

Carrie Charley Brown is the founder and administrator of ReFoReMo, a research challenge and blog for picture book writers. She is a professional critique mentor with an editorial eye, a picture book writer, kidlit video producer, writing coach, and guest blogger on various sites such as Writer's Rumpus and Kids Are Writers. In addition to ReFoReMo, she runs a separate blog, Carrie On...Together, which features THINK QUICK and Mystery Author interviews each month. She was a 2014 CYBILS fiction picture book panelist and an elementary teacher. You can follow her writing journey right here on this site.