Picture Book Workshop Right Around the Corner!

The picture book market is highly competitive, with thousands of writers attempting these deceptively difficult works of art. Southern Breeze PAL members Randi Sonenshine and Dori Kleber will teach you two ways to make your picture book one that editors and publishers will want.

First, Randi will present strategies to ramp up the value of your picture book for today’s busy teachers. She’ll share insights into how and why teachers use picture books, as well as which content, structures, and features matter most in today’s classrooms. You’ll also learn which literacy skills and standards span multiple content areas and grade levels and how to seamlessly incorporate these into your picture books, giving them a life far beyond Circle Time.

Then, Dori will show you how to craft a satisfying narrative picture book using the classic “Hero’s Journey” story arc, first imagined by Joseph Campbell. Although many associate the Hero’s Journey with epic stories like “Star Wars,” you’ll see that its framework is equally useful for taking a character through a story that’s only 32 pages long. You’ll learn to recognize the Hero’s Journey in mentor picture book texts and apply it to your own manuscript to strengthen your story arc.

Dori and Randi will devote the final part of the workshop to providing feedback on the opening pages of picture book manuscripts submitted by attendees. Please bring a manuscript in progress if you want to participate in this “First Pages Critique.”

Picture Book Workshop
Saturday, Sept. 16, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Marietta, Ga.

 Registration: SCBWI Southern Breeze

Mind the Gap . . . or Why Not to Give Up

by Dori Kleber

Last month, Candlewick Press published my debut book, a picture book called MORE-IGAMI. The reviews have been favorable, including a starred review from Kirkus. That makes me think this book must actually be good – which is somewhat shocking, given that just a few months before I wrote it, I was convinced I would never understand or write picture books.

I had tried. In February 2011, I had completed the Picture Book Marathon. At the end of the one-month challenge, I had drafted 26 manuscripts that ranged from pretty bad to downright awful.

I thought one of them might have niche market potential. But in a paid critique at a conference, a well-known agent ripped nearly everything about the story. When my ten minutes with her were over, I hustled to the ladies’ room and cried – not because she was harsh, but because every negative thing she had said was true.

I was tempted to give up, but I was new at narrative writing. I wanted to give myself time to learn. I reworked the story again and took it to a picture book workshop. But the more I learned there about what makes a good picture book, the more I realized how rife with problems mine was. By the end of the day, I was convinced: I would never be able to write a picture book.

That was okay. I had an idea for a middle-grade novel and was eager to work on it. So I did.

Until just a few months later, when I got an idea. A picture book idea. I scribbled it on an index card and set it aside. I was not writing another picture book. I couldn’t.

But the idea kept pestering me. I typed out the story, solely to get it out of my head. And when I did, I realized it wasn’t like the 26 awful manuscripts I had written a year earlier. It was decent. Six months later, it was sold.

Public radio producer Ira Glass has famously talked about the disappointment people feel when they first start creating art. They have great taste – they know what’s good – and they can tell that what they’re creating falls short of their own standards. (If you’ve never heard his remarks on the topic, watch this two-minute video.)

For many artists, the gap between their aspiration and their ability is too much to bear, and they quit.

I get it. The gap nearly defeated me, and if not for a pesky idea that wouldn’t go away, I might never have tried writing another picture book.

The gap is terrible, but temporary. Keep working. Your story – the story of you as an artist – isn’t over unless you say it is. It’s tempting to give in and say, “The end.” The braver path is to say, “Next chapter.”

MORE-IGAMI. Text copyright © 2016 by Dori Kleber. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by G. Brian Karas.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

About Dori Kleber:

Dori Kleber writes picture books and middle-grade novels from her home near Atlanta. She is an active member of SCBWI Southern Breeze.

Find Dori:

Managing Editor, Dori Kleber, Signs Off

Managing Editor, Dori Kleber, Signs Off

With sadness and excitement, I’m ending my tenure as managing editor of our semi-annual newsletter, the Southern Breeze News.

Sadness, because it’s been rewarding to see the quality of work our members produce for SBN, and to help bring that work together into a publication that delivers value to our membership. Over the few years I’ve worked on the newsletter, first as a copyeditor and then as managing editor, I’ve watched SBN become a highly polished and professional publication, visibly stunning thanks to our art director, Prescott Hill. I’ve also seen it expand to include more point-of-view responses to conferences and events, as well as book reviews. More of you are contributing to the newsletter, and I hope more of you are benefiting from the added content.

Nevertheless, I am excited to go, because I’m leaving this job to prepare for the release of my first book, which is due out next May. I’m not sure exactly what to expect, but I imagine I’ll need all the spare time I can find.

My departure means there’s an opportunity for someone new to step into the managing editor role. The ideal person would probably have a journalism background, but the most critical skills needed are organization and attention to detail. I’ve often described the job as “keeping the trains running on time” – making sure everything happens in accordance with the production schedule and nothing slips through the cracks.

The managing editor recruits writers, giving them ample lead time to conduct interviews and write their articles. She coaches the writers as needed, gathers and reviews submissions, and makes sure everything is edited before giving it to Prescott to work his magic on the design and layout. Finally, she works with a team of volunteer proofreaders to ensure the text is accurate and error-free.

If you’d like to become our next managing editor, contact Claudia Pearson for more details.

Big thanks to everyone who has contributed to SBN, whether through writing, illustration, or simple encouragement. Together, we make our newsletter – and our region – something amazing.

- Dori Kleber