Picture-Perfect Pacing with Rotem Moscovich

Rotem Moscovich is the Editorial Director of Picturebooks at Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers. She's worked with many talented creators, including Greg Pizzoli, Minh Lê, Dan Santat, Doug Salati, Julie Fogliano, Ryan T. Higgins, Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris, Antwan Eady, Doreen Rappaport, Adam Rex, and Marla Frazee. Rotem loves picturebooks with clever characters and inspired/ing art, and connect with chapter books and graphic novels with characters that have inherent motivation and earned agency. rotem.nyc

A special aspect of the picture book is that it has a dual audience. The book is meant to be read aloud. The physical act of reading the text out loud while looking at the pictures.

Some books to sit with and consider pacing, and how that pacing helps to satisfy.   

Rotem has attendees look at a typed manuscript of Snow by Uri Shulevitz and decide where they would put the page breaks.

Make a book map with your own manuscript. Using a picture book storyboard (32 or 40 pages). Here's a great resources for that: Debbie Ohi Resources

Print out your manuscript in 3 columns using 8-9 point font. Cut it up to find your best pacing. 

Attendees hard at work.

Breakout Session: Creating Memorable Characters with Shamar Knight-Justice

Shamar's bio: Hi! I'm an author/illustrator based in Atlanta, Georgia. My artwork focuses on mixed media, and unique textures. I've illustrated Ari J.'s Kinky, Curly Crown, which was written by Ain Heath Drew, Big Tune: Rise of the Dancehall Prince written by Alliah Agostini, Repeat After Me written by Jazmyn Simon and Dule Hill, Ari J.'s Firefly Adventure written by Ain Heath Drew, Forever and Always written by Brittany Thurman, and Dante Plays His Blues written by Allen Wells. I work full time as the principal of Ethos Classical, and am entering year 15 in education. In my spare time, I hoard collage materials and take long walks with my wife, dog, and three year old. You can see more of my work on Instagram at @shamarknightjustice, or my website www.shamarknightjustice.com.

Shamar's intro slide:

We start with character study: 

Essential Questions:

1) Who and what does this character represent?

2) How is that reinforced by the artist's character design?

3) What does this character say about the artist as a person? What do they value?

Shamar walks us through some examples of characters in picture books--and what makes them memorable, including Peter from A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Big by Vashti Harrison.

Then Shamar walks us through the process of his developing the character Shane from Big Tune, written by Alliah Agostini. We get to see reference photos, notes, the original manuscript with art notes, research materials, and early sketches of both setting and character.

Shamar explains that he appreciates art notes and actually likes to talk to the author before starting the illustration process! (Note: this is pretty unusual for traditional publishing. Often publishers and editors don't want authors talking to illustrators, because, as it has been explained to me, they want the illustrators to be working in service of the story, not in service to the author.)

There was much more, as well as an engaging Q&A session.

Super interesting data point: One of the questions asked about how amazingly productive Shamar is, with the illustration work and a full-time job as an educator, and Shamar told us that it takes him about 300 hours to illustrate each picture book!

Even as an author (and not an illustrator), this session gave me lots to think about regarding my picture book manuscripts and characters!

Feeling Stories with Kelly Starling Lyons

Kelly Starling Lyons is a founding member of The Brown Bookshelf, teaching artist, and award-winning children’s book author. She has written more than 20 books for young readers that span from easy readers to picture books and chapter books. Among her acclaimed titles are My Hands Tell a Story, Caldecott Honor winner, Going Down Home with Daddy, Christopher Award winner, Tiara’s Hat Parade, and Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, Sing a Song: How Lift Every Voice & Sing Inspired Generations. She’s also the author of popular series including Jada Jones, Miles Lewis and Ty’s Travels which won a Geisel Honor Award for Zip, Zoom. Kelly lives in Raleigh and was named to Good Morning America’s 2021 Inspiration List: Who’s Making Black History. Learn more about her at www.kellystarlinglyons.com. 

Kelly Starling Lyons presents her session on Picture Books

The full title of Kelly's breakout session is "Feeling Stories: Creating Picture Books That Pack an Emotional Punch."

Kelly opens with some tips on writing picture books, including:

- There are no absolute rules

- Child main character should solve problem on their own (but elders can be important - they are in Kelly's work)

- Leave room for the art to tell the story, too

- Craft each page turn like a mini-cliffhanger

- It needs to stand up for repeated readings

With mentor text examples and exercises, Kelly walks us through ways to create emotion. Mining our memories and experiences. Keeping a journal or file of ideas. Looking at our life with a "writer's eye."

She suggests that #1, we make a list of:

Best and worst school or family memories (from when you were 4-8 years old)

and/or

Experiences or relationships that inspired you or changed you

An example Kelly gives is girls at school making fun of her outfits.

Next, #2, she asks us to write down, for each item on our memory list, our emotions -- how did we grow or change?

As an example, Kelly tells us about those mean girls at school - and how she experienced embarrassment at first for being picked on, then fear because some of the girls were tough, then anger at being picked on, then relief when she figured out how to deal with them, then finally empowerment in being able to stand proud in the outfits she chose to wear.

Kelly quotes Jacqueline Woodson's inspiring words:

"...when I write, I go back and I remember who I was, and I start crafting my characters from that place. My writing starts with something that I know deeply, and then put it onto and into my characters." –Jacqueline Woodson

Show emotion with Touch, Dialog, Smells, Sounds, Taste  - think about how you can bring emotions to life. "It's really important to use sensory detail..." Keep in mind the illustrator will be focusing on what the character sees, and you can focus on the other senses!

#3, Kelly has a write a scene, 

and then #4 asks us to create a character who is dealing with the emotional truth of our memory. 

Consider: What does our character want? And what is standing in our character's way? "We have to feel that longing." And raise the stakes. Why does it matter so much? How do you make the reader feel how much it means? What's at stake if the character doesn't get it?

There's lots more, with Kelly answering audience questions, talking about self-publishing and how there are no shortcuts, her own publishing journey and being published by multiple publishing houses, and many more examples, from Kelly's own books and other mentor texts, too.

Final gem of advice:

Write from your heart

Musicality: Crafting Picture Books with Cadence and Rhythm with Winsome Bingham #scbwiSummer22

Winsome Bingham is a soul food connoisseur and master cook (at dinner parties, reunions, and get-togethers). She is a teacher by trade, an author by choice, and a disabled military veteran by circumstance. She has more than 15 years of teaching experience. Her debut picture book, Soul Food Sunday (Abrams), illustrated by C.G. Esperanza, was selected as one of the New York Times’ best children’s books of 2021 and also a 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor Book.

Bingham, who is also an editor at Reycraft, started her writing career at an SCBWI winter conference in NYC only a few years ago, submitting a manuscript that was acquired by an editor there. "This is where magic happens!," she crooned! Bingham's breakout session provided all the ingredients for writing a manuscript with musicality—stories that sing!

On where to find stories:

Look for memorable moments from childhood: first day of school; family reunions; family dinners, etc. 

Here are some examples of books inspired by childhood experiences: 

On using an engaging voice

Voice defines your character. It defines who they are by their speech, their action, their thoughts. It is the author's writing style or point of view. 

Here are a few examples of books with an amazing voice!

On how to start writing

We crate to to inspire...to tell amazing stories. Are you a writer? Or a storyteller. Once you decide, it will change the way you approach your craft. 

Things to think about:

Form. Will you use rhyme or prose?

Is your story based in fact—nonfiction!

Is your story made up—fiction!

Think about cadence, beats. You need to listen to your words out loud.

Mentor text suggestions:

On writing a first line

Every manuscript you need a strong first line. It sets the tone of the entire book—hooking the reader. In the first line, an author can establish the problem, setting, character. 

Amazing first line examples:

Onomatopoeia are sound words that adds playfulness. They allow the reader to experience the action rather than simply stating it. BEEP! CRASH! KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK! 

Excellent use of onomatopoeia:

 

Fun takeaway: there are no rules. Write a good story.