Prologues?

Just what is a prologue and should we use one? The definition of a prologue according to Wikipedia is: “A prologue or prolog (Greek πρόλογος prologos, from the word pro (before) and lógos, word) is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information.”

 

Soooo …  forward to Ingrid’s Notes blog, post “4 types of prologues.” She writes: “ … the first step is to identify what kind of prologue one is writing and the objective of that prologue. We need to know what we’re writing and why, before we let the opinions of what’s ‘in vogue’ influence our writing decisions.” 

 

The four types she writes about are (1) Future Protagonist, (2) Past Protagonist, (3) Different Point of View, and (4) Background Prologue (which by the way, she writes that this is the one that gives a bad rap. If you’re considering using a prologue or not, read her post. Very interesting. 

 

Our recent SCBWI Southwest Chapter Bookfair at a local Barnes & Noble was a huge success. Not only did we have local authors and illustrators signing their books, but we also had Akiko White, Cakelustrator, demonstrating her talent, plus Xavier Garza reading from his Lucha Libre picture books, Pura Belpre winner, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, giving an inspiring talk, and Alberto Ramirez, demonstrating how to be a clown. 

Cakelustration

Lucha Libre

Alberto the Clown

Guadalupe Garcia McCall

 

And here’s a treat. View homes of eight literary legends on the Mashable blog. Enjoy!

 

"Short-Short: A complete short story of 1,500 words or less." -- Writer's Digest Weekly Planner

  

Writing Tip: Outlining

Great news! I am one of the authors and illustrators selected to be part of National Picture Book Month in November to help celebrate why picture books are important. You can visit the website for more information and to see all those wonderful artists and authors who were selected as well. Stay tuned for November!

 

Here is the 2014 list of hundreds of authors who will be signing and presenting at the Texas Book Festival in Austin on October 25-26, 2014. It’s a wonderful weekend of books, authors, signings, music, food, etc. Hope you can attend.

Many writers outline while many others do not. Sometimes I do—not really a long-drawn out outline but a brief one to map a road of where the story is going. Most times I don’t. If you’re wondering whether you should or not, here’s a Writer’s Digest post by Brian Klems titled, “7 Steps to Creating a Flexible Outline for Any Story.”  You decide for yourself.

And for more writing tips that include: (1) write a first draft nonfiction picture book, (2) write and submit a NF article to Highlights, (3) how to find an agent, (4) picture book celebration and (5) build your own website, visit the Blogzone blog written by author Nancy I. Sanders.  

No matter what your writing life brings, believe in yourself and keep moving forward. Most writers cycle between periods of self-doubt and periods of confidence. – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Writing Rules?

Twisted tree in LA 

We read books on the specifics of the writing process, what to do, what not to do, etc., etc. I have so many books on writing, I sometimes get confused about the do's and don't's. So when I read this article, “How to Break the Rules of Writing and More,” I found this article had a sort of twist to it. What! Break the Rules?

 

The interview of YA author Ransom Riggs conducted by Adrienne Crezo on The Writing Prompt Boot Camp blog (Writers’ Digest), is pretty interesting. Below is an excerpt from the interview with Riggs:

 

“Do you follow any specific writing rules?"

 

"I always distrust overly specific writing advice. I don’t agree with it, necessarily. When you’re thinking about what to write or how to write something, it’s too easy to make a lot of arbitrary rules for yourself. I think the difficult thing with learning how to write is not learning the style or rules, but figuring out what story you want to tell.

 

I spent a lot of time telling the wrong stories, especially when … I was in college or when I was a kid trying to imitate C.S. Lewis or Stephen King. I never understood why my writing didn’t take off. I would think, well, the sentences are correct, and the characters are talking and everything looks right, and it seems like a story. I did exactly what [they] told me to do, but there’s no blood in it and I don’t know why. It’s something you have to learn, how to tell the right stories for you, and it’s this completely ineffable thing.”

See what I mean? Does this work for you? Maybe. Maybe not. But it’s worth reading.

Here’s a lengthy list or sneak preview of the upcoming Spring 2015 Children’s Books posted on Publishers Weekly. 

Did you know you can have your book and eat it too? Check out these marvelous book cakes on the MentalFloss blog.

“Remember that sometimes, especially early in your career, a byline is more important than a pay check, since it bolsters your confidence, builds your reputation, and may lead to other sales.” – Writers’ Digest Weekly Planner