24 Carrot Writing
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Goals
  • About
    • Amanda Smith
    • Kelly Carey
    • Annie Cronin Romano
    • Francine Puckly
    • Contact
  • Book Picks

Favorite Things: Annual Holiday Wish List

11/16/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Oh, yes! It's that time of year again. Each year as the holiday season approaches, the 24 Carrot Writing crew asks featured guest bloggers to share their favorite writing and/or illustrating gadgets, tools, or items that help them in the creation of their work. Sometimes they share a favorite tool they use in their daily creating; other times it's an item that brings them comfort, joy, or motivation as they work. It is our hope that this writers' gift list provides you with unique holiday gifting ideas, be it for yourself or for the writers in your life. This year, we're posting our list earlier than we have in the past to allow more time for perusing and, of course, shipping! So take a look, and if you have any favorite items that you use in your writing/illustrating, please share them with us in the comments section. We always love to hear from you!


Picture
Lindsay Ward:
A friend of mine gave me this mug for my birthday this year, and it's just so happy! I get up to work really early in the morning before my boys get up, when it is still dark-- this mug is a bright spot of sunshine that makes me smile in the morning. Sometimes it's the little things that can brighten your day!

Picture
Picture
Lindsay Ward is an author illustrator from Ohio. Her most recent book Scooper and Dumper launched from Two Lions in November of 2020. Her work has been reviewed in Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, and The New York Times and she is the founder of Critter Lit, a free online picture book manuscript and illustration critique service for up-and-coming authors and illustrators.


Picture
Kirsten Larson:
​

Here’s one thing I can’t live without.

A composition notebook. 

Picture
​Each year, I use a simple composition notebook as a modified bullet journal, and I typically buy them at the beginning of the school year when they are on sale. I use my glue gun to add an elastic loop for my pen and a ribbon bookmark to track my place. I am not a diehard bullet journaler, but I always include a table of contents in the front so I can track story ideas, work on different drafts, notes from webinars, and from meetings with my agent, etc. In the back, I include an ongoing list of every single annual accomplishment/celebration, as small as finishing a draft or a school Skype visit, and as big as a book sale or a major review. Author Michelle Cusolito has wonderful blog post about bullet journaling for writers: https://www.12x12challenge.com/bullet-journaling-for-writers/. At the end of each year, I look forward to reviewing my accomplishments and making a plan for the new year.
Picture
Kirsten Larson is the author of WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: EMMA LILIAN TODD INVENTS AN AIRPLANE (Calkins Creek, 2020) and the upcoming A TRUE WONDER: The Superhero Who Changed Everything, illus. Katy Wu (Clarion, 2021) and THE FIRE OF STARS: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars are Made Of, illus. Katherine Roy (Chronicle, 2022). Learn more about Kirsten at kirsten-w-larson.com.


Picture
Carrie Finison:
One thing I noticed in 2020 is that my butt hurt. A lot. I finally figured out that the reason was a combination of advancing age, and the hard dining room and kitchen chairs I was sitting in all day. Gone are the times when I can flit about to coffee shops and the library, snuggling into comfy chairs and sipping lattes while working. So, a few months ago, I decide that BIC (butt-in-chair) time does NOT have to equal BIP (butt in pain) time, and gifted myself a lovely office chair. It is supple, sleek, and supportive, and as Goldilocks said, JUST RIGHT. Trust me - the writer in your life will thank you! There are plenty to be had for under $200 at both Staples.com and Wayfair.com.

Picture
Picture
Carrie Finison is the author of DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS (illustrated by Brianne Farley), released in 2020 from G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and the upcoming picture book DON’T HUG DOUG which will arrive on shelves in January, 2021. Find out more at https://www.carriefinison.com.


Picture
Terri Libenson :
It’s not very glam, but the one thing I love as a writer and doodler is my Pentel e-sharp mechanical pencil. I get seriously angry whenever someone takes it. I love that it always stays sharp and fine and lets me add the tiniest details or scribblings. The barrel also comes in different colors, which satisfies the kid in me. ​​

Picture
Picture
Terri Libenson is a New York Times bestselling children’s book author and award-winning cartoonist of the syndicated daily comic strip, The Pajama Diaries, which ran from 2006-2020. BECOMING BRIANNA, the fourth book in her Emmie & Friends series released in 2020. Find out more at http://terrilibenson.com.


Picture
​Kayla Miller:
One of my many organization/motivation tricks to keep myself on track while working on my graphic novels is marking my daily accomplishments on my fun and colorful Poppin Task Pad. 

Picture
It's intended use is to keep track of weekly appointments and such, but I use it to create a visual representation of how much work I've done by marking each completed task with a stamp at the end of the day. When doing the art for a book that's 200-plus pages, the ritual of marking my achievements and watching them stack up over the course of the month feels rewarding... and always having the pad on the corner of my drafting table lets me know when I need to get my butt into gear to meet a deadline.
Picture
Kayla Miller is the author and illustrator of the best-selling Click series of graphic novels. The fourth book in the series, CLASH releases in 2021. Learn more about Kayla at https://www.kayla-miller.com.


Picture
Ashley Yazdani:
I'm happy to be able to share two small, women-owned businesses that I love. 
​
As an author/illustrator I'd like to recommend one useful tool from both sides of my craft. This past year I've become a tiny-notebook enthusiast, and over the summer I filled up two books with writing down ideas, observations, and notes from appointments and meetings. I also keep one on my nightstand for when inspiration strikes after dark. 

Picture
They're small enough to carry everywhere, so as long as you've got a pocket and a pen or pencil, you're good to go. Sometimes I make my own notebooks, but these are very nice ones from the CW Pencil Enterprise, one of my favorite small businesses - they used to be dedicated to selling only pencils (plus erasers and sharpeners), but are about to expand to carrying a variety of other writing tools as well, "prioritizing brands that are local, small and have great sustainability and ethics practices". Excellent! For a really special treat I'm eyeing this bright book.
Picture
I use watercolors for my illustration work, and am always excited to find a new paint to try out. A few years ago in San Francisco I stumbled across a tiny shop dedicated to handmade watercolors called Case For Making, and I've finally treated myself to a palette and some paints from them. Each color is blended and made by hand in their San Francisco shop, and the business is very small, woman-run, and speaks out about important causes, so I feel  good supporting them. Many of their colors are unique, filling gaps I didn't even realize existed in my well loved watercolor palette. 

Picture
Ashley Yazdani is a picture book author/illustrator, reader, and nature lover.  Her Golden Kite Award winning debut book, A Green Place to Be, is currently available from Candlewick Press and can be found at your local bookstore. To learn more, visit http://www.ashleyyazdani.com.


Picture
Qing Zhuang:
As a writer-illustrator and teacher, the Time Timer is my #1 trusty tool in school and at home. If you are like me, your concept of time is that of a lounging cat. This timer helps me keep track of time during my Zoom classes, in the kitchen while cooking, and it works well with my attempts at the pomodoro technique while writing and drawing. It is originally meant for school children but it actually works well for anyone who is more visual.

Picture
Picture
Qing Zhuang is the illustrator of “How Long is Forever?” (written by Kelly Carey and published by Charlesbridge 2020). She is currently writing and illustrating a new book tentatively titled “Rainbow Shopping” due to be released by Holiday House Summer 2022. Visit www.Qingthings.com and follow her on Instagram @Qingthings for more news and information! ​


Picture
Jordan Standridge:
As a marketer, there’s a lot to plan, keep track of, and check off on a daily basis. I recommend Moleskine’s 12-Month Daily Planner.

​I know what you’re thinking – yes, this is a chunky brick – but it’s necessary when you have a lot to get done! With a page per day, I find this is ideal for all the virtual meetings and author events being scheduled, as well as the to-do reminders to handle. You can also zoom out, and utilize the month-by-month feature, noting tasks for further out consideration. So, if you need an assistant, look no further! This planner lives permanently on my desk beside me.

Picture
Picture
Jordan Standridge is a Marketing Associate at Charlesbridge Publishing. He makes sure authors, illustrators and books gets out into the world!  To learn more about Charlesbridge and the books Jordan works with visit the Charlesbridge website by clicking here. 


Picture
Kelly Carey:
​Sometimes curling up on the couch with a good book seems more doable then sitting down to write a good book. This is where my Verilux light swings into action!

This light is just the pick me up I need for those early morning – egad – it’s still dark out writing sessions and those mid-afternoon I could really go for a nap pushes. The Verilux light wards off winter blues by giving you a dose of sunshine. I’m grateful to the writing colleague who suggested it. As a bonus, it works great to shine an extra light on my Zoom meetings so even if I don’t always feel bright and cheery, at least I have a shot at looking it! 

Picture
Picture
Kelly Carey is a co-founder of 24 Carrot Writing and the author of How Long Is Forever? (Charlesbridge, April 2020). Learn more about Kelly by visiting her website. 


Picture
Annie Cronin Romano:
My favorite items this year were small, spiral bound blank journals dedicated to specific writing projects. I have discovered when I'm working on a novel, it's incredibly convenient to jot down all my notes in one place, hence these journals. Any research questions, chapter outlines, character charts--they each get a section in my "novel notebook," to keep all the information together. These particular journals were homemade by me. For one, I repurposed the cover of a damaged book (and one of my favorite titles) from a thrift store; the other was made using chipboard and scrapbook paper for the cover. Of course, any spiral bound notebook will do! 

Picture
Picture
Annie Cronin Romano is a co-founder of 24 Carrot Writing and the author of two children's books: Before You Sleep: A Bedtime Book of Gratitude (Page Street Kids, 2018) and Night Train: A Journey from Dusk to Dawn (Page Street Kids, 2019). To learn more about Annie, visit her website at www.anniecroninromano.com.


Picture
Amanda Smith:
My favorite and most useful writing tool this year is my Zen Art bullet journal. I love the just-right B5 size, the two ribbon book marks, the handy-dandy paper pocket inside the back cover, and that it comes in a variety of colors with contrasting Japanese edging. For me it is the perfect combination of pretty and practical. Check out this blog ​to learn more about how I used it to stay on track this year. 

Picture
Picture
I am also absolutely in love with my DesignSter Resin Bird Coat Hooks. They are awesome for office organization, and a whimsical place to hang library totes.

Picture
 Amanda Smith is a co-founder of 24 Carrot Writing. Her poems "Stingray" and "Cuttlefish" can be found in the Writers' Loft's newest illustrated anthology FRIENDS AND ANEMONES: Ocean Poems for Children. Learn more about Amanda at AmandaSmithWrites.


0 Comments

THE LITTLE BOOK THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.

10/16/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

~By Amanda Smith
​
You know those days where you spend an entire day revising a picture book manuscript, making dummies and cutting your manuscript into little strips and studying the dialogue to make sure your characters’ voices are distinct yet consistent?
But at the end of the day nothing looks much different.
Or those days you research agents to query, and after many hours, have nothing more than a list to show?
Do you sometimes feel that drawing up maps or house plans for your novel, or filling out character sheets are wasting writing time, because no actual words are added to your WIP?

A lot of the work we do as writers, cannot be measured in tangible, concrete ways. It is easy to discount these aspects of our work. Yet, all these things are part of the writing journey and we need to acknowledge them as valuable. That is why, at the beginning of this year, I knew I wanted to track my writing progress in a way that included all these aspects of writing.
 Enter: The bullet journal.
Wait, hear me out. I’ve also looked at bullet journal blogs and thought What is this chaos? or This seems like a giant time suck. But that is the beauty of a bullet journal: You can make it exactly what you need it to be.

To have a journal that functions for you, there are a few questions to answer:

1. What is the purpose of your bullet journal for you? What do you want it to do?
Some authors, like Kate Messner, use one journal to manage all aspects of their life. If that sounds ideal to you, I encourage you to read Kate’s blog regarding bullet journaling here.
However, I needed something dedicated to writing and writing-related business ONLY. The rest of my life, my children’s schedules and dentist appointments still went in a daily planner. What I needed was a home for all things writing.

2. How decorative do you want it to be?
I like pretty. I buy planners, folders and notebooks based entirely on looks. I want beautiful covers AND decorative pages inside. Very early on in my research I realized that, if left unchecked, the bullet journal, instead of the writing, would become the project. I could easily spend all my time making it pretty, with swirly calligraphy and coloring pages. But that was not the purpose. The journal was to be my tool. I settled on a simple, functional format, with a little pretty on each page. I do not spend more than an afternoon a month to prep the next month’s tracking pages. (I would not recommend setting up your entire journal at the beginning of the year. As you and your journal grow together and get used to one another, you are going to want the freedom to tweak the format.)
Also consider size here. I wanted room to spread out and use sticky notes and notecards, so my journal is 7X10 inches.

3. What do you need in your journal to move you towards reaching your goals?
I took some time over my Christmas break last year to research other writers’ bullet journals and noted which components would be helpful to me. Inspired by M.M Chouinard, I jotted down what I wanted to track in my journal.

Here is where I landed:

A Writing Dashboard with all my projects and in which stage of the writing journey they are - an overall view of all my current projects. I love using sticky notes on my dashboard, because I can easily move projects from the “Drafting” heading to the “Revision” heading as the project moves along. 
Picture
A place to track yearly and monthly goals. The image shows my monthly goals for September, but I also have a page in the front of the journal where my yearly goals are listed. I check in on those quarterly to see if I am on track.
​I like to tally reading with my monthly goals. Some writers have separate book logs in their bullet journals, while others like to use a coloring sheet glued into the journal.
Picture
Towards the front of the journal I have a page to track overall progress in my individual projects. For novels I mark progress by scenes. For picture books, I check a box every time I do a revision.
Picture
For every month I have a writing log to jot down daily word count. For revisions I write the section/ scene I revised and its changed word count. Notice the celebratory sticker at the end of the month? Don't forget to reward met goals with happy carrots!
Picture
On the page next to my writing log, I use Five Things a Day to track other writing related work such as agent research and days spent on querying, critiques, blogs, research, and so forth. Even though I hardly ever fill all five boxes for the day, I do learn a lot from looking back at these pages. I have learned, for instance, that I prefer not to write and revise on the same day.
Picture
I have a section designated for monthly blog meeting notes and blog related business. If you do not have a blog, you might want a designated space for website planning and maintenance, or social media strategies. 
A grid with sticky notes keeps track of queries for each project. I still keep detailed records in a spreadsheet, but with this tool I know at the drop of a hat exactly where which manuscript is.
Picture
Having everything writing related in one place made this a super productive writing and querying year for me. What do you need to track your progress and other writing related notes? I would like to encourage you to take some time over the next few months to come up with a custom-made system that will empower you in your writing journey.
0 Comments

READING OUTSIDE YOUR WRITING GENRE

9/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Annie Cronin Romano

You’ve heard the advice: read what you write. Do you write nonfiction picture books? Read hundreds of them. Are you a middle grade fantasy writer? Read all the fantasy MG you can get your hands on. Write dystopian young adult? You get the picture. 
​
Let me be clear. This is good advice. Solid advice. It is imperative to be aware of what is getting published in the area in which you write. It’s important to study it. What makes those books work? Why did it make it to the shelves? What is unique about the concept?

But what writers often overlook is that it is just as important to nourish our reading souls as it is our writing knowledge. That means reaching for that book outside the genre in which you write and reading for pleasure. Grab that commercial book club novel. Dive into that mystery or psychological thriller. Itching to check out a sci-fi series? Go for it. Pour a glass of wine and crack the spine on that romance. 

I write picture books and middle grade, and I read as much as I can in both those areas. For quite a while, that’s all I read. But since working in a bookstore and a library for nearly a year, I’ve been reading a lot more YA and adult books of all stripes. I needed to be familiar with what was on the shelves beyond just the children’s sections. When customers and library patrons come in, I have to be prepared to offer tips and guidance in a broader range of areas. And—Surprise! Surprise!—I discovered I could learn a lot from those books that–despite not being the type of books I write--offered a window into strengthening my own writing, regardless of the genre. I found myself considering pacing, character development, plot, setting: the elements that are required in any story, inspired from a different perspective. I wondered how I could try different styles and points of view, how I could switch up my characters and make them more engaging, how I could play with setting and voice. I was still reading for pleasure, of course, but I realized that even though a book isn’t specifically a mentor text to what I write, I can still learn about the art of writing from reading it. Eureka!
​
Of course, no matter what I read, I’m always enjoying myself. But often, I felt locked into a particular genre because it aligned with what I wrote. Now I read more outside my writing genres because it feeds my reader’s soul and, I firmly believe, makes me an even better writer. So yes, continue to read mentor texts and study the areas in which you write, but go beyond that, too. Make time to read whatever catches your fancy. Your inner reader and your thoughtful writer will thank you for it.

0 Comments

The Soaring 20's Picture Book Illustrators Talk Shop

8/19/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Illustrators from The Soaring 20's PB debut group have joined us to celebrate The 24 Carrot Writing Illustrator Bonanza! This tenacious and talented group has spent 2020 launching debut books in the midst of a pandemic!

​They share how the use art to capture just the right mood and tone in a story, how they hone their craft, and what keeps their skills fresh. 

Welcome to the Illustrators of The Soaring 20's! 



Let's start at the beginning of the illustration process. When you first receive a manuscript to illustrate or you complete your own manuscript, what is the first thing you do? 
Picture
Picture
​ Panic. My Illustration process is pure panic.

All kidding aside, this is something I wondered about as well prior to starting on Cow Boy is not a Cowboy. Are there rules? Am I doing this right? Am I doing this wrong? 

Words & Layout
My background is in graphic design and I tackled my book with design first. It’s all about the text. What are my page breaks and how does the text flow through the book.  Should this page breathe. Where’s the pull and pause based on placement. How does it break on a page?

This in turn affects the illustration layouts on how to best compliment the story. Should this be a two-page spread, spot illustrations, or even comic panels? What fonts (or font style/point size) are we using? Solutions are different for every book as the answers come from the manuscript, characters, and page count.

For layout and typography I used Adobe Indesign and then added my sketches (scanned pencil with Photoshop refinement) creating the sketch dummy for HarperCollins.

Painting
When the sketch dummy was approved. It was time to once again panic paint. I painted digitally mainly because it allowed for many, many, many, more mistakes.

And there were many.

I started first by painting page one, then two, then three (do you notice the pattern). For me, this was a mistake. I had to back up and think stylistically how I wanted this to look with color, I needed to define my color palettes, and I had to pick (and stick) with a set of digital brushes for the book prior to painting the book.

I ended up creating four digital palettes. One each for Goat Girl and Merle, one for the backgrounds, and another for supporting characters. My Photoshop document was set-up as spreads (20”x10" + bleed) in folders with sub-folders for individual pages/panels/spots. While my document was actual size, I worked at a higher than needed resolution for layout flexibility/adjustments. I also had a template layer showing my text placement for each page as I painted.

Instead of painting a complete single page, I jumped through the pages by blocking in color first for Merle, then Goat Girl, then backgrounds/other characters. This allowed me to stay focused especially early one with character finishes - Ideally I would have done full character/environment studies prior to painting

- Greg Barrington is the author/illustrator of  COW BOY IS NOT A COWBOY (HarperCollins, October 20, 2020) 
​Is it easier or harder to illustrate someone else’s story, versus a story you’ve written yourself?
Picture
Picture
Personally, I love doing both. Illustrating someone else’s story can be a lot of fun! It is an opportunity to tell someone else’s story visually, a story I didn’t, and couldn’t write myself. When illustrating someone else’s story, I’m generally not as emotionally attached as I would with my own stories, so it is easier to be objective when problem-solving and making critical decisions. It is an amazing feeling when the author loves what you created too. Though when illustrating someone else’s story, it is very much a collaboration. We illustrators have to respect the author’s opinions as much as our own. If a disagreement arises, it is part of our jobs as illustrators, with the help of our art directors and editors, to come up with options and eventually reach a decision all parties are happy with. 

As for illustrating my own story, the biggest pro is the freedom to illustrate whatever I want, which, unfortunately, is also a con. When you have the ultimate freedom to create anything you desire, in any style you want, with any medium you like, it can become overwhelming. With all the choices and possibilities, it’s too easy to get stuck, unable to make a decision. Thumbnailing (small rough sketches) while revising really helps my writing process too, by being both the author and illustrator, it is easier to achieve the right balance on how much of the story is read through the text and how much of it is shown in the illustrations. Another con about illustrating your own
story is that you care so much about this story you’ll want everything to be perfect, thinking that everything in this story os a reflection of your taste and ability - but the problem is perfectionism kills creativity. Small breaks and critique groups can help during those moments of self-doubt. Though the reward of publishing my very own story makes it all worth it!

- Isabella Kung is the author/illustrator of No Fuzzball! (Orchard Books, August 4, 2020) ​

Picture
Picture
I enjoyed illustrating Tom Lichtenheld’s manuscript as much as my own, albeit for different reasons. At first reading I was not yet emotionally tied to the LOUIS manuscript, so getting to know a character through text, then through developing his look, and finally watching him “perform” in the scenes was a marvelous journey. In the end I became very fond of the whole family, including the pets! While I relied on Lichtenheld’s text to ignite my imagination, illustrating my own text required another kind of discipline. 

For my A/I debut I began with a character I had already developed visually but without a story. I could “see” Jack, but the other animals in I’M A HARE, SO THERE!, and the desert environment, unfolded in my imagination while writing. Fun, but kind of intimidating! Every element is my choice and my responsibility. I struggled with balancing actual aspects of the Sonoran desert within a looser illustration style and perhaps more saturated in color than a photo-realistic interpretation. Call me crazy, but I believe the spirit of a friend helped me figure it out and I am elated with the results! ​

- Julie Rowan-Zoch is the illustrator of LOUIS (HMH Books for Young Readers, October 6, 2020) and the author/illustrator of I'M A HARE, SO THERE! (HMH Books for Young Readers, March 16, 2021)
​
What does the revision process look like for an illustrator?
Picture
Picture
It's not likely that once an illustrator completes their picture book dummy that all the images they've carefully crafted will make it to the final version of the published book. Editors, art directors, and designers will be helping to make the most visually appealing version of your story, and there will very likely be revisions. When illustrating a 4-book series for Clyde the Hippo, I had a number of revisions that I needed to address.
 
Some revisions are small and require a slight change in layout. Perhaps your image is a full bleed and it needs to be changed to a spot illustration, or vice versa. The type of revisions that require simply moving elements around the page to make more room for text are the easiest to do, especially if you are working digitally. Some revisions require a complete redraw. If your composition isn't strong enough or the sequence of images in the book require you to change the composition so it's more unique and not repetitive, then you'll likely have to adjust an image so that all of the other images work together seamlessly. In the end, each illustration should engage the reader to turn the page further into the story.

-Larrisa Marantz is the illustrator of the CLYDE THE HIPPO series (Penguin Workshop, 2020) . 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
When you are not working on an assignment, what do you do to grow your craft/art?
Picture
Picture
As an author-illustrator, I always find lots of opportunities to learn and to develop my craft (both for writing and illustrating), but a few things stand out. 

Study current picture books
I read a lot of recent picture books. When a particular book or illustration really catches my eye, I stop and study it in a very intentional and analytical way. What exactly is working about the story or the art or the design? Is there an element that I could incorporate into my own stories or illustrations? What would that look like?

Participate in Illustration Challenges
I like illustration challenges such as SCBWI Draw This (a monthly prompt) or #colour_collective (a weekly prompt) where you post your art on a regular deadline because it provides a low-stakes way for me to experiment in my art. I think about an element I want to work on—perhaps a color palette or a camera angle that I’ve never done before.

​ And I work that element into the current illustration challenge prompt to create a new piece. Illustration challenges are helpful because they provide both a deadline as well as community support from others participating in that prompt.
Watch webinars
I have probably learned the most about the craft of writing/illustrating picture books from webinars—particularly the ones offered by StorytellerAcademy.com and from regional SCBWI chapters. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from top-notch authors/illustrators, art directors, editors, and agents all from the comfort of my own home and for a relatively low cost. I find they often give me the confidence and/or inspiration to go just a little bit outside my comfort zone and try out new story structures, formats or techniques.
- Abi Cushman is the author/illustrator of SOAKED (Viking Books for Young Readers, July 14, 2020)

Picture

​To learn more about The Soaring 20's Picture Book group please visit them here. 

1 Comment

Thinning the Weed Words in Your Manuscript

5/21/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Annie Cronin Romano

If you’ve ever taken a workshop on novel revision, there’s a good chance you’ve heard your fellow writers mention doing frequency checks on words that are often overused. These “weed words” are words or phrases that pop up over and over in your manuscript without adding texture to your narrative. 

​Using the “find” feature, you type in the word you want to check and then edit accordingly. But did you know the exercise of a frequency check can and should go beyond merely deleting or changing an overused word? It can help you catch stereotyped phrasing and increase your awareness of varying descriptions and vocabulary.

Recently, I was completing frequency word checks while editing my middle grade novel. When I first started the revisions, I kept a running log of words I noticed I was using frequently. Rather than interrupt my flow when writing, I'd simply jot down the word in my log to check later. However, it was while doing the common words frequency check that I discovered my own personal “weed words.” For instance, I never realized how frequently I used the words “hand” "reached," and “turned” in this particular manuscript until I started the frequency check. They kept showing up! I was astounded at how often I used certain words I didn’t think of as overly-common. In finding those words, I also picked up on similarities in many of my descriptions. (Didn't she "roll her eyes" three paragraphs ago?) As I edited, my weed word list grew from about 40 words on my running list to over 100 words (i.e., adding "roll" and "eyes"), and the task at hand became much more than a find-and-replace drill. I delved deeper into my writing, examining my voice and style as I edited. Questions I began asking included, “How can I convey that feeling differently?” "Is this truly how the character would say this?" “What else can my character do to show that reaction?” and “Is this line essential/moving the story forward?” What started as a basic editing drill led me to reexamine my overall writing technique and how it impacted my story as a whole. The result was a significantly stronger manuscript.

I have included a frequency words list below, which includes words I discovered I use too often (my own personal "weed words") as well as some of the usual suspects ("very," "really," "seems," etc.). Your list may look quite different, but this will give you a place to start. Sometimes your weed words may be project-specific (i.e., if you're working on a book that takes place in the desert, check for words like "sand," "dry," and "arid"). You don't have to eliminate every instance of these words; use the list as a tool to ensure you vary your vocabulary and minimize common phrasing and descriptions.

Picture
The next time you’re editing your work, consider going beyond the find-and-replace approach to thinning out your weed words, and dig down further to bring out the best in every line. Weeding, when paired with conscientious revision, will make every word sing! 
0 Comments

Is Your Social Media Presence Ready?

5/11/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Kelly Carey

​Is your writing journey ready for our new virtual environment? Is your social media presence ready to be an asset to your writing?

If you’ve been timid about social media in the past, our new environment is the perfect moment to rethink.

We can’t meet in person and those wonderful connections you could make at workshops, conferences and book events are either no longer an option or they’ve all gone online. It’s time to pivot and create those connections virtually. That means you need to build a strong social media game.

Even when we are back to face-to-face days, your writing career will benefit if your social media community is full and rich.
​
But are you stuck in a cycle of social media excuses that are holding you back? Let’s see. 

Excuse #1: Social Media Is A Time Suck

Everything can be a time suck and a distraction from your writing goals IF you allow things to obliterate your focus.  Setting an egg timer allowance of 15 to 30 minutes a day or a week can help remedy this excuse and I would argue you may actually find time saving and valuable information on social media.

In that short 30 minutes spent on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram you may find the #MSWL tweet from an agent looking for your exact book! Score! You may happen across a Facebook post about a revision workshop that is just what your middle grade novel needs. Win! You may see a Publisher’s Weekly article that a fellow author posted and it will make you more knowledgeable and aware of current industry buzz. Excellent!
​
You can use your goals and focus your social media efforts so they are productive. 
Excuse #2: Connections On Social Media Are Fake
​

Connections on social media are fake if you are being fake. Be your authentic self on social media and you will find real connections. I would argue that social media gives you the opportunity to make connections you might never have made if geographic proximity and chance were required.

If I read a book that I love, I tweet out praise and tag the author and/or illustrator and publisher. Almost 100% of the time one or all tweet back. There was NOTHING fake about my original tweet. It was genuinely motivated by my appreciation for a book. That is real. Social media gave me the mechanism to share my kind words directly with an author who I might never meet in person.  

If I come across a great article, interview or blog post and I repost it on Facebook, my fellow writing colleagues may appreciate the opportunity to see it. If I tag the author of the piece and thank them for their efforts there is NOTHING fake about my respect for the article, interview or blog post. If you go through the effort of putting something out to the internet universe, it’s nice when someone notices. I think the authors and blog owners that see me repost their work alongside kind words appreciate that I do that. Almost 100% of the time I get a response. And now we are connected.
​
Be authentic and your social media connections will be real. 
Picture
Excuse #3: Connections on Social Media Are Shallow
​

This is a situation of you get out what you are willing to put in. Granted, nothing can really replace the kismet meeting at a book launch that sparks a spontaneous conversation where you discover that you both had a childhood cat named Rex. BUT you can make connections that are deeper than ankle height. They will require effort and energy, just like any relationship. 

If you are a passive social media user who just lurks around the platforms and hits like or clicks a heart if you see something that you agree with or love, then yes, your connections will be shallow. Those options are like waving across the room to a colleague but refusing to walk over and shake someone’s hand. You need to shake hands and offer a bit of conversation. You cannot just wave. Instead of hitting like or punching hearts, make a comment. That comment shows effort and moves you into the realm of active participant. Be that person.  
​
If you engage in a meaningful way, your connections will be meaningful. 

Excuse #4: I Stink at Technology

Me too! Just ask my kids. But you are a brave creative individual who puts manuscripts in front of critique groups. You can wade into Twitter and/or Facebook. Start small. As we suggest with all goals, make your technology goals manageable. We would never set a goal of writing three novels in one week, so why set a scary social media objective? Decide that you are going to set up a Twitter account and commit to 15 minutes of Twitter time a day and one tweet a week. You can do that. Want to get better at using Twitter? Add in a goal of watching a Twitter tutorial online.

Here’s the good news. While you are learning and figuring things out and making mistakes, like sending out a tweet with misspellings or forgetting to tag the author whose book you are gushing about, you will barely have any followers! So who is really going to see it anyway? In the beginning the only folks who see your tweet will probably be your crit group and your best friend! You’ll have time to hone your skills before a crowd is watching.
​
You will only master technology if you take steps to improve your skills. 
Excuse #5: I Can Wait Until I Have a Book to Promote

No you cannot! Well before you have a book to promote and NEED your social media community you must put in the time to build the community and contribute to it.

I launched my debut book last month – in the middle of a pandemic that shut down everything! If I didn’t have social media, how would anyone have seen my book? The only reason I have followers on social media is because I posted and tweeted and tagged for years leading up to my book launch. The result was an online community ready to help boost news of my book because I had boosted their book news, retweeted their blog articles, and been a full participant in the social media community.

Even without the confines of the pandemic, my social media community puts my book news in front of WAY more folks than I could reach with face-to-face contact and to a much broader geographic reach.
​
If you wait until you need social media, it will be too late. 
Picture
Are you ready to up your social media game, create real connections and build a social media community that will benefit your writing career? Great!
​
(Now prove it by tweeting and/or reposting this blog!) 

0 Comments

Don't Shush Your Voice

12/19/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
By Kelly Carey

I don’t have a great singing voice. A high school choir teacher once told me that if I agreed to go to study hall instead of his class, he’d give me an A. My family begs me not sing around birthday cakes, and I mouth the words to hymns in church because I’m pretty sure God would prefer it that way.

I’m shushing my voice.

If I did this in writing, my stories either wouldn’t exist, or they’d come out flat and false and would never resonate with any reader, anywhere, ever. And yet, much like I have learned to hide my voice when it comes to singing, I think many of us have been taught to silence our voice when it comes to writing.

It happens gradually like a drip, drip, dripping until our unique way of speaking, of phrasing things, of reacting, and arranging words drowns under 20,000 leagues of edits from teachers, society, peers, and finally our own internal critic.

I do understand the idea that you need to know the rules of good writing before you can break them. We wipe out slang and colloquialism for proper grammar and impressive SAT level vocabulary. Academic writing peels out the voice of the unique individual and cushions it with research, and MLA formatting, and data, and flow charts, and the desire to match a professor’s rubric.

Picture
​Society and peers place expectations on us that can alter our voice so that we comply with popular opinions, norms, and accepted practices. Layer over that our fear of sharing our inner thoughts; concerns that our experiences and feelings are solo outliers; a belief that no one would understand;  and a dread that our voice might be met with raised eyebrows, confused stares, or worse and BAM we mouth the words instead of writing them down.

I think we are all born with these beautiful voices, but somewhere along the line, we zip our lips and head to study hall.

The gifted writers in our community don’t go to study hall – they sing LOUD! They don’t worry about a choir teacher giving them an F, a chuckle at a birthday party, or the way the guy’s neck hair in front of them in church stands on end – they just let their writing voice sing.

Examine what happens in that split second of time between a thought popping into your head and the thought becoming words on a page. How much pummeling does it take before you write it down? Do you hear your high school English teacher? Are you thinking about how your mother will react? Worried about what a co-worker will think? Are you editing it for an agent, editor, or potential reader? All this before it makes it to the page and suddenly your wonderful true to you thought is a diluted pile of boring mush.

The idea that you should dance like no one is watching, sing like no one is listening – it’s not quite as easy to apply when it comes out write like no one is reading. Let’s flip it to say: write like everyone wants to read! 
​
Write loud in your voice! No need to go to study hall – you got this! And we want to hear it! 

Picture
1 Comment

Organize Those Big Ideas

11/22/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Annie Cronin Romano

Most writers keep a pen and paper handy to record story ideas when inspiration strikes. You see something that captures your imagination or overhear a phrase that causes your writing detector to go on high alert, and you quickly scribble it down. Perhaps you write it a in a small notepad, or maybe you jot it down on a napkin or placement. You may even write it on your hand if there’s no paper available. I have done all of those things. Sometimes I tear out a newspaper article that has sparked a story idea or print out a news story or photograph that made my writing radar start beeping. Eventually, most writers have a folder or notebook stuffed with scraps of paper—a collection of golden story nuggets waiting to be mined for their potential. 

But when you finally cull through those ideas, it can be a daunting task. I recently decided to take on my “idea folder.” I took it out of my file cabinet and placed it on my desk. Where it sat. Staring at me. Cruelly. Mockingly, even. 

Then one day I was out browsing in a home store and spotted a display of home office supplies. As a writer, desk and stationary supplies are like candy to me, so I walked over to explore. There, on top of the pile of journals, was a hard cover spiral notebook with the words “BIG IDEAS” (typed in extremely small print, ironically) on the cover. It was fate.

I bought the notebook and took it home to introduce it to my idea folder. Big Ideas notebook, meet Idea Folder. Idea Folder, I love you, but you’re a mess. Meet Big Ideas notebook.

Picture
​I went through my scraps of idea notes and, one by one, began writing those sparks at the top of each notebook page. I left the rest of the page blank. One idea per page with the blank page below for brainstorming. As I have time, I open to a page, read the idea at the top, and brainstorm story thoughts, plots, characters...anything that comes to mind. Sometimes it’s a doodle. Sometimes it’s a list. Sometimes it’s a diagram or several sentences. Whatever it takes to play with the idea and see what potential stories I can tease out of it. This notebook system keeps my ideas in one space, like a folder, but organized for easy access with blank space for development. It has become the garden where I plant my story seeds and then tend to them to see what sprouts. 
​
So go buy yourself a notebook for your Big Ideas--you know you love shopping for office supplies! Maybe even get some colorful pens to add to the joy! Then organize those randomly scattered idea gems into the notebook. Remember, just one per page. And let the brainstorming begin! Who knows where those sparks will take you. You may get a new story blazing before you know it!

0 Comments

​A Year of Winters

11/14/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
~By Amanda Smith
 
“This year’s felt like
Four seasons of winter
And you'd give anything

To feel the sun”   
- Reason (Unspoken)

 
When I first heard the opening of this song by Unspoken, everything in me cried, “YES! THIS!”

This year brought more unexpected changes and interruptions to my writing life than any before: unexpected travel, lovely visitors, a left hand immobilized for four months due to a broken wrist, and an extended stint as a long-term substitute teacher. Now, it isn’t all bad.
But it is all busy.  


I’m not about to throw a pity party (been there, done that), but I do want to address the reality of months, or years, not turning out the way we anticipated when we first set those shiny New Year’s writing goals.

There had been times like this in my life before, where I couldn’t find space for creativity or writing due to The Urgent pulling at me. There had been years where I had walked away from writing. And the return had been slow and laborious.

This year, amid Nor’easters of life pummeling me, I was resolved. This year, unlike other stormy times, I’d kept my one hand on my writing.

In order to do that, I had to adjust my goals. I am not pushing to finish my novel before the end of the year as I had planned. I am working on smaller projects that can endure interruption with more grace, such as querying and research, revisions on picture books, writing poetry and other shorter pieces. I keep moving forward, even if it is at a snail’s pace.

I keep learning, thinking and observing. I spent most of my immobilized summer reading mentor texts, new publications, and craft books.

I keep active in my writing community. The mere fact that I have a critique group expecting a manuscript from me, drives me to write, or revise. Giving feedback on their work, keeps my head in the game. Connecting with other writers at events, invigorates me, and reminds me of who I am amid the blizzards. And meeting with my monthly accountability group, keeps me setting and checking off teeny-tiny-but-moving-forward-goals.
​
I keep making space to create.
So coming back will be easier.
So I won’t let go forever.
Because Spring will come.

Picture
0 Comments

Inside a Debut Illustration Picture Book Project with Ileana Soon

8/12/2019

3 Comments

 
Picture
Guest blog by Ileana Soon

Hello! My name is Ileana, and I am the illustrator behind Annie Cronin Romano's book, Night Train: A Journey From Dusk to Dawn. I was invited by 24 Carrot Writing to contribute some of my thoughts and share my experience bringing Night Train to life. There were a lot of things I learnt along the way. I'll touch on my process here as well as walk you through some of my thoughts behind my visual decisions. This will be fun!


Getting the manuscript, thoughts and ideas
I was really excited when I got the manuscript as I had felt like the story was right up my alley. It had travel, a train journey, and a great sense of adventure. Whilst reading the script, the feelings it evoked popped a few visual references into my mind, such as the movie A River Runs Through It (directed by Robert Redford) as it seemed to capture the same feeling. Seeing as it was a period setting, other visual references soon followed that were also period pieces; movies like Testament of Youth (directed by James Kent) and The Painted Veil (directed by John Curran). Below are some screenshots taken from the movies mentioned.

Picture
As an illustrator, I think it is important to always bring something personal to every project worked on, the theory being that sharing a personal experience through art will somehow invite an emotional connection from the viewer, even if it's something that can't quite be explained. I find that throughout my life I have been attracted to paintings only to find that it, too, was very personal to the artist. Reading Annie's script brought back a lot of my memories travelling as a student throughout Europe and the UK. To save on accommodations, there were many nights spent at train stations and on trains, enroute to the next destination. It was the perfect experience to borrow from as I remember some nights staring out the window from my train, and watching the sun rise as the train moved into a new station and country the following morning. It was exhilarating. Below are some pictures taken during my travels that served as reference.
Picture
To begin, it was important to lay out the pacing of the text. What would be the rhythm of this book? Using Photoshop, the words were cut and pasted onto each page until the pacing felt right. 
Picture
Next, I wanted to come up with a visual vocabulary for this world. As you may now realise, cinema is something I really love, and borrowing from this, the art direction for this world could be set in screen direction, and colour. 

Visually, it's a challenging task to illustrate a train making a journey through the night. If you think about it, how many truly different ways  are there to paint a night sky? How many night skies can there be in a book without boring the reader? (Surely not 32 pages!) To vary and make it visually interesting, I wanted to bring variation to this journey through colour temperature as you can see in the swatches below. I will also touch more on colour later.
Picture
Screen direction (or page direction in this case) seemed important to show continuity in the train's journey from dusk to dawn. It's vocabulary that some films use to show progress for a character throughout a plot. It's a subtle thing, but throughout the book the train always moves from the left of the page to the right. Every single page. Included below is this thought laid out in a page sent to the publisher.
Picture
Let's draw!

So to recap, here is a summation for the visual vocabulary of Night Train. Inspired by the aforementioned films, the story was set in the 1920/30s. Inspired by my travels in Europe and the UK and a train journey that I took from a big city to a small town by the sea in the UK, I thought mapping a similar route would help to capture the same sense of wonder in these illustrations I felt on that journey. The colours would change from warm in the beginning to cool by the end. The screen direction for the train would always move from left to right. Annie also shared her thoughts of how it would be great to set the train journey in the Pacific Northwest. Great! More specificity — always a good thing.

Ideations, thumbnails, sketches and revisions
Since pacing is very important, it was important for me to ideate the entire book in one go, instead of focusing on a page at a time. This meant jotting (drawing) ideas out on posits whilst laying out the entire book. This is all done by hand, sticking post-its to a wall. This was a habit my director and I used to do, whilst previously working at an agency as a lead designer, doing different storybeats for commercials and laying it all out in sequence on a glass window. Below are the rough notes ideating for Night Train in sequence.
Picture
Please forgive the roughness of this; this is not something I would ever show to anyone and it's done for my reference only when beginning a project. They are just thoughts. Doing this provides an opportunity to see the story as a whole and choose compositions that work sequentially to match the pacing in relation to each other, rather than picking the best composition for every page, which would make the book tonally flat (imagine a loud note for every page — not fun to listen to surely). I sometimes imagine sequential images as a song: the notes (images) have to flow together nicely, the volume (light vs dark) has to modulate as well, and all in one key! That's where visual vocabulary comes in.

From these thoughts, images are chosen to put together thumbnails to deliver to the publisher:
Picture
After the thumbnails are delivered, the team at Page Street gave me a green light to move toward sketches. Sketches are refined drawings from the thumbnails presented. From these sketches, my Artistic Directors give feedback, and these sketches go back to the drawing board until they are approved. The team at Page Street had the fine idea of introducing a family as characters that we could follow throughout the book, instead of the separate individuals I had previously sketched out. Great idea! Some sketches are approved straight away, but some go through several iterations. Included herein is a sample of the evolution of a sketch from presentation to approval:
Picture
Colour Script
After all the sketches were approved, I was asked to bring a spread to finish, and somehow in the back and forth with the team at Page Street, I proposed the idea of doing a colour script so they could see at a glance how to book would look like as a whole. Included herein is the colour script that was sent to Page Street:
Picture
Challenges with colour
One of the great challenges of this project was to find a way to have words sit on a page against the night sky whilst still being legible. Blue, or black for that matter, is dark in value, and black words against a dark blue sky is very hard to read. The publisher specified at some point that most of the type printed would be black, so on my end I felt it was important to structure the pages so that the words could be read against the painted backgrounds. Additionally, there was also the extra challenge as previously mentioned to make the pages more exciting, as 32 pages of purely dark blue skies would make the book tonally flat. 

Thus, if you notice, less than 50% of the book (about 41%) is actually set against a dark blue sky, whilst the rest is set against the backdrop of the sun setting, and the sun rising, which gives a lot of opportunity for the black type to sit against lighter backgrounds, making it more legible.

This opportunity also opened up a pocket of time in terms of the hours that the train started and ended its journey. If its journey started at say 5pm, and ended at say 7am, the different variations of light that it would see during its journey would naturally vary a lot, bringing with it many exciting ways to introduce changes in colour temperatures as the pages turned.

Sticking to the visual vocabulary of moving generally from a warm palette to a cool palette from beginning to end, the frames have been aligned in sequence here so it may be easier to see what my thought process was like in doing this colour script.
Picture
Race to the finish
After the colour script was approved, everything from there on out was very straightforward. It was really a matter of just refining the pages from the colour scripts to a bigger final, finessing the final details, and adjusting colours as needed. Since it was set in a very specific time period, and also in a very specific geographic region, it really is important to make sure that all the references were right, from the costumes to the shapes of trees and smaller details surrounding all the pages. Below are some costume references sourced from that time period. These references were sourced from books at the library, archived film footage, as well as Pinterest.
Picture
The final few weeks working on this really did feel like a race to the finish! Below is an example of the evolution of a page from the colour script to the final.
Picture
The End
Delivering the pages to my AD was a great feeling, and she has to be thanked for really being there at every step of this journey with me. I sincerely believe that all the feedback given made the pages better, and the visual ideas stronger. Hopefully, this translates over to the reader when they pick up this book.
Picture
Final thoughts
Thank you for letting me share my process of bringing Night Train to life with you, and thank you to 24 Carrot Writing for inviting me to do so. I hope it was helpful and am looking forward to reading all the different approaches/processes other illustrators have here in the future.

About the Illustrator
Ileana Soon is an illustrator/vis dev artist who grew up in a small seaside town in Borneo, before making her way to Los Angeles where she currently lives and works. Her clients include The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Oprah Magazine. She has also won multiple awards, including a Silver Medal from 3x3, as well as recognition from American Illustration and The World Illustration Awards. Learn more about Ileana and see more of her work at http://ileanasoon.com/, on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ileanadraws/, and on Behance at https://www.behance.net/ileanasoon.
3 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>
    Join our Facebook Group

    Categories

    All
    20 Minute Miracles
    Accountability
    Amanda
    Annie
    Author Interviews
    Book Release
    Carrots
    Chapter Book
    Character Development
    Conferences
    Contest
    Craft
    Creativity
    Critiques
    Diversity
    Drafting
    Editing
    Fiction
    Francine
    Graphic Novel
    Guest Posts
    Holiday Wishes
    Hook
    Illustration
    Inspirational
    Interviews
    Kelly
    Library
    Magazine Writing
    Marketing
    Middle Grade
    Nonfiction
    Picture Books
    Plot
    Promotion
    Publishing
    Query
    Read
    Readers
    Revision
    SCBWI
    Self Publishing
    Self-Publishing
    Setting
    Story Structure
    Submissions
    Tech Tools
    Tips And Tools
    Voice
    What Is 24 Carrot Writing
    Writing Challenges
    Writing Community
    Writing Goals
    Ya
    Young Adult

    Archives

    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    RSS Feed

    Click to set custom HTML
    Click on the RSS Feed button above to receive notifications of new posts on this blog.

    The 24 Carrot writers are   

    Francine ~ YA
    Kelly ~ Picture books, MG,               Short stories 
    Annie ~ Picture books, MG

    Amanda ~ Picture books,                      MG, YA       

Photos used under Creative Commons from byzantiumbooks, JKehoe_Photos, GotCredit, Chicago's North Shore Conventions & Visitors Burea, Roman Pfeiffer, ymu rocks, Au Kirk, Sweet Dreamz Design