M.I.T. Scratch Day

I'm skipping Picture Book Workshop today to tell you about a really fun thing Magoo and his father did on Saturday: M.I.T.'s Scratch Day.

"What is Scratch Day?" you ask.

Well, Scratch is a computer program that teaches computer programming.  And I have to write a disclaimer here: I've never done it.  I don't really understand it.  But Magoo LOVES it and it does seem really cool.  So if you have a kid who's into computers, you might want to check out Scratch.

Anyhoo, M.I.T. which created this program has a yearly Scratch Day where families can come and learn about newer versions of Scratch and participate in some cool programming exercises.

Here's Magoo learning how to use a Makey Makey board.

Check out this video to see what a Makey Makey board is.  (It's so cool.)

There were lots of opportunities for kids to share what they have been working on.  Here's Magoo presenting his project at M.I.T.  Not too shabby!

Here's Magoo going through some obstacle course.  I don't 100% know what's happening, but it sure looks like fun.

After 3 hours of programming, Magoo walked out of M.I.T. beaming like he's been to Six Flaggs.  He learned a lot, I think he was inspired a lot, and he had a blast.

Go Scratch!

Collection of Mastroyka Dolls

Collection of Mastroyka Dolls        2013        j.c. phillipps

As the June art show QUICKLY sneaks up on me, I'm trying to hammer out a few more pieces of work to fill the walls.

May has been much busier than I anticipated:  conferences, invoices, learning to make a newsletter, marketing, learning to write press releases, etc.  I had originally thought that this would be my big painting/collaging month, but no.  It didn't really work out that way.

This collection is painting #5 in my Collection Collection.  I want to do one more.  What's next?
Stamps?  Keys?  Bottles?  Snails?  Hats?

Hmmmmmm.

Magoo's First Concert

Magoo performed in his first school concert on Monday evening.  If asked, I think the highlight for him might have been goofing around in the band room backstage (when his mother wasn't in there taking pictures, of course.)

But seriously, how could I not take pictures?!  He's wearing a bow tie!

Here's one of the songs he performed in the mixed 4th and 5th grade band.  (I apologize for the shaky camera work.  He was in the back of the stage and I had to angle my arms uncomfortably to get him in the shot.)  I think they sound quite good!

Picture Book Workshop #14: Query Letters

You have a manuscript all ready to go.  You've let people read it, taken in feedback, revised it twelve times.  You've researched a few publishers/agents you think might be a good fit.  Now what?

Now, my friend, you must write the dreaded QUERY LETTER!  Dum, dum, DUUUUUUMMMMM!

I don't mean to freak you out - but these are THE WORST.  Everybody hates them.  (And if not everybody, then I don't know the freaky person who doesn't.)  Queries are to writing as auditions are to acting as interviews are to jobs.

But perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself.  Do you know what a query letter is?

A query letter is a one page letter that introduces yourself to a potential agent/editor, gives the basics of your story (i.e. 350 word picture book) tells enough about your story to hook them (in the voice of your story) and thanks them for their time.  Boom - it's over.

If the potential agent/editor likes your letter, they will request more.  Now, since this is a picture book workshop, usually you can attach a picture book manuscript to a query letter b/c your manuscript is probably only 3 pages long.  But if you're writing a chapter book or a YA or something, then they'll request the first three chapters.

Let's get into the nitty gritty here.  Let's break down a query letter.
(Following content is from Huffington Post's Anatomy of a Query Letter b/c they're going t say it better than I would.)


1) Opening lines Skip rhetorical questions or flashy introductions. In the first few lines, agents are looking to get a sense of your book’s genre and marketability, not your sense of humor, and definitely not to ponder the answers to any broad questions.
Weak opening: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to star in your own reality TV show? What if you were the only one who didn’t know the cameras were rolling? Find out in my book.
Strong opening: Please consider my 60,000-word mainstream novel about a man whose seemingly ordinary life turns out to be the center of a well-crafted conspiracy.

2) Synopsis
Succinctly describe the plot of your story or concept of your book. This should be one paragraph and focus on the main plot, setting, and characters. Let the agent know where the story takes place, introduce no more than a couple of characters who are pivotal to the main plot, and vividly describe the arc of the story. Let the agent know what is at stake or on the line for these characters; give him or her something to get invested in.

3) Author bio
Now that you’ve shared the outline of your manuscript, it’s time to tell the agent about yourself. Mention publication credits, writing experience and activities, and education. Any excerpts you’ve published in literary journals or magazines should be mentioned specifically, and any expertise you have in the subject you’ve written about should also be noted. If nothing relates directly to the book you’re presenting, list the writing conferences and workshops you’ve attended, general publication credits, or even hobbies unrelated to writing. 

(Julie chimes in:  If you don't have a lot of credentials yet, don't try to pad it.  Keep it short and sweet.)

4) Appreciation
Now that you’ve gotten this far, don’t forget to thank the literary agent for taking the time to review your query. And remember to offer sample chapters (if the agent does not accept sample chapters in the initial query) and/or the complete manuscript (only if it is finished, of course). If mailing your query, be sure to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the agent’s response.

(Julie chimes in again: Check with agent/editor's submission guidelines on their site about self-addresses stamped envelopes, etc.  You may be doing this digitally, after all.  Everyone has their own way of doing things.)

Thanks Huffington Post! 

That's your basic query how-to.  But I also really love what one of my favorite authors, Maggie Stiefvater, has to say.  I'm not going to put it all in my post.  I'll include the first tip and you can go here to read the rest.

1. People overthink queries. Okay, so they are the only thing that an agent or editor might ever see of your work. So they have to embody everything about your personality and your books personality in a single page. So you will get absolutely nowhere if your queries suck, no matter if you've written the Great American Novel. Still, people overthink them. 

She has another 9 tips.  Check them out.

There's a lot of information out there about queries.  I would suggest reading a few articles and knowing ahead of time that you will need to put some time and effort into crafting your query, just like you put time and effort into crafting your story.

Good luck!

Picture Book Workshop #13: Conferences

I was going to write about query letters today, but since I attended the New England Chapter of the SCBWI conference this weekend, I thought I'd sing the praises of conferences and how they can really help you hone your craft and get published.

The first thing - the most obvious thing - is you're going to learn stuff.  Want to learn how to structure your plot?  There's a workshop for that.  What to write meatier characters?  There's a workshop for that.  Want to learn how to make a teacher's guide for your published picture book?  Guess what?  There's a workshop for that!

Natalie Dias Lorenzi doing a workshop on Writing Curriculum Guides.*

There are a ton of workshops at every conference.  Some are going to be better than others - it's reality.  Not everyone gives a FABULOUS workshop - but MANY do.  Over my 10 years of writing, I think I've only been to one truly awful workshop.  The woman kept scolding us because we didn't know some of the authors she was referring to.  "Know your history!" she kept saying.  I wanted to yell back, "That's why we're here!"  It's like scolding prompt people because someone else is late.  Silly.  

But that was ONE workshop - only one.  75% are going to be informative and another 20% are going to knock your socks off.

Now if you're like me, the problem is too much information.  I can't handle 2-3 day conferences.  I have one day of input in me, and the rest is just mush.  So I just went on Sunday.  And I've also learned how to choose workshops that are going to work for me.  I like specifics.  If a subject is too broad, like "Plot," I probably won't get much out of it.  But if it's "How to raise the tension in a middle grade mystery" - that's the ticket!  There's going to be really specific advice in that one.  But some people can handle swimming in a 3-day event no prob.  You just have to learn what works for you.

OK - I could go on and on about the workshops, but that's only one part of a conference.

There's also NETWORKING.

I suck at networking.  I do.  No lie.  I have a hard time with small talk.  I have a hard time caring about what someone says if I don't, in fact, care.  I sometimes wish I could be like one of those people who really finds strangers fascinating and asks all sorts of questions and really cares about the answers.  But what I really wish is that everyone wore a tag with the top 5 things they like to talk about on their neck. 

Then you can find those people and slip into an easy conversation.  That would be awesome, right?! 

But, if one is starting out, it is good to go and try to meet people.  Try to find people who illustrate or write picture books, or have some kind of interest in common and maybe make a connection.  Maybe someone can tell you about a writer's retreat that is very cool, or a new book on craft that is blowing their mind. 

Take business cards if you have them.  You might be handing a few out and collecting some of your own.

Here's the biggest and best thing about conferences if you're pre-published: ONE-ON-ONE's.  Maybe you've signed up for a one-on-one manuscript critique with an agent or maybe you're meeting with an art director to go over your portfolio.   Whatever you're doing, you've signed up ahead of time and have something polished to show.  A professional is going to give you some personal information catered only to you and your work.  That is soooooo worth it, even if they don't like you.  (Which isn't usually the case.)

Here's the Best that can happen: An editor loves your picture book manuscript and wants to take it back to the office to an acquisition meeting.

Here's what's likely to happen:  Someone gives you good, solid feedback about what works about your piece and what doesn't.  Maybe they throw out some ideas as to how to increase the humor or deeped a character's motivation.

Here's the Worst that can happen: An editor has no idea what your story is about and can't give you any good information.

Now, this last one has happened to me, but it wasn't a waste.  It's always good to get your stuff in front of a professional's eyes.  If you get NOTHING else out of the experience, you're still getting the experience.  And it's good to get some rejections.  You need to build up your tolerance, b/c it's rough out there.  

But you know what happened when I was upstairs having an editor ask me what a ninja was?  An agent was downstairs looking at my portfolio.  That agent became my agent.  And that ninja book that the editor didn't like became my first published book, Wink the Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed. 

Conferences are a good way to get out of your shell and say hello to the world of publishing, whether you're a brand new beginner, someone on the verge of publication, or have a few books under your belt. 



*Natalie Dias Lorenzi wrote a lovely middle-grade book, Flying the Dragon, about a Japanese boy who moves to America and has to learn to adapt to this new culture while his Japanese-American cousin has to learn to embrace the Japanese side of herself.  Check it out.

Taking the Book to Boston

I'm so sorry I've been away for a whole week.  I had a visit from my mother followed by a trip to Boston and yesterday I had a big pile of catch-up work to dive into.  Busy, busy.  But I'm back, baby!

My fourth book, The Simples Love a Picnic, was packed up and delivered to my new publisher, Houghton Mifflin in Boston.

I love Boston.  I lived there between the ages of 23 - 30.  I went to grad school there.  I was Eliza Doolittle in a play there.  I was married there.  Out of all the major American cities I have been to, it's my favorite by far.  So, despite the fact that it was a very quick trip, it was a lovely one.

My new editor, Margaret, took me out to lunch at 29 Newbury at we both had lobster salad.  Mmmmmmm.

And I spent some time walking around the Public Garden.  It was a gorgeous day - perfection.  The the garden was filled with happy people.

There were signs of the marathon tragedy here and there, and by "signs" I mean signs of support.  I know that Copley Square has a big memorial going on, but I didn't really see more than a glimpse of it as I drove by trying to find the on-ramp to the Mass Pike.  One must watch the road when driving in the Boston, you know.  But the city as a whole felt, appreciative and happy.  Of course, when the sun is shining and Spring is blooming all over, it's hard not to appreciate the beauty around you.

Magoo was bummed that he couldn't go with me, but I promised him anther trip soon.  And maybe we'll take a spin on the swan boats!

A Blast from My Past

Yesterday I received a large envelope in the mail.  Large envelopes are always fun, aren't they?
Especially when you don't know what's in them. 

This was a package from my step-mother who had been cleaning my dad's office and came across some old drawings of mine.

I'm calling this one Happy Birds.

The birds don't necessarily look happy, but everyone else is happy so I figure the birds are too.  Actually, I really like the composition of the birds.  I might try to recreate this in a collage.  That could be a fun project, going through my old drawings and remaking them.  Hmmmm.

Anyway - back to the post.  I think this sums up a big part of my childhood, Happy Little Julie. 

Here's a self-portrait.

I wish I still had those eyelashes!  And I wonder who the tiny person to the right is?  Is she far away or just small?  I do enjoy the amount of detail given to my dress.   Look at my pretty little pattern.  It's so cute.

There was also a CD in the package that was an interview with my grandfather in 1985.  A niece of his was asking questions about where he grew up and what some of his memories were.  It was crazy to hear his voice again and the stories were funny.  (Some funny ha-ha and some funny-odd.)  I haven't finished the whole thing yet.  I have no idea how long it is.  I was listening while making cookies and it lasted about 30 minutes. 

Maybe I'll take it up to Boston with me next week.  It's about a 2 hour drive.  We'll see what he has to say.  Pretty cool.

Thanks Pam!  (Step-mom)