Steven Malk and Jon Klassen

Jon Klassen - study for Coraline

The SCBWI 2012 Summer Conference introduced me to Jon Klassen (whose work I admired for years but never really attached his name to it) and Steven Malk. Who is Steven Malk? I saw them set up books at the table for Jon's workshop but they were all Jon's books. So, Steven must have forgotten his books. Man, am I naive.

Steven Malk is Jon Klassen's agent. Here's some more naivete. I figured this guy just had Jon as client. He looked so young. In fact, with his suit and Bryl-creemed hair, he looked like a handsome young cross between anyone on Mad Men and Harry Connick, Jr. See, I had no idea how awesome agents can be, how much work they do for their clients, how much they love the craft. Steven Malk is a world-class agent. During acceptance speeches at the conference I heard several thank-yous "to my agent, Steven Malk." So, I looked him up. He only represents nobodies like Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith, Sara Pennypacker, and Adam Rex, to name a very few. The guy's a superstar. Maybe one day I'll be good enough to have him as an agent. One can dream.

Anyway, he and Jon talked about the process from concept to book awards of making I Want My Hat Back, with insights on the growth of a story-teller/illustrator and what comes after. I have a lot to say about what Jon taught me during the conference, so much that it will have to be a nice long post of its own. So stay tuned.

Melissa Sweet

Melissa Sweet actually is. Sweet, that is. Her talk was inspiring, sharing her process and her personal rules of creating.

"I will make a mistake on stage. And you know what? I welcome that first mistake. Because then I can shrug it off and keep smiling. Then I can get on with the performance and turn off that part of the mind that judges everything. I'm not thinking or worrying anymore." — Yo-Yo Ma

Melissa emphasized what Yo-Yo Ma said, encouraging us to not fear making mistakes. In fact, we should make mistakes.  It frees you, releases the tension and opens you up to new opportunities for creativity.

Melissa wants you to throw away your black and start mixing colors, make your own "black." Play with hand lettering, color, perspective, and drawing from life. Keep a journal. Make books (even if it's only for one person). Draw and write every day. Play every day.

"Everything is sweetened by risk." —Melissa Sweet

Tony DiTerlizzi

What I learned from Tony DiTerlizzi at the SCBWI 2012 Summer Conference. I intend not to write out all of Tony's lessons but rather to paraphrase, not only because Tony gets paid to share his wisdom, but because I add my own thoughts and voice to the notes I take. So this is Tony and me.

When writing and/or illustrating, draw and write for yourself, but don't lose sight of the target audience. Is this for the 8 to 12 year-old group? Then channel your  inner middle-grader. And stay consistent. Explore the idea, work out the theme, outline and sketch. He recommended storyboarding and stressed the importance of character development. Tony works with sketches and writing at the same time, each informing the other. But while working on the book, always keep in mind the end result - the book! It all has to come together.

Tony talked about the power of myth and the role of the archetype in stories. For instance, the role of the guide - Obi Wan, Dumbledore, Gandalf... but be careful to not get caught up in cliches.

Tony likes to assign himself homework. For instance, read a certain book by a certain date.

When making a portfolio, manuscript, or book dummy, Tony recommends that you TELL YOUR OWN STORY. Even a story of fiction must come from what is you. I'll be writing more about telling your own story and finding your voice in later posts.

Books that Tony recommends (with trepidation, as there are always reasons to break rules): The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, by Vogler. 20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them by Tobias. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell.

[edit] I also wanted to note that I had been reading Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art by Lewis Hyde. It's not an easy read but with some patience it has some really deep insights. I've always been interested in the trickster archetype - Coyote, Raven, Loki, Hermes, Monkey - and how they propel change and growth by throwing a wrench into the works.

What I'm Reading

Right now, Writing Picture Books and Breaking into Freelance Illustration. If you're interested in picture books, Arthur Levine highly recommended Writing with Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books by Uri Shulevitz. Mine is on order. But right now I am reading Writing Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication by Ann Whitford Paul. So far, it's a great read and I'll review it further later. Also, re-reading Breaking into Freelance Illustration by Holly DeWolf. Holly is a friend of mine, but even if she wasn't, I would highly recommend this book. Basics, how-tos, and inspiration. My first launching pad.

I need to make a little money, so I'm looking into freelance. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve and I'll be sharing those as I move forward.