This week was exciting. The Man and Sweet P took off for the mountains for a couple of days leaving me home alone. WooHoo! During that time I got down to business. Arrangements for my stay at the SCBWI International Conference in L.A. this August were made and then it was time to get to work creating a children's book.
The Particulars of Planning and Process
So I have a story/manuscript. That part came rather quickly. One day during Sweet P's nap time I turned one of my jotted down notes of inspiration into a story from start to finish. Don't get me wrong, that has had revisions and will continue to be revised until all the parts fit together. I have a story though. Done. Hah!
My dream is to be an Author/Illustrator, so it doesn't end with the story. Actually, here is where it gets complicated. Luckily there are some pretty clear rules to follow in the children's book world that help me begin to fill in the blanks without creative overload. Most children's book are 32 pages long and when books are bound together the paper is generally bound 4 sheets at a time. If my story goes over that 32 page format, I have to come up with not 4 more pages of pictures and writing, but 16. That is front, back, left, and right side of each sheet. Also, within that 32 pages resides the front matter, which involves titles, publishing info, dedications, and those doodley pages that are often out of a different type of paper than the interior. So to make it short I have about 24, maybe 25 pages to work with here. A great way to figure out exactly what goes where is by creating a storyboard and what is called a "Dummy Book."
Here is a link to someone who explains it quite clearly with pictures and all.
My storyboard became more of a story-wall that I could step back and analyze. Once the geography of everything is understood I begin transferring the information into my dummy. These thinking tools will be used multiple times as the book evolves. Here I map out word placement and tackle the logistics of the book. How does the story sound when read aloud? How do the forced pauses of page turns effect the flow? Once the sketching process began, I asked myself if I was being too repetitive in word and picture. (sound of crumpling paper and begin again)
For this particular book, I want a manuscript that makes sense when read on its own, but I would like the pictures to add dimension. As a parent who has read the same book dozens of times, it is fun to go off script now and then to point out something else that is happening within the illustrations.
copyright Carrie Cartier 2012- all rights reserved
Here is a glimpse at my dummy with taped in photocopies of my sketches with words. I've already found tons of mistakes through this exercise. This also proves that you don't need phenomenal computer skills to put a dummy together, though as it evolves into a cleaner product I will put more effort into that area for a more professional display.
Now for the Love part of Paint Draw Love! This makes me happy! Writing this blog, telling these stories, drawing these pictures, and reading reading reading all the wonderful tales of and from people who have gone this road before makes me happy.
For a feel good tale of friendship reciprocated check out last year's Caldecott winner, "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" by Erin and Philip Stead. I love the colors in this book too.
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