Critique Groups

For any serious writer, a critique group is a very important part of their writing (and revising) process. Writing all alone is important at times, especially when you need to get your initial thoughts on paper or write a first draft. But, when it's time for digging deeper and revising, a good critique group is essential.

I've been with my critique group for many years. We all write for children - picture books, novels, fiction, nonfiction, poetry. There are five of us. We started out as four and later added our fifth member. When we started we were all at the beginning of our writing journey. Now, we all have at least one children's book published!

It's great to have other people who know me and my writing so well. They have seen the good, the bad, and the really bad! Plus, we are all serious about improving our writing and trying to publish.

We meet once a month at a coffee shop with ample table space. We each have a chance to read our work and receive feedback. We also save time for news and writing related updates. We have sometimes slipped into too much personal chatting, but then we re-group and use our time focused on the writing.

Our critique group meets in person, but some groups meet online. My friend, Laura, is a member of an online writing group and finds it very helpful.

So, how do you form (or find) a critique group of like-minded individuals?

- Take a children's writing class. At the end of the class, ask other class members if they would like to form a critique group. (Our original foursome met at a Loft class.)

- Look for an existing group to join. Local SCBWI chapters often post groups looking for new members.

- Join an online group through the national SCBWI website.

- Attend conferences and workshops. You're likely to meet people in the same place you are - ready to step out and join a critique group!

Who knows, maybe a few years from now you will be attending each other's book launch parties!

Two Great Events

Two great Children's Literature events are taking place on Saturday, September 12, 2009. The focus of one is meeting Minnesota children's authors and illustrators. The focus of the other is learning about writing and illustrating children's books. Both are great events that will leave you feeling inspired.

Event #1: The 10th Annual Celebration of Minnesota Children's Authors and Illustrators

This fun, free event takes place at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, Minnesota. It's held from 12:30 - 5:00 pm and is geared for children, families, and children's book enthusiasts. There will be readings by Minnesota authors and illustrators, book sales and signings, story telling, book making, face painting, ice cream and more. To learn more about this event visit http://www.andersoncenter.org/events.htm.

Event #2: MN SCBWI Fall Conference - "Chaos to Creation: The Art of Self Expression"

This event, for people interested in writing or illustrating children's books, takes place from 7:30 am - 5:00 pm at the University of Minnesota Continuing Education and Conference Center in St. Paul. The day includes a variety of workshops, keynote speakers and a luncheon. Featured speakers include Donna Jo Napoli, children's author; Priscilla Burris, illustrator; Jill Dembowski, Editor at Little Brown; and two agents, Mark McVeigh and Deborah Warren. The cost is $100 for SCBWI members and $125 for nonmembers. There are also optional manuscript and illustration reviews for an additional fee. (I will be one of the people doing manuscript reviews.) Visit http://www.minnesotascbwi.org for more information.

Both these events are wonderful opportunities to learn more about children's literature and meet some great authors and illustrators. The only problem is they are offered on the same day. So choose which one fits what you are looking for and save the date!

Picture Book Format

Most picture books have some similarities, especially in design format. Almost all picture books are 32 pages long. Why 32 pages? It has to do with the printing process, which is done on large sheets that are then folded to create the picture book.

This does not mean the actual story is 32 pages long, though. You have to leave a couple pages at the front and back (called Front Matter and Back Matter) for copyright info, title page, etc. So, that leaves about 28 pages for the story. This is important to keep in mind when writing your picture book text.

The 28 pages breaks down further into 14 full page spreads. A full page spread is the two pages together when the book is opened flat. Even if you are not the illustrator (which I'm not), you still need to think in terms of how the overall book will look.

To help yourself visualize your story, you can make a Dummy. A Dummy is a mock-up of a picture book with your text laid out over the 32 pages. (Remember to include copyright page, title page, etc.) You can add stick figures if you like. The Dummy is for your purposes only. It is to help you see how your story fits into a picture book format. (NOTE: Do not send your Dummy to an editor! If you are not an illustrator, they do not what to see anything related to art. They know how to find good illustrators and put the book together.)

Some questions to ask yourself:

Does your story fit well into 28 pages? Will some (or all) of the pages be full page spreads? Is their too much text on some pages? Where are the best places to have page turns? Is their a compelling reason to turn the page? Does the story have an arc - meaning does it build and build to some kind of conclusion? Is their room for the illustrator to add to the story?

Ultimately, the editor and book designer decide the layout of your story. But, as a writer, it's important to think about these things. It will help ensure that your story flows well and is a good fit for the picture book format.