Look who's here!

Welcome to Dee White, author of YA novel 'Letters to Leonardo' and 'Tuesday Writing Tips' blog. Thanks for visiting Dee, it's lovely to have you here. Dee's here to ask me some questions about picture books and how they are created.

Dee: Hi Claire, can you start by telling us about your picture books – maybe even pick out a favourite?

My first picture book, illustrated by Anne Spudvilas, is called 'Ebi's Boat' and is about a boy who wants someone to share his passion for boats. My second, 'A Nest for Kora', illustrated by Judith Rossell, follows Kora's search for a perfect nest for her first egg. 'Sheep, Goat and the Creaking Gate, also illustrated by Judith Rossell, was released in September 2009 and is the story of a sheep and a goat who share neighbouring paddocks. And my newest picture book, 'There Was an Old Sailor', illustrated by Cassandra Allen was released yesterday!

As to a favourite...that's like asking which of your children do you love best...an impossible task. When school children ask me that, I do say that it's usually the story I'm currently working on because it's the one that's most occupying my head.

Dee: Seeing as picture books are illustrated, how much visual description do you need?

This may surprise some people, but the answer is 'very little'. An illustrator will interpret my words and bring their own visual narrative to the book, and the less description, the wider scope for their imagination. The only time I'll include description is when it's vital for the plot but not explicitly mentioned.

Dee: Do you get to pick your illustrator? Do you meet them and talk about the pictures you want for your book?

It varies. Sometimes I'll have suggestions and share them with the editor or publisher, but sometimes the publisher will make that decision. They'll share their ideas, and ask for mine, but the decision is theirs. I met with Anne Spudvilas to talk about the text before she started illustrating 'Ebi's Boat' and I know Judith Rossell quite well, but we don't discuss in the early stages how the illustrations will look. Cassandra Allen lives in Switzerland and I've not met her although we've had email conversations. Mostly illustrator questions come to me via the publisher/editor.

Dee: Do you have a picture in your head of what you want your book to look like?

Again, I generally have very little picture of how my characters will look. I write as though I am looking out through their eyes. How they look is unimportant to me when I'm writing. The exception of course is if their appearance is a fundamental part of the plot. In an early chapter book, the main character's father was nick-named 'Banana-beard', and his appearance was very important in the plot so I did describe him. I didn't however include any description of the main character. The settings too are left as open as possible.

Dee: Seeing as you don’t get to meet the illustrator, do you have to put instructions to them on your manuscript?

I don't include 'notes to illustrator' with any story submission. For reasons already mentioned, I want the illustrator to have as much room as possible to bring their own interpretation to the text.

Dee: How much information/instruction do you think a writer needs to give the illustrator?

Very little. A picture book is a collaboration between writer, publishing team and illustrator. Each brings their own skills to the project. To provide too much detail could be at the very least restrictive of an illustrator, and at worst, insulting to suggest that they won't have enough imagination to interpret your text. My job as the writer is to prepare the best text I can, and then let the other members of the team provide their part.

Dee: Do you use your own animals/children as models for your books? For example were Sheep and Goat a sheep and goat that you knew personally?

I love sheep. I think they are wonderful silly, clever, soft, frustrating creatures! Goats I know less well. None of my children remotely resemble either Sheep or Goat!
Nor is my Old Sailor based on anyone I know, although having three sons, I certainly have witnessed enough episodes of extreme eating.
'Ebi's Boat' was written after observing the different passions pursued by my three sons. But although they constantly inspire and astound me, I'm not sure I could ever write directly about any of them.


Thanks heaps for visiting, Dee, and for asking me about picture books. Everyone works differently, and hopefully this chat will entice others to share how they work.

For my writing tip, visit Dee at 'Tuesday Writing Tips'

Penguins and things

We went to the Melboune Aquarium on Sunday to see the new penguin exhibition. They have two species of penguin, the Gentoo and the King. Both seemed quite at home in the new exhibit where there was both snow and water. The thing that surprised me most was the shape of their feet/toes, much plumper than I'd imagined. They looked like fat fingers in black latex webbed gloves. Amazing to watch their antics both in water and on land.


Of course we visited all the other exhibits as well. One thing that struck me was the faces. I could see where designers of fantasy movies get inspiration for their characters. There are some seriously odd looking creatures in the underwater world.


My book, Ebi's Boat was in the bookshop. An unexpected but pleasant surprise. Not so pleasant the reaction to my offer to sign the copies. Sigh.


We caught a bus to the base of the new Southern Star ferris wheel thingo. Up close, it is quite tall! And it never stops moving, not for getting on or off. They do slow it down a bit more for those who need it, but mostly people entered the moving capsule easily enough. We will take a ride one day, but didn't on Sunday.




The waterfront was abuzz. There was a market and childrens activities and these sand sculptures. Amazing detail.


And how is any of this related to writing for children? Who knows? I wouldn't begin to try to predict what may or may not inform future projects. But I do know that writers never clock off.

How do you measure success?

I was in Port Melbourne today, for a reading of 'A Nest for Kora' in independent bookstore, 'Readings'. Judith Rossell was there too, with sketches and original artwork from Kora.

We only sold one book.

So was it a success or a failure? How do you measure?

Readings have a great mail-out, and website, both of which featured Kora. They have signs up in the store, lovely eyecatching signs advertising the reading. Athina, children' book buyer, and our 'looker-afterer' looked after us royally. And there was a para in the 'kids & activities' article in the A2 section of today's Age newspaper.

We had a good turnout and children and parents seemed to enjoy the stories (asking for more, so I read my other picture book, 'Ebi's Boat'). It was a fun thing to do, share the story with a new audience. A couple of parents lingered and Judith and I spoke about the process of a picture book.

Because we will be there again on Tuesday, Kora stays front and centre in the children's section of the bookshelf.

It's all good.

Booksigning

I had a memorable booksigning about 12 months ago where not a single copy of the book I was there for was sold. Now there's a challenging thing...how do you sit for two hours where your only two conversations are with a well-known non-book-buying chatterbox local and someone who tells you you're folding your paper boats wrongly without feeling totally demoralised? (I was making the boats as a way to attract some...any...attention)

Judith Rossell and I were at Mockingbird Bookshop in Mont Albert yesterday for a booksigning for' A Nest for Kora'. Judith illustrated 'A Nest for Kora'. The bookshop also had copies of some of Jude's puzzle books and my 'Ebi's Boat'.

Jude had brought offcuts of the paper she paints on and was drawing/painting wonderful little animals for children (and a couple of adults) on bookmarks. It's not quite as easy for a writer to provide something to go home with, but I tried. I wrote some silly limericks based on children's names and then made some paper boats. We sold some books and had a lovely time. Evelyn Snow, owner of Mockingbird Bookshop and her staff, looked after us royally.

It was memorable...this time in a good way.