Undiscovered Stories

by Rosemary Bird-Hawkins

Humans are a story telling species. We fill our lives with stories and it is perhaps the writer’s gift to be able to discover where they are hidden and let them out to the light. As writers our memories may be the most important tool at our disposal. Not memories of times or places, not memories of fact, but memories of feelings, of senses, of atmosphere; whatever can help release these sensations can be invaluable to starting stories.

Discovered Stories

 'Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.'

Roald Dahl

Writers are often asked where their inspiration comes from and it’s hard to answer because who really knows? Ideas can be triggered by one obvious thing, or they build over time drip fed by the stimuli and distractions of the world we live in and the lives we lead.

Philip Pullman’s dæmons were inspired by paintings: Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine; Holbein’s A Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling; and Tiepolo’s A Young Woman with a Macaw. His trilogy is not about any of those paintings, but they triggered something in him, they found a way to permeate into his imagination and then morph into an idea that wove into a story.



Numerous children’s stories spiral out from a central image, a creative touchstone that leads readers into the story world. An adventure begins in the back of a wardrobe, or a painting hanging on a wall; wish on a fifty pence piece and your wishes come true, turn a key in a cupboard and bring a plastic Indian to life. Defeat a hungry god with a leaf symbolising all the ‘days that could have been’. Draw characters out of their books and into your world. Your inspiration pieces might well become the focus of your story, or a motif for a character.

There are stories all around us...

We just have to look. Stories can be sparked from the simplest of things; a painting, a stone, a toy left behind...

Lady in the Shallows by Phil Bird

A lady steps across the shallows of a sea. She is outlandish, extraordinary. She holds her hands to her face. Is she crying? Who is she? Where is she going? What has happened to her?

A broken necklace is found on a mountain path. Its beads are black as night and silver as dawn. The clasp is broken as though it has been pulled apart, wrenched from someone’s neck. What is its story? Why does it lie there? Was it broken off in anger, in grief, was it stolen, or torn off to be left as a clue? Who wore it? Where are they now? Do they know it is missing?


Could the two connect? Is there a story here?

Story Starters

In my last feature, I told you a little about the creative writing courses that I run for children. I mentioned the need for collecting ideas and inspiration and I think these are a great way for any writer to re-energise their writing and discover new stories.

Postcards

I have a stash of postcards that I keep around me because they offer so many possible stories; I couldn’t write them all, but I love the idea that they are there, waiting to be told. Try it yourself:

• Collect together any interesting cards, pictures, posters and lay them all out.
• Take a few moments to look at them and then pick up one that you feel most drawn to.
• Place the card in the middle of blank sheet of paper and write down all the words/phrases which the postcard makes you think about, these could be factual or abstract.
• Think of the image on the postcard as a moment in a story, a snapshot of a scene. Begin to write, describing the scene by trying to convey some of those elements that call out to you.
• Now write what happens next, OR what had happened just before it.

Story objects

Lay out interesting objects (fans, boxes, jewellery, random odds and ends that you’ve stockpiled over the years).

• Take a few moments to pick things up, try things on, smell things, listen.
• Choose the object that you are most drawn to.
• Find somewhere to write and, as before, write down key words/phrases that drew you to the object, and then write a description of the object trying to get this sense across.
• Now answer the following questions:

                What is the object, or what could it be?
                Someone else used to own it – who?
                Why don’t they have it anymore?
                Where has it come from?
                Why would it be important in a story?

• Write a scene which has your item being used in it.

The ideas which are conjured up can often be surprising!

Virtual inspiration

There’s no need to limit yourself to the physical. Sites such as Pinterest are a great way to browse for inspiration and create your own virtual pin board full of potential story starters. Images, ideas, photos, quotes, art, can all be shared; rippling out through an online collection of creative influence. See what connections you can make and what stories you could tell.

So to leave you with some prompts, take a look at the images throughout this feature, and choose which item you are most drawn to. See if you can discover a story lurking within it.

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Rosemary Bird-Hawkins has an MA in Writing for Children from Winchester University and has been running creative workshops for children for ten years. She has worked for various publishers as well as freelancing as an editor. Rosie writes fantasy and dystopian fiction for children and hopes one day to be published. Until then she continues to seek out more stories, while encouraging others to explore their writing abilities. For more information on story prompts or her children's workshops, you can visit her blog.

London Professional Series - Undiscovered Voices 2014 Evening

After the Undiscovered Voices official launch the previous Thursday, it was great to have a panel of UV winners (and a now published Honorary Mention) to speak to the London Professional Series meeting last Tuesday.

It gave us all who were there a big insight to what goes on behind the scenes and some good advice too.

The panel was authors Katie Dale, Dave Cousins and Helen Peters; illustrators Rachel Quarry and Shana Nieberg-Suschitzky and author and all-round UV person, Sara Grant.

Everyone present was impressed by their honest and helpful comments.

There were some similarities in each panellists’ background, whether an illustrator or an author. It was a long process before success. Many had worked on different projects over time, some of which will never see the light of day. Rejection was often a way of life, and they had all been busy in another life far away from writing or illustrating.

Had being a winner really changed their lives?

Shana, Katie and Dave

‘Oh, yes,’ said Dave Cousins. ‘As a winner, I soon realised that publishers and agents were now pitching to me! And now, as a fulltime writer my life is totally different.’

There were some scary moments on the way, such as a portfolio review meetings with interested agents and publishers; and having to pitch your ideas to industry professionals. But it was all part of the progress.

‘Being a UV winner helped me,’ revealed Rachel. ‘I was taken far more seriously when showing my portfolio that before the competition.’

We learned that for illustrators, things are a little different. Instead of a finished project or book to show, illustrators are looking to build a portfolio of work. And they need a professional attitude to achieve that.

Rachel and Helen

As an Honorary Mention, Helen Peters found the judges’ comments very helpful. ‘Of course, I wasn’t invited to the launch – but the personal feedback was so useful. It also helped with the submission process. I could refer to the UV competition and the comments made by the judges.’

The evening finished with questions to the panellists and some specific ones related to the 2014 Undiscovered Voices competition.

So, here are some tips that Sara gave on the night:-

Think about trying something different to your usual style of writing.

Be prepared to take a risk.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Undiscovered Voices is about finding new talent, we’re looking for promise, a story or a voice.

And remember that UV is only one opportunity. If you’re not selected, don’t give up. Try another avenue.

But keep on trying!

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The next London Professional Series Meeting is on Tuesday 4 June 2013, 6.45 – 9pm: ‘Apps and Children’s Books – Friends, Foes or Opportunities?’

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 30th April

It's been another great week for SCBWI blogging and I've been literally spoilt for choice (What exactly does that phrase mean? Will I start throwing tantrums or smelling like sour milk?). Whatever, there's plenty of good stuff to talk about...


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has leapt off the page to become an multi-award-winning play. SCBWI blogger Julie Day provides a uniquely well-informed review of the production on the Disability Now website. Well-informed, because Julie herself has Asperger's Syndrome, a condition she shares with the play's protagonist.

Over at Notes from the Slushpile, Jo Wyton has been compiling a very funny list of writers neuroses. It's not an exhaustive list though, because I definitely have some she's missed. Twitch.

Moving into the world of illustration, there's a new artzine on the block. Yes, you might not have known about artzines in the first place, but get with the plan, because Tiny Pencil has arrived! Edited by Katriona Chapman and Undiscovered Voices winner Amber Hsu, Tiny Pencil will be "publishing twice-yearly anthologies showcasing exciting and extraordinary work by artists working in graphite." For more information, check out Katriona's post on Big Little Tales, or read Amanda Lillywhite's review of the first edition.

Elsewhere, I followed a couple of interesting links from the SCBWI-BI Facebook group. Bridget Strevens-Marzo posted a link to an article asking: Are children's books reinforcing materialism?, which sparked off a spirited discussion. Then Teri Terry posted this link to an article on the necessity of suffering for your art, by musician James Rhodes. A lively and provocative read, it nonetheless reminded me why I never want to be a concert pianist!

Nick

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Nick Cross is a children's writer, blogger and all-round digital guru. In 2010 he featured in Undiscovered Voices with his zombie comedy Back from the Dead, and you can now read his winning extract on his blog.

Writing Spaces - from clutter to creativity

An Interview with Julienne Durber
by Michelle Newell 

This week, we talk to Julienne Durber, an aspiring YA and MG writer based in Rugby. He is represented by Gemma Cooper at the Bent Agency and received an honorary mention in the 2012 SCBWI Undiscovered Voices anthology for his novel Vengeance (previously Springpunk). He also had an honorary mention in the 2010 UV for a murder mystery Wind-up World. He co-runs the dark, dystopian Demention blog and is one of the Network Coordinators for SCBWI BI Central West. You can find out more about Julienne at dementionblog.blogspot.co.uk

You describe yourself as having “an obsession with all things dark and demented, otherworldly and odd”, and I wondered if that was just in your stories and illustrations, or if that was reflected in your environment?

That was fairly heavily to do with all the Demention stuff, and I was into all the dystopia bits and pieces. There’s bit and pieces here and there that are reasonably dark I guess. 

I was expecting to see in the background some kind of steampunkish clock hanging on your wall, or a black feature wall! 

Bear with me. (Julienne leaves the Skype screen and returns holding up an intricate model ship). This is a chariot I made out of clock parts. It’s a life size model of some characters in a book that I did before the dystopian book. This is the room of creativity. I don’t always write in it but it has creativity oozing out of it. There is a jigsaw on the wall up there that I designed for someone. And there’s more of these little models hanging up and lying around, and old sketches on pinboards. 

You seem like quite a visual person, do your characters and stories come to you more visually in pictures, and then in the models and drawings that you make? 

I’d been a graphic designer for 10 years, and I went along to SCBWI wanting to be an illustrator. Everyone at the Birmingham SCBWI was much more into the writing so I had a go at the writing. And I find that I can write better pictures than I can draw, if that makes sense. I can draw stuff, and it’s a nice realisation, but it’s not quite what was in my head. I can write down exactly what is in my head and develop it a lot further. 

So you don’t write in this room with all your inspirational, creative stuff? 

Sometimes I write in this room. But recently I’ve found a hugely useful tool is my phone. I write on my phone on the train. I get maybe 25 minutes commuting time. And it’s not proper writing but it’s notes and it flows really well, and I can then Bluetooth it to myself and write it up in the evenings. If I can, I sneak in an hour at work – at lunch time, obviously, not when I’m working (laughs) – and I try to fit things in in the evening, and I do have a life doing other things as well. It’s just any spare snap of time. 

I got the impression that you were busy from your website with your drawings and stories, and your work for the Demention blog... 

It’s a bit mad. A couple of years ago Marcus Sedgwick was at one of the SCBWI things and he talked about going to bed worrying about a problem in his writing and waking up the next morning and it would be solved, and I try to use that sort of technique. If I know there’s a plot issue or something with my writing I’ll try to think about it before I get to work, and then let it churn away, or try and think about it before I go to sleep. 

It doesn’t keep you awake? 

No, no, I just think about it. I know it’s there, and hopefully it just sorts itself out in the morning.

Will is the main character in Vengeance, the book that got you long-listed for SCBWI’s Undiscovered Voices anthology. If Will had a desk to plot the downfall of his enemies, the people who killed his sister, what would his desk look like? 

His desk would be somewhere deep in a dank, slightly falling down concrete cellar in an area called Wasteland and it would be made up of two slightly rusty oil drums which haven’t been used for ages because of the lack of fossil fuels in Will’s world, with an old door across it. On top of it would be extremely battered but carefully folded and looked after schematics and maps of the areas of the Wasteland and the rich, nice area where all the bad people live, and in one of the oil drums would be a small alcove in which he had fitted a drawer, where he would be keeping all the ammunition for his clockwork gun, which is the one thing, apart from his sister, that he loves the most. 

If you had an ideal desk, what would it look like? 

I don’t have an ideal desk. I get very jumpy. Sometimes I’ll work on my big computer on its spindly metal desk that you’re sitting on (on his laptop on Skype) at the moment, and after a while I will then hop over to my drawing board. I will then go downstairs and sit on the sofa and write down there or sit cross-legged on the floor with my laptop on my lap, so I’m very non-desky. But of anything, I think my drawing board is my ideal desk, because it’s old, and it’s a little bit rusty, and it’s very sort of 50s styling, and it’s been sanded down, and varnished and it’s multi-use and it’s got a nice little foot rest. It’s normally completely covered in stuff so I can’t get to it. But absolutely the best thing about it is that because it was a drawing board it’s got at the top a winding handle connected to a cover that you’re supposed to put over your drawings when you’ve finished drawing for the day. 

Are you sure this desk didn’t inspire you to write dystopian steampunk? 

Well, no, but my predisposition towards winding things and mechanical bits and pieces I’m sure inspired me to buy this desk rather than a nice shiny brand new drawing board. 

Here are Julienne Durber's tips for increasing your creative flow...

• Clutter is your friend - surround yourself with things you love that don't necessarily relate to what you are working on, or even to writing at all. It will give your area a safe 'nesty' feel. 

• Mood boards - the idea of gathering images/textures/detritus that relates to the work you are doing - is a real ad agency cliche, but don't think neat, spray-mounted presentations, think postcards pinned to the wall, a slideshow of images as your screensaver set to come on after a minute of not typing, piles of autumn leaves or rusty metal on your desk (in between the regular nest-clutter).   

• Whenever I'm stuck on a plot point or key event, I do the washing up. The minute my hands are in the water and I'm unable to type, the solution will pop into my head. I'll then work it through while I finish the washing up and rattle off a few hundred words as the plates drip dry.

If you find inspiration for your work in an interesting, strange or unique place, we'd love to hear from you. Please email writers@britishscbwi.org

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@michelnewel

Michelle was born and raised in a country town in Australia. She taught History at an all-girls school before moving to England a decade ago to take up the thoroughly modern job of designing new schools. 
Michelle still loves anything old, and has compulsively collected ‘junk’, as her bemused family call it, since she was a girl. Her flat in London is crammed with fluffy 1950s ball gowns, daintily painted tea sets, and well-worn children’s toys. 
The stories she imagines behind each of her vintage treasures ultimately inspired her to fulfil a long-held ambition to write novels with an historic twist for young adults.
Michelle is currently working on her first novel and is represented by Jenny Savill at Andrew Nurnberg Associates.

Matchmaking @britishscbwi.org

By Maureen Lynas

Have you ever thought that SCBWI BI is like a dating agency? SCBWI members are constantly matchmaking at events and conferences, nationally and internationally. Then there's the online dating on the yahoo group, facebook, twitter, and Words and Pictures.

WANTED: Author/illustrator/agent/publisher with GSOH. Must love trolls and pirates, and critique for cake. Contact A Wannabe. 5 Writer's Block, Little Obsessive.

Relationships have blossomed and careers have bloomed. Which is fantastic. I've been hankering after a relationship for a while now but not with an author/illustrator/agent/publisher because... I'm in love with a brilliant organisation.

OK, 'in love' is a bit strong and should be saved for things like husbands, children and chocolate. Like? Admire? Respect? Whatever it is, I was over the moon when I received an invitation to a blind date with a member of this particular organisation.

WANTED: Friendly network coordinator to help set up a SCBWI critique group. Contact Cathy Brumby, author, SCBWI member, and duty manager at Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books, Newcastle.

Yay! The thought of a scoobie/Seven Stories relationship blossoming had me skipping about the room. I couldn't wait to meet Cathy and help her to gather SCBWI members in this brilliant building, so cleverly named for the seven basic plots and for the seven levels of the centre.

For those that don't know:

'Seven Stories is the National Centre for Children’s Books. We select original artwork and manuscripts - from first scribbles to finished work - to make our exhibitions, event and learning programmes' They are a charity whose mission is to 'champion children’s books as an essential part of our childhood, our national heritage and our culture. We want to inspire a love of reading across generations.'

 I emailed members in the north east and we had our first date to say hi, what shall we do, when shall we meet, who's writing, who's illustrating, who wants to come? Then we held the first critique group (with many nervous knees knocking under the table) and people shared their projects, their strengths, their weaknesses and their hopes.

They are a very lucky group, having the resources of Seven Stories available to them means members can:

Access the literary greats

Research the current market

Do a bit of historical research

And meet new friends

Great! But that's not all. Another email and another blind date!

WANTED: Friendly network coordinator to discuss planting more SCBWI @ Seven Stories relationship seeds. Large blossoms predicted. Contact Alison Gwynn, director, Seven Stories.

Alison filled me in on the history of Seven Stories and their exciting plans for the future - touring exhibitions, learning programmes, and their desire to have more author/illustrator involvement.

Briefly:

Alison: We want to offer authors and illustrators opportunities to meet their audiences.
Me: So do we!
Alison: We want to offer authors and illustrators opportunities to develop their creative skills.
Me: So do we!
Alison: We want to offer authors and illustrators opportunities to develop their school performances and workshops.
Me: So do we!
Alison: We want to highlight the creative process and show the development work. Not just the finished book.
Me: So do we!
Alison: We want to create online learning resources based on our archive material - 'The Seven Stories collection includes original artwork and manuscripts by around eighty authors and illustrators, including Philip Pullman, Robert Westall, Edward Ardizzone and Judith Kerr, and about 30,000 books.'
Me: Er, we're not doing that.
Alison: Maybe you'd like to be part of the beta testing?
Me: Yes! And maybe you would like to write some features for Words and Pictures to show how we can support each other.
Alison: Yes! We'd love to.

So, here's to two organisations supporting each other in their love of children's books. The seeds are now planted, we'll nurture them and see what comes up. Maybe a beanstalk?

Jack & the Beanstalk by John Shelley

Cathy's group meets on the second Thursday of each month for critiques, research, and chatting. 6pm until 8pm. If you'd like to join, please contact me on northeast@britishscbwi.org and I'll pass your details on.

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@MaureenLynas

Maureen Lynas is the SCBWI BI Network Coordinator, the north east Local Network Coordinator, the author of Action Words, the creator of The funEverse, a winner of Undiscovered Voices 2012 and a blogger on Notes from the Slushpile. She writes picture books, poems and funny stuff. You can find out more here: Maureen Lynas on SCBWI

Sshh... don't tell.

I’ve been distracted this week by preparations for youngest daughter’s 18th birthday – cooking acres of lasagne and slabs of chocolate cake while devising ingenious ways to get people to mix at the party. I’m also staring defiantly at two end of the month work deadlines and being firm about the fact that Monday and Tuesday are still April. So broadcasting Words & Pictures hasn’t received as much of my attention as it should.

sshh, 'don’t tell anyone’

Consequently, I was delighted when Candy, drew my attention to an article on Linkedin on 'how to go viral'. It suggests that the secret is ssssshhh 'don’t tell anyone’. Give people the ‘social currency’ of making them think they’re part of an exclusive group that knows this amazing thing - like a bar hidden inside a hot dog restaurant in New York. Or, let them share in an emotional life changing experience, like Susan Boyle’s first appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, for example, or indeed, Bryony's post the other week, and word of mouth will do all the hard work for you. Nicky, in her excellent marketing feature this week, agrees.

'Word of mouth', of course, only works if you have something worth talking about, if it’s remarkable in some way and sometimes, remarkable is really bad. I’m sure we can think of examples of 'really bad' that don’t need any more exposure. Remarkable, however, can also be surprising; the kind of thing that as children, would have made us whisper to our friends in the playground “you’ll never guess what…” Susan Boyle’s debut was definitely surprising.

Youngest daughter, she say no.

As children’s book creators we’re after really good, even surprisingly good, so good that children and young people will go on and on to their friends about our book and perhaps more importantly to their parents for money to buy it. Barry Cunningham, in his top tips for writing great children’s fiction says that children are not the best at giving feedback he says 'they’ll love your book, whatever it is'. He hasn’t met youngest daughter, now frighteningly adult.

This week, I loved Layn Marlow’s ‘slow evolution’ to published author/illustrator. Her banner image is sooo sweet, as are all her images – look out for Christmas Tree Bear! We asked publisher Sara O’Connor and she delivered this week, too. I think we’ve only begun to discover how much we don’t know about the publishing process. Send her your questions for next month via writers@scbwi.org or leave her a comment.

I’ve certainly begun to learn from Sheila, just how much I don’t know about social media – I hope Sheila’s posts and Nicky’s marketing expertise are useful for authors and illustrators whose publishers expect them to take on a lot of their own promotion. Click on 'Pulse' in the left hand menu for posts of especial relevance to published authors and illustrators.

I do hope that whatever stage you're at, you find Words & Pictures worth whispering about.

Now, ssshhhh…. next week...

With news, celebrations, and Nick’s blog break, here are the other treats in store:
There’s a new Writing Space from Michelle Newell – look in on Monday to find out whose.
Also on Monday, Nooo! Yes. It's true.... Maureen Lynas has been online dating, SCBWI style.
On Wednesday, Rosie Bird Hawkins has a feature choc-full of ideas on how to discover stories, launching our theme for May – can you guess what that is?
And on Friday, very quietly, it’s episode two of Amanda Lillywite’s wonderful webcomic Duck & Bear.

Pass it on...

Jan Carr

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Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is older middle grade, she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta.

Hoorah for Marchant and Meddour and Their Unusual Partners

@JMarchantAuthor

This week we celebrate two new books from a pair of unusual writing partnerships and discover how they hooked their agents.
Jackie Marchant and  Dougal Trump launch  I'm Dougal Trump...Where's My Tarantula?  and Wendy Meddour and Mina May prepare the way for Wendy Quill is a Crododile's Bottom in May. 

Dougal Trump literally dropped into Jackie Marchant’s life – at least a bin liner full of his stuff did -  when his mother  threw it out of the window  as Jackie walked by. The bag split open to reveal, amongst other things, four old plaster casts, a deflated dog-chewed football, several notes from friends and family written on homework sheets that should have been handed in, a threatening note about a creature in the shed and the start of the last will and testament of Dougal Trump.

Dougal Trump: Life in a Bin Liner

Officially that's how Jackie met Dougal Trump.  Unofficially, there's another story. Jackie's son asked her about writing a will, which led to Jackie standing  knee deep in the mess of his bedroom, tempted to throw the lot out of the window and wondering what he’d leave to whom in the  will he was thinking about. Jackie wrote 500 words of the will, called her character Dougal Trump, entered a competition and forgot all about him, until she was at the Annual Writers Conference in Winchester. Jackie was very surprised to  come second in the competition she'd forgotten all about. 

Approached by an editor Jackie was asked how much children’s writing she’d done.
‘Er . . . ' she said, '500 words.’

She was persuaded to write the rest, did so and sent it to Alice Williams at David Highams Agency. Alice took Jackie on, she says:

Jackie’s wonderfully inventive plotting and Dougal’s fresh, funny voice stood out immediately. Who would have thought there’d be such comic potential in writing a will!

But there was still a lot of work to be done before the book was taken on by a publisher, and more work before it was ready for publication. I've been in a critique group with Jackie for a long time and it's fascinating how much the book has grown  from draft to published copy - a  real testament to everyone who worked on the book. It's positively alive.

'I’m Dougal Trump . . . Where’s my Tarantula?’ was published on Thursday, 25th April by Macmillan Coincidentally, Wendy Meddour and Mina May appeared on Radio 4's Woman's Hour on the very same day discussing their new venture.

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@WendyMeddour

Mother and daughter Wendy Meddour and Mina May were already very much together before they became writer and illustrator for Wendy Quill.

They're both a bit Wendy Quill - they have the same sense of humour, love being slightly silly and are EXTREMELY close - but Mina May is 'artistic'. In other words, she works when and how she likes. If Flamenco dancing in the kitchen or practising her backwards crabs seem more urgent to her than illustrating, then the illustrations simply wait. But they've never missed a deadline and when the illustrations flow, they flow! Fortunately, Mina May draws to relax. And she likes 'relaxing'. So illustrating never has to wait long.

Wendy and Mina's working partnership began when  Mina May was three. Principally Chief Stapler, Wendy also wrote down the words as Mina May dictated them. 

Mina May was funny. Her words made me laugh. A lot. Without her, I doubt I'd have become a children's writer. 

When Mina May  was about seven, Wendy got the confidence to write some of her own words and draw some of her own pictures. Wendy's agent Penny Holroyde  didn’t hesitate about taking her on. 

Penny says...

"Wendy's approach letter was exemplary, she had been recommended by one of my authors, and her writing immediately stood out for being warm, and funny and perfectly pitched to the age group. She also told me she was committed to this career path. Then when I met her I was hooked. Here was a clearly accomplished and intelligent woman but she also had an ingenuous manner about her that was irresistible. She has such a brilliantly funny and self-deprecating narrative style when she speaks and such an elephantine memory for events of her childhood that I thought she absolutely couldn’t fail to make it as a writer for children. She talked about putting some of these childhood memories into a piece of very young fiction and as soon as I saw it, I knew she had nailed it – managed to convey her personality to the page in a truly effortless way. I was hooked again."

Wendy  was supposed to illustrate Wendy Quill.  The book actually went to auction with Wendy as the named author/illustrator. Then Mina passed Wendy some character sketches she'd done on the family iPad. With a pang, Wendy realised they were vastly better than hers.  What would her agent think?

Here's Penny again...

"I was excited to submit Wendy Quill is a Crocodile’s Bottom and was on the verge of doing so when Wendy sent an email with an attachment that were her daughter’s illustrations. Mina was 10. Not only that, but that she really did want me to submit them with the text – she wanted me to submit them as a mother and daughter team. I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a bit of a heart sinker. It’s a little bit tantamount to saying your mum loved it plus everyone knows that publishers don’t want to be dictated to about illustration style. So it was with some trepidation that I clicked on that PDF.  However there, writ large, stood Wendy Quill Wheezy Bird. And Miss Pinch. And the Girly Gang getting scared by Kevin. And, of course, Wendy Quill as a crocodile’s bottom. Again I was hooked.
I made the submission and within the hour Jasmine Richards from OUP was on the phone…."

Oxford University Press wooed them with hand-written felt tip scrolls, a hilarious puppet video of a crocodile, some home made cookies and an AMAZING  offer for a series. How could they resist? 

Ah I love a happy ending - hoorah for unusual partnerships: passersby and untidy boys; mothers and daughters;  crocodiles and bottoms !

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Kathy Evans is Celebrations Editor for Words & Pictures. She is South East Network Coordinator with Mariam Vossough and is represented by Sophie Hicks at Ed Victor.

FEATURED ILLUSTRATOR - Layn Marlow: A Slow Evolution

Layn and Rufus,

photo © Tom Greenwood

Layn Marlow is the new Featured Illustrator. 
Check out her work on the Showcase site. 

Layn talks about her background as an illustrator and how her style gradually evolved.


My first image is from How Many Sleeps?, written by Amber Stewart, published by Oxford University Press in 2005, and again in 2011.

It was the first book I illustrated, but after I’d collaborated on five more with the same author using a different technique, OUP commissioned me to illustrate this new version, in keeping with the others.

Amber Stewart / Layn Marlow books for OUP

Here’s the original version and, published the same year, The Witch with a Twitch - my first as an author! 

How many Sleeps? (OUP 2005)
author Amber Stewart, illustrations © Layn Marlow and
The Witch With a Twitch (Little Tiger Press 2005)
author Layn Marlow, illustrations © Joelle Dreidemy

It was a joy to see Joelle Dreidemy’s amazing illustrations for my witch story – quite unlike anything I might have done myself. After so long hoping for publication, 2005 was a fantastic year, but my next goal would be publication for my own words and pictures together. That took several more years though…

PATH TO PUBLICATION

Inspiration

As a child I lived next door to an elderly, childless couple, who possessed endless patience, a faithful dog and a fabulous garden backing onto fields, where I was allowed to play. My interest in nature stems from those early years.

Mr. and Mrs. P Mayes with Kim in their garden. Essex, c 1970

The only picture books I remember from that period were read on children’s television, but I soon learned to read the few books we had lying around at home. I especially loved Ernest Shepard’s illustrations of A A Milne’s poetry. Later I got hold of the Pooh stories and bought all Michael Bond’s Paddington books.

Books from my childhood

I was always fascinated by words and pictures, which led to a degree in History of Art. I liked figurative art that served a purpose, whether narrative, like Early Renaissance altarpieces, or decorative, like the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Golden Lily designed by John Henry Dearle
for William Morris & Co, 1899

(William Morris & Co clearly inspired the way I painted the end papers of those six Amber Stewart books, using details of flora and fauna I’d depicted in the stories. )

End papers from I Love my Cloth (OUP, 2007)
author Amber Stewart, illustrations © Layn Marlow

When I started working in libraries in 1989, I finally discovered and fell in love with picture books. Perhaps it was my own vivid memories of early childhood, which drew me to this combination of words and pictures, as a perfect way of communicating. I even found this helpful book to get me started!

How to Write and Illustrate Children’s Books and Get Them Published (Quarto Publishing 1988) Treld Pelkey Bicknell and Felicity Trotman

So, after some years living abroad with my husband and young children, I became a student again in 2001. With a first class degree in illustration under my belt, I felt more confident about approaching the world of publishing…but only slightly. Here’s how I did it:

I let the animals do the talking

Detail from Knock Knock Pig booklet © Layn Marlow

I sent this small, sixteen-page booklet to about ten picture book editors. It showed that I could draw my little character in various attitudes throughout a narrative, and – bless his tiny trotters – he did the trick!

Layout of Knock Knock Pig booklet © Layn Marlow

I secured meetings to show my portfolio to OUP, Little Tiger Press, and a couple of others, leading eventually to those first two published picture books in 2005. How Many Sleeps? also brought an approach from my wonderful literary agent, Nancy Miles.

WORKING PROCESS

Nancy had liked these thumbnails for How Many Sleeps? 2005. I always enjoy that early planning stage, before moving on to full-sized roughs.

Thumbnails for How Many Sleeps? (OUP, 2005)
author Amber Stewart, illustrator © Layn Marlow.

Then, alongside things like research for botanical accuracy, comes my favourite bit:

Character

I often start by drawing animals from life, then simplify form and add gesture to develop the character. I imagine how a character feels and sometimes act it out, to try to depict genuine emotion. I’ve gradually learned that less is more, and a small gesture might convey a character’s attitude better than an exaggerated facial expression. 

“I’m an extremely brave lion. I’ll ask it what it is.”
Spread from A Very Strange Creature (Orchard Books, 2009)
author Ronda Armitage, illustrations © Layn Marlow.
Shortlisted for the Red House Book Award 2010
Winner of Coventry Inspirations Book Award 2013

While this is happening, I’ll be considering what materials to use.

Technical issues

I used to hate watercolour paper! I was constantly nervous about ruining it, so for my first eight books, I used acrylic paint on a smooth mountboard surface. The first How Many Sleeps? was painted over a ground of thinned maroon paint, working from dark to light, using sepia brown pencils for outlines.  

 “Toast woke early one morning.”
Sample for How Many Sleeps? (OUP, 2005)
author Amber Stewart, illustrations © Layn Marlow.

For subsequent books my publisher suggested a gentler approach, so I worked from light to dark, applying thin layers of acrylic to the white or cream board, over outlines made using a dip pen and brown ink.

“Bean was big enough to go dandelion picking”
Vignette from I Love my Cloth (OUP, 2007)
author Amber Stewart, illustrations © Layn Marlow

 This quieter, more naturalistic treatment of animal characters in a countryside setting, was more successful. I Love My Cloth sold co-editions in over twenty countries, which must have helped OUP in their decision to publish Hurry up and Slow Down in 2009. Here at last was a chance for me to illustrate my own text. Its central message about taking your time seemed apt!

Hurry up and Slow down (OUP, 2009)
text and illustrations © Layn Marlow.
Winner of Leespluim van der Maand, Netherlands, March 2009
Winner of Coventry Inspirations Book Award UK, 2010
Shortlisted for the Maine Chickadee Award, USA, 2011

Bug and Bear by Ann Bonwill (OUP, 2011), demanded a different approach. Brown kraftboard and chalky gouache seemed to suit a world, in which sleepy Bear thinks her ‘brown thoughts’.

“Bear leaned against a tree thinking brown thoughts.”
Spread from Bug and Bear (OUP, 2011)
author Ann Bonwill, illustrations © Layn Marlow

But my seventh collaboration with Amber Stewart was where I really conquered my technical ‘issues’. Too Small for my Big Bed focuses on the relationship between a mother tiger and her cub. Dr. Ph.Martins inks on watercolour paper provided a vivid orange, to contrast with the deep ultramarine of the night sky. I overcame my fear of ruining the paper by printing parts of my drawing directly onto it, before soaking and stretching. I then felt liberated to use whatever medium I wanted to build the ‘scenery’: coloured pencil, watercolour, acrylic paint, and collage. 

“Piper was already fast asleep, spread out like a small star.”
Spread from Too Small for my Big Bed (OUP, 2013)
author Amber Stewart, illustrations © Layn Marlow

I’ve used a similar approach, with a lighter palette, for You Make Me Smile, to be published by OUP later this year. This will be the second book that I’ve both written and illustrated. And here’s evolution for you – my characters are now human beings!

“Today is the special day”
Spread from You Make Me Smile (OUP, to be published October 2013)
Text and illustrations © Layn Marlow

Discover what you’re good at and focus on doing it well. Then you can build on that core to tackle new challenges. This may sound obvious, but it can be hard to see your strengths and easy to get distracted. My trusted SCBWI critique group has been invaluable - and not only in helping me to move my own projects forward. It’s a privilege seeing other peoples’ work evolve, and in trying to help others, you begin to see what they respond to in you. It’s a great way of discovering where your own strengths lie. 

Find out more about Layn on her website here
and on Facebook