I decided to take a break from writing. Often, when I am working on a piece, it becomes an addiction. I open my laptop every free moment and start typing, editing, and changing. Most of the time, this process isn’t that fruitful. So I told myself, take a break. I have not touched my writing for a week, but I have had an otherwise action-packed and eye-opening weekend that has indirectly fueled by writing.
Firstly, my husband and I attended the Jio Mami Film Festival where we saw two films and attended one masterclass. The first film, ‘Chintu Ka Birthday’ produced by the team behind AIB was a humorous take on Indians who have been left behind in war-torn Iraq. Overall, it is light and warm, but there are some moments that puncture in your heart. ‘Nimtoh’ is a film by Saurav Rai, a director from Darjeeling and it has gone for the Cannes film festival. It is slow-paced, does an excellent job of recreating life in the mountains and creates the division between the servants and those being served. While I was fascinated by the screenplay and the direction, the thing that was amiss in both films (to me) was a strong, tangible character that I was rooting for. This made me realize that no matter how good the writing may be, unless you have characters that the reader is connected to or feels for, the piece will fall flat. The protagonists in both films were young boys and while I felt sad for their situation, I wasn’t invested in them. It dawned upon me that this is KEY- especially if the story is character driven. My first picture book, ‘Burrito Has A Butterbody’ has garnered love from children everywhere and to be honest, it is a simple story. There are no intricacies or deeper meanings. When I think about it, the simple reason for this is that Burrito is a very amiable character and the children are rooting for him. Moreover, a lot of them have been in situations like him and find him relatable.
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I recently came across a useful tip by Hannah Holt on the 'must-have' elements of a picture book:
News: Picture Book Builders -What goes into building a great picture book? Why is this one successful and that one … not? KidLit411 -one stop information shop for children's writers and illustrators SCBWI- Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators- the international professional organization for writers and illustrators of children's literature since 1971. HAROLD UNDERDOWN- Children's book editor's website, The Purple Crayon, includes articles covering writing, illustrating, marketing, and editing. An incredible collection of resources. JUSTIN COLON - runs #PBCHAT and has some fabulous interviews with authors Submissions & Querying: SUB IT CLUB - a blog dedicated to the art and science of submissions; great information and resources Manuscript Wish List Manuscript Wish List® and #MSWL are designed to answer one crucial question in the submissions process: “What do you wish you had in your inbox?” Query Shark - read sample queries with amazing feedback Query Tracker -A great resource to look up agents and search according to category Podcasts (if you don't enjoy reading) The Children’s Book Podcast with Matthew Winner Literaticast with Jennifer Laughran Picturebooking with Nick Patton Books: Writing Picture Books Revised and Expanded- Ann Whitford Paul Ideally, I would like the parent to feel empowered and go with their gut feeling when it comes to reading, but here are some strategies you might like to keep in mind.
I am not one to participate in competitions, probably because of the fact that I never win. Like really, do people actually win the lottery? A few weeks ago, a competition popped up on my newsfeed, I nearly scrolled passed, but a quick glance and I knew I just had to participate! The competition required us to share the craziest thing my husband has done with my daughter- three best replies would receive a free copy of the Giggy And Daddy, a Fathers Day special. Sharing my response here, but please don’t judge us!
My husband did a solo trip to London in the winter with my daughter when she was only 3 years old. He carried a portable jet spray because his biggest concern was taking her to the washroom and cleaning her without this genius invention 😂 sorry for the info! And I won! Here’s a little summary of the book: There’s a story Giggi’s Daddy tells her every day. It’s about a little bit of this and a little bit of that and a whole lot of everything. And it all begins when Giggi wasn’t even born. But does Giggi believe her's daddy's tall tales? Jha and Anand pair up again after The Manic Panic and create a relatable, feel-good story about the relationship between a father and daughter. Giggy’s daddy loves sharing the story of becoming a father, a totally made-up, over the top one at that! In his version of her birthing story, he attends a “Super School For Daddies” and tells Giggy that she grew in his pocket. One of the spreads shows Daddy with 6 arms changing Giggy’s diaper, feeding her, making her hair and reading her books. He tells Giggy that he would do anything for her, even buy her a dinosaur! I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband grew a bigger pregnancy belly than me, slept more nights with the newborn than I did and would probably swap day jobs with me in the blink of an eye. He imagines himself to be this larger-than-life, do-it-all, father, with the six hands and all, but then reality strikes and work takes over. He’s out of the house 10 hours a day, six days a week and eventually questions his involvement as a parent. At the climax of the story, Giggy cracks up at Daddy’s made-up story, he walks away, deflated. Eventually, Giggy tells Daddy her OWN real version of Daddy- the man who lets her do his hair, makes her laugh and teaches to ride a bicycle. And in that, this story becomes timeless, an ode to all fathers and a testament to the fact that a “paternal instinct” is just as valuable as the mothers. Congratulations to Jha and Anand, their exceptional attention to detail, will leave the reader finding something new with every read! |
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