As one of my many explorations during my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, I wrote about how to revise picture-book manuscripts. Now, that writing has become a two-part article in the CANSCAIP News!
You can read the first part of the article here (in the Summer 2019 issue). This part discusses beginnings and endings. The second part will explore how to revise the messy middle of a manuscript.
I recently started Kan’t Draw Komics, and you can read my first one here. Since I just returned from the whirlwind of my third residency at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) in Writing for Children and Young Adults, border crossings are on my mind. So my second comic is on that theme, and it’s actually based on a true story from one of my trips. I hope you enjoy it!
In this semester, I’m writing my critical thesis, which I’m very excited about, and I’ll share more about my topic later. When I started this program, I expected the critical writing to be a chore, but I discovered how much it feeds my creative work. I’ll also be working on creative writing projects, of course. I’m thrilled to be paired with the talented faculty advisor and program chair Will Alexander, author of fantasy and science fiction for young readers. His most recent book, A Festival of Ghosts, is a fun, ghostly romp!
I’ve always been a terrible artist, and here’s a story to prove it.
In grade one, I came home with a D on my report card. It was in Reading Comprehension. Oh, I could read, but I couldn’t prove that I could understand what I’d read. This was because my grade-one teacher had decided to test our comprehension by asking us to draw pictures of what we’d read, and I refused to draw any people or animals. Why? Because I couldn’t draw them perfectly. So my reading-comprehension drawings had little or no resemblance to the stories.
Fast forward a year or so, and I’m at the kitchen table attempting to draw a squirrel. (At least I got past the refusing-to-draw-animals stage.) Anyway, I’m frustrated because I can’t get my squirrel right, so I ask my mother for help. She draws her version of a squirrel, teaching me how to make a body first, then add the head, ears, fluffy tail and paws. I said to my mother, “If you can’t draw a squirrel, why didn’t you say so?”
Ouch. Sorry, mom.
I suppose I’m a terrible artist because I haven’t tried to learn much about it. I’ve stayed stuck in perfectionism, which is a big block to creativity. But recently, I’ve felt the urge to share some of my writing tips in comic form, mostly because we live in a visual world, and I want to share in that. The only problem? Yes, you got it. I can’t draw.
Or can’t I?
This post is my official launch of Kan’t Draw Komics. I’ve decided that, not only am I going to attempt to draw my Komics, I’m going to share them with the world. Yes, I can only draw stick people. Yes, I’m afraid you will think I’m ridiculous. But I’ve decided that looking ridiculous is a risk I’m willing to take.
Here, folks, is my first comic. Enjoy! No please, really, do try to enjoy it!
I’m currently finishing up my second semester with my genius advisor Amanda Jenkins, author of the Printz Honor Book Repossessed, among others titles. My goal this semester was to understand how to convey authentic and deep character emotion in both revised and new manuscripts. It expanded to include how to structure a story based on a character’s emotional journey.
Here’s what I did over the last six months:
I read and analyzed books in a wide range of genres — picture books, chapter books, poetry, novels for kids and teens, graphic novels, novels in verse, manga, short stories for kids and teens, nonfiction and memoir. I listened to 20 audio-recorded VCFA lectures and a handful of critical theses.
I wrote short essays about how to use humor to maximize reader engagement with emotionally taxing characters and how to use micro-level tools to focus emotion in a scene. At the request of my advisor, I wrote a personal essay on why I’m drawn to write monstrous characters like Bog, since one of my works-in-progress has a monstrous character in it. I also wrote two long essays about power relationships and group dynamics in kid-lit families and peer groups.
I researched for my upcoming critical thesis, which I’ll write in my third semester, and I wrote a proposal for it. I’m super-stoked to start writing this!
For my creative writing, I wrote side writing about my works-in-progress as well as new manuscript pages. I focussed on two projects: a revision of a YA novel and first draft of an MG novel. My creative was focussed on depth of characterization and understanding the story that occurs off the page as well as on it.
I emerge from this first semester with this big-picture takeaway: how I can transform my writing process to achieve greater depth of character emotion and use that emotional depth to form the inner arc of a story. I’ve now got a handle on my characters from both my novel projects, and I’m ready to write them in a way that is both honest and deep.
My third semester starts in January with a residency filled with workshops, lectures and readings — and a new faculty advisor. I’m so grateful for what I’ve learned so far and I’m excited for the next steps!
Thanks to author Claudia Osmond for hosting me on her REAL TALK blog. Her site is full of insights on the creative life from the perspective of different creatives. I hope you’ll take a look!
My post is one of five perspectives on the inner critic. I’ve been battling my own inner critic since I can remember. How about you? You can read my post here:
