Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 20

Laura Purdie Salas

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Today’s guest blogger is an award-winning author with over 120 children’s books published to date. She says her first love is poetry and several of her latest books are in rhyme. She and author, Lisa Bullard, offer critiques, consultations, and guide books for children’s writers at Mentors for Rent. We can all use a second opinion on our work so stop by and let them take a peek. I am also very excited about the latest book in their series for writers called RHYMING PICTURE BOOKS: THE WRITE WAY. I immediately bought it read it cover to cover. It is full of great information that is pertinent to why we are all here! Check it out!

Buy It Here

I am so happy to introduce

today’s guest blogger,

Laura Purdie Salas.

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READER AGE AND MANUSCRIPT LENGTH: KEEP THOSE NUMBERS LOW!

The rhyming picture books that are being published today most often target the younger edge of the picture book market. Occasionally there are nonfiction rhyming picture books that appeal to elementary-school readers, but the true sweet spot for most rhyming picture books is the preschool set.

A problem that often crops up when Mentors for Rent is critiquing rhyming verse manuscripts is that many of them actually target older readers, even upper elementary-aged readers. We usually have to advise the writer to revise their work so that it is a better fit for all those editors who seem to prefer preschool-appropriate picture books. Pieces in rhyming verse for an older elementary audience might work well as poems published in magazines that target these older readers, but they usually won’t work as well for picture books.

So when approaching your rhyming picture book, remember to shrink your vision to a time when you were knee-high in the world!

And don’t just shrink your vision—shrink your word count! Rhyming picture books, like picture books in general, are shrinking! Many new rhyming picture books are 100 words or less. It takes restraint and creativity to tell a story in so few words.
Some of my favorite rhyming picture books feature just four or five words per spread. What can you cover in so few words? A lot!

* Think Big, by Liz Garton Scanlon, follows kids putting on a show—in 61 words.
* An Island Grows, by Lola M. Schaefer, shows the formation of a new island in 119 words.
* Eight Days Gone, by Linda McReynolds, tells the true story of the Apollo 11 mission of 1969 (155 words).

So, you’re not off the hook for covering a lot of ground in a very short book. The key is to make every word count. Avoid filler words like “the” and “a” when you can. Delete useless words like “very” and “so.” We often see writers using these words just to make the rhythm work. But every single word needs to contribute to story and mood. It can’t just be short. It has to be short and evocative, specific, and meaningful!
Here’s a not-great quatrain:

Kids are singing very loud
Kids are singing very proud
Voices carry, sure and strong
Not a single note is wrong

That’s 21 words, and it does tell us information—that the kids are singing loud and singing well.

Here’s how Liz Garton Scanlon conveys that in Think Big:

Big voice
On pitch

Four words. That’s it. And “pitch” rhymes with “stitch” on the next page.

In Rebecca Kai Dotlich’s All Aboard, she describes trains whistling across prairies and through storms, always staying on schedule. You could write that in a boring way, like:

Across the dark and quiet plain
there goes a racing, whistling train.
Over prairies and mountains they climb.
Even through storms, they stay on time.

Not Dotlich. She writes:

Trains whistle through prairies,
a long, steel sweep.
Through thunder and wind,
they have schedules to keep.

Dotlich’s version is eight words shorter and more compelling and vivid!
Start out with a situation or topic that will either be familiar to preschoolers (or, at the oldest, primary grade students) or will fascinate them. Explore or celebrate your topic using few words, and make sure all your words are fabulous ones! Then you’ll be on your way to writing a fantastic rhyming picture book!

–Laura Purdie Salas and Lisa Bullard

The material in this post is excerpted from Rhyming Picture Books: The Write Way, by Laura Purdie Salas and Lisa Bullard. Laura is the author of more than 120 books, including several rhyming picture books, such as A Rock Can Be…, Water Can Be…, and Move It! Work It! A Song About Simple Machines. Lisa Bullard is the author of more than 80 books for young readers, including her middle grade mystery novel Turn Left at the Cow. Her first published book was a rhyming picture book called Not Enough Beds! Laura and Lisa offer critiques, consultations, and guide books for children’s writers at Mentors for Rent.

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About Laura:

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As a kid, Laura Purdie Salas devoured books. Her big sisters, Gail, Patty, and Janet, taught her to read when she was 4, and she read for hours every day, despite constant orders from her parents to “Go outside and get some fresh air!” Since she grew up in Florida, she heard these dreaded words all year long. If she was forced outside, she climbed up to the treehouse or lay on the trampoline, reading.

Books were like pieces of magic, conjured up to entertain her, keep her company, and show her the whole world before disappearing into the library return drop as if they had never existed. It never occurred to her that real people actually wrote those books.

College was the first time she considered a career in the publishing field. After graduating with an English degree, she worked first as a magazine editor, and then as an 8th-grade English teacher. While teaching, she rediscovered her love for children’s literature. She began to focus on children’s writing, and she never looked back.

Laura has published more than 120 books for kids and teens. Although she’s written many nonfiction books, her first love is poetry. Her books include the award-winning BOOKSPEAK! POEMS ABOUT BOOKS (Clarion, 2011—Minnesota Book Award, NCTE Notable, Bank Street Best Book, Eureka! Gold Medal, and more), and the rhyming nonfiction books A LEAF CAN BE… (Millbrook, 2012–Bank Street Best Books, IRA Teachers’ Choice, Riverby Award for Nature Books for Young Readers, and more) and WATER CAN BE…. (Millbrook, 2014). She enjoys helping kids find poems they can relate to, no matter what their age, mood, and personality.

Laura and her family live in the Minneapolis areas, and she still devours books.
See more about Laura and her work at http://www.laurasalas.com

Buy Here

WATER CAN BE… (Millbrook Press, 2014 – STARRED reviews in Kirkus and Publishers Weekly)

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Buy Here

A LEAF CAN BE… (Millbrook Press, 2012)

Buy Here

BOOKSPEAK! POEMS ABOUT BOOKS (Clarion, 2011)
and more than 100 nonfiction books for kids
http://www.laurasalas.com

 

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 20

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This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

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Today’s writing prompt is to write one of your rhyming manuscripts in 100 words or less. Next, try it in 75 words, and then in 50 words…

For example:

Buy Here

 Bad Bye, Good Bye by Deborah Underwood

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Congratulations to Week 4 Prize Winners

Monday      Manuscript Critique by Kristy Dempsey(Under 500 words)

Winner – Stephanie Salkin

Tuesday      Copy of BLUE ON BLUE Donated by Dianne White

Winner – Charlotte Dixon

Wednesday    Copy of A POETRY HANDBOOK Donated by Dianne White

Winner – Carrie Charley Brown

Thursday    Manuscript Critique by Lori Mortensen (under 1000 words)

Winner – Al Lane

Friday     Copy of The 20th CENTURY CHILDREN’S POETRY TREASURE Donated by Dianne White

Winner – Sherri Jones Rivers

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Winners, PLEASE message me your information on Facebook

or email it to Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

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          A Friday night BIG Finale Rhyming Party!

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Do you enjoy writing rhyming picture books?

Do you find rhyme challenging?

Do you want to pep up your prose with poetic techniques?

Then this is the class for you!

Writing in Rhyme to WOW! is a 4 week course,

M-F with daily lessons, writing prompts, rhyme journaling, creating tools you will use, group poetry readings, webinars and critique groups, and a one-on-one webinar critique with Angie.

Each class begins on the first Monday of the month and the weekly group webinars are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, (Chicago Time) or at a time that best suits the group due to time zones of those involved.

I am beginning to sign people up for June and July!

If you register now for June or July, I will give you the $99.00 price!

Contact Angie with questions.

Sign up now before the classes are full!

Click here for more information!

*

*

*

Need a Rhyming Picture Book Critique?

Angie offers

rhyming picture book and poetry manuscript critiques.

A One Time critique is ($25.00) or a Twice Look critique is ($35.00)

See the tab above or click here for more information.

*

*A

RhyPiBoMo Gift Shop is Open!

http://www.cafepress.com/rhypibomogiftshop

Please stop by and see what’s available this year. There are notebooks, mugs, buttons and more. All proceeds will go to WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS!

Thank you Tanja Bauerle for these gorgeous images!!!

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*

Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

*

YouPlease comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

You to be eligible for today’s prize!

Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 19

Rene’ Diane Aube

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Today’s guest blogger is a new writer friend I made via Facebook! I was browsing one evening and came across the picture of her storyboard that she had made and I loved it! I immediately messaged her, told her who I was, what RhyPiBoMo was and asked if she would be a guest blogger…she said, “Are you sure you want me?” I said, “Absolutely! RhyPiBoMo is about sharing ideas to help us all get better at what we do.” I was so impressed that she took Sudipta’s class, made her storyboard and then shared it with others…so nice and really what this virtual writing community is about!

I am so happy

to introduce

Rene’ Diane Aube

RD

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When I posted the picture of my FINALLY-finished storyboard on Meg Miller’s ReviMo Facebook page in February, I never dreamt it would lead to my first invitation as a guest blogger. I was simply excited to get ‘er done! But, lo and behold, Angie fell in love with it and…well…here it goes!

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When I designed the board, I was engrossed in one of Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen’s writing classes. I decided to draw her format onto my board to re-inforce what I had been learning. (You can find out more about her classes at http://www.kidlitwritingschool.com. Be sure to check out her website, too, http://www.sudipta.com ).

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I chose red marker to outline spreads representing end matter. You know, where those adorable and sometimes funny illustrations appear to get you excited about the book? You also find the title page, publisher’s page, and author’s dedications on these pages. Red = Story text does not appear here. *Please note: Since designing my board, I have noticed many books with the publisher’s page at the end of the book.*

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Spreads outlined in blue represent your “Proposition.” Text begins on these pages. Your main character is introduced, his/her conflict, and attempts to solve them. Do the main character’s attempts escalate? Is there enough action? Blue = Flow of text.

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Orange spreads represent the height of your climax, or “Volta” ~ where your main character has a change of heart/learns something. He/she resolves the problem. Do you have enough? Can your illustrator fill the pages with fabulous fanfare? How is your word count? Orange = Hot and distinguishable conclusion.

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The curved line represents “Story Arc.” Where does your climax appear? Do you have enough text/resolution attempts? Does resolution come quickly and have a satisfying end?
When I storyboard, I use sticky notes. I seek answers to the questions above. I have a lot to learn about storyboarding for pacing and page turns, but, hey, it’s early in my writing journey.
Just for fun and demonstrative purposes, I storyboarded my first published story, “Jesus Changes Everything” from the September 2014 issue of THE KIDS ARK magazine. I excluded visual descriptions since I was pretending it was a picture book.

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May storyboarding catapult you closer to publication. Happy boarding 

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Here are step – by – step directions for my Story Book Board Dummy. By all means, alter them to suit YOUR time/tastes/needs/space.

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Materials:

23″ X 35″ Wood framed bulletin board *mine was a homeschooling left over*
Acrylic crafting paint
Paint glitter *sold in Lowe’s paint department*
White paper *I used printer*
1” Decorative tape
Old fashioned letter stencils *yup ~ the kind you trace around and cut out*
Construction paper AND cardboard *Fancy Feast cat food cardboard worked well*
Ruler/yardstick
Pencil/Markers
Glue stick AND 527 crafting glue
Regular Glitter
Stapler

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1. Mix paint glitter with paint

2. Paint bulletin board frame ~ let dry

3. Staple paper over cork

4. Divide/draw a grid: 4 rectangles down by 8 across…mine are not even, but I’m sure you will do MUCH better 🙂

5. Using markers, draw over grid lines to mark out the END PAGES, PROPOSITION, and RESOLUTION of your story.

6. Label FRONT MATTER, SPREAD and PAGE NUMBERS, and END page

7. Add the STORY ARC

8. Apply decorative tape

9. Make letters and decorate them to your heart’s content. *I made them by hand because I didn’t want to go out and buy ready-made ones.*

10. Glue letters to your board with 527. *I tried the 3M double-sided sticky squares with only construction paper letters only to discover they didn’t hold up in humidity ~ thus duplicating the letters with cardboard and gluing them together.*

Like I said, there are a LOT of variations that would make this process far easier. JUST HAVE FUN! And don’t be afraid to tie it in with that manuscript of your heart, I did!

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About Rene’:
Rene` Diane Aube is wife to Chuck, mother to Michael, Joel, and Kevin, and grandmother of four whom she affectionately calls “grandies.” Oh, yes, and too many cats and one fabulous horse! Her long-dreamed-of writing journey began her fiftieth year, 2011, as she and hubby bickered over renovations on a vintage camper. After overcoming some fears and insecurities ~ well, somewhat ~ she plunged into and completed several writing courses including the Institute of Children’s Literature and Susanna Leonard Hill’s “Making Picture Book Magic.” She was rewarded with her first publication in September 2014 in THE KIDS ARK magazine, Volume 8/Issue 3. Polishing picture book manuscripts, devouring the overwhelming world of publishing, and studying in on-line writers’ groups/challenges like Meg Miller’s “Word By Word,” Carrie Charley Brown’s “ReFoReMo,” and, of course, Angie Karcher’s “RhyPiBoMo” keep her brain bubbling after grandies are tucked into bed. She is a member of SCBWI and Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Challenge as a Little Golden Book participant.*

 

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 19

*
This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

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Today’s writing prompt is more of a craft project…to create your own reusable story board! This is a bit time consuming but will last you for years and will help your writing soar!!! DO IT!!!

For example:

This is my story board I made after I saw Diane’s on Facebook. I think it took me about 2 hours to make mine from start to finish. I was using it within the third hour and I LOVE IT!!!

I made my storyboard from an unused bulletin board. I glued burlap on the back and ribbon inside the frame. The burlap is nice because you don’t see holes from the pushpins as you do with a paper background ~ which make me crazy for some reason.

This is how I folded the corners and stapled it with a staple gun.

I put pushpins around the edge to hold ribbon dividers.

This is the thin ribbon that I used to create the grid. Sorry this is blurry!

The vertical lines…the nice thing about pushpins and ribbon is you can change your grid configuration if you need to.

The finished product ready for Post-its with text on them!

I will share the one with the Post-its tomorrow as my brother is visiting and asleep in my guest room/office. And, I can’t go take a picture! AcK! Look for it soon!

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It’s “Friday Favorites” day again!

Today is the day that I ask you to choose one of the rhyming picture books that you read this week as part of the challenge and share it with the world. Post a picture of it on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) and a link to the authors blog, a link to a book store or a link to anywhere people can find it and buy it. This is the day we celebrate all the wonderful rhyming picture books out in the world already! These authors are our heroes and heroines. We should celebrate the hard work it took them to get to publication! We should buy these books ourselves if we can and share them with friends and family.

Now is the time to promote great rhyme!

I was thrilled that so many of you shared your favorite rhyming picture books last Friday! Thank you! See if we can post even more today!

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What if you are not on social media?

That is no problem. Just share titles with friends, family, teachers, librarians, book store owners…anyone who will listen. Word of mouth is very powerful! Go to a book store and ask for a specific title. If they don’t have it ask them to order it. You can certainly do our part without social media!

It would be great if you would also add the link to my blog so folks can see what we are doing here.

Here’s the link:

https://angiekarcher.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/rhypibomo-2015-day-2-nikki-grimes/?preview=true&preview_id=3722&preview_nonce=51465bf1a5&post_format=aside

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Golden Quill Poetry Contest

The Golden Quill Poetry Contest is open for submissions.

The deadline is this Saturday, April 25th midnight Central Time.

And…did I mention the prizes?

1st place – A Manuscript Critique by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

2nd place – A Scholarship for Non-Fiction Archeology by Kristen Fulton

3rd place – A Scholarship for Pacing Picture Books to WOW! Class by Agent Jodell Sadler

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PLEASE make sure you read the contest rules and follow them exactly. Unfortunately, due to the number of poems we will receive, a poem will be disqualified if it does not follow the guidelines exactly. This is only fair to those who did follow the rules and is good practice for us as writers because editors expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter.

*

Contest Rules:

First and Last name included in the body of the email at the top left

Email address included in the body of the email at the top left

Phone number – top left

Space down 5 spaces

The Theme is: Freedom

Title of poem – centered with no by line or name here

8 line limit

Must be a rhyming poem

You will be judged on clever title, rhyme scheme, rhythm, scansion, perfect rhyming words, internal rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and clever ending.

Email poems to Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

by April 25th midnight central time

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*

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Do you enjoy writing rhyming picture books?

Do you find rhyme challenging?

Do you want to pep up your prose with poetic techniques?

Then this is the class for you!

Writing in Rhyme to WOW! is a 4 week course,

M-F with daily lessons, writing prompts, rhyme journaling, creating tools you will use, group poetry readings, webinars and critique groups, and a one-on-one webinar critique with Angie.

Each class begins on the first Monday of the month and the weekly group webinars are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, (Chicago Time) or at a time that best suits the group due to time zones of those involved.

I am beginning to sign people up for June and July!

If you register now for June or July, I will give you the $99.00 price!

Contact Angie with questions.

Sign up now before the classes are full!

Click here for more information!

*

*

*

Need a Rhyming Picture Book Critique?

Angie offers

rhyming picture book and poetry manuscript critiques.

A One Time critique is ($25.00) or a Twice Look critique is ($35.00)

See the tab above or click here for more information.

*

*A

RhyPiBoMo Gift Shop is Open!

http://www.cafepress.com/rhypibomogiftshop

Please stop by and see what’s available this year. There are notebooks, mugs, buttons and more. All proceeds will go to WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS!

Thank you Tanja Bauerle for these gorgeous images!!!

*

*

Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

*

YouPlease comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

You to be eligible for today’s prize!

Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 18

Lori Mortensen

Today’s guest blogger is an award-winning author of over 70 books, several of which sit on my bookshelves in my “near-and-dear” section!  Her books have great humor and amazing stories with satisfying and unexpected endings. What more do you want from a picture book?

I too have an engineer husband who likes to bake (how lucky are we!) so we will have to exchange recipes. I’m so happy she’s here to share how to avoid writing bland picture books. As she will tell you, the key ingredient to perfect picture books is a well-structured story arc.

I am pleased

to introduce

Lori Mortensen.

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Full of Beans

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My husband recently tried a new brownie recipe made almost entirely of beans.   I know–beans! What’s up with that? But when my engineering husband inherited a bunch of dried beans from a friend, he was determined to find new ways to use them. In the end, there were so many beans in the brownies, the whole thing tasted boringly bland.  (That doesn’t mean I didn’t eat a few–they were the only brownies in the house–lol!)

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Picture books can be bland too. Even though your manuscript may contain some important story elements such as a catchy title, fun opening hook, and an appealing main character with a problem, it’s all for naught without a strong story arc.

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As a writing instructor for the past nine years, I’ve seen the lack of one a million times. A character starts out okay, then the action flat lines into random scenes that don’t add up no matter how much “imagination” the author has packed in.

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So what is a story arc? Story arc is the rise in action that pulls the reader towards the climatic peak of the story problem. Will the main character succeed . . . or fail? Once this is resolved, the story quickly comes to its satisfying conclusion. The story arc goes up, up, up, reaches the peak, then arcs over the top and stops.

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If you read picture books with this arc in mind, you’ll see this winning story structure over and over. My latest releases are good examples of this. In my rhyming picture book, Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg, for example, Cowpoke Clyde sets out to catch his dirty dog for a bath. This is the beginning of the story arc. As Clyde tries and fails to catch his dog, the story arc rises and tension builds.  Finally, after getting kicked in a ditch by his mule, the story reaches its climatic moment in the story arc. Will Cowpoke Clyde ever catch his ol’ dirty dawg? It was fun to write the fun and unexpected resolution. (That’s another important story element for another blog.) In the end, Clyde and Dawg both end up in the tub, but not the way Clyde (or the reader) imagined.

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In my rhyming picture book Cindy Moo, a cow on the Diddle Farm vows to jump over the moon just like the cow she’d heard about in a nursery rhyme. Like Clyde, the story arc rises as Cindy Moo tries one thing, then another. Finally, when it seems as if she’s doomed to fail, the story reaches its climatic moment in the story arc. Was she ever going to jump over the moon? In the next page-turning moment, Cindy Moo resolves her problem in a fun and unexpected way, bringing the story to its satisfying conclusion.

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If you’re scratching your head over one of your manuscripts, maybe it’s full of beans just like my hubby’s brownies. The solution? Ditch the boring beans and pack it with an irresistible story arc that goes up, up, up (and keep readers turning pages) until it peaks at the top and ends with a fun, yet unexpected conclusion. (Oh, yeah–ditch the beans in brownies too.)

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About Lori:
Lori Mortensen is an award-winning children’s book author of more than 70 books and over 350 stories and articles. Recent titles include Cowpoke Clyde & Dirty Dawg, (Clarion, 2013) one of Amazon’s best picture books of 2013, Cindy Moo (HarperCollins, 2012), Come See the Earth Turn – The Story of Léon Foucault (Random House, 2010), a Smithsonian Notable Book for Children, 2010, and In the Trees Honey Bees! (Dawn, 2009) a 2010 NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Book K-12 Winner. When she’s not removing her cat from her keyboard, she follows her literary nose wherever it leads and works on all sorts of projects that delight her writing soul. Lori lives in Northern California with her family.

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For more information, visit her website at http://www.lorimortensen.com.

 

         

Buy Here              Buy Here

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lori@lorimortensen.com

Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg, Clarion, 2013
“Plumb funny fer sure.”—Starred Kirkus Review

Cindy Moo, HarperCollins, 2012
“Mo(ooo)ve aside your other cow tales, because this lovable bovine really does take off.”—Booklist

Come See the Earth Turn: The Story of Leon Foucault, Random House, 2010
“Readers will marvel at the genius of this little-known scientific wizard.”—John Peters, School Library Journal

In the Trees, Honey Bees! Dawn Publications, 2009
“Children may never view honey bees in the same way again.”—The Children’s Hour.

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Coming Soon!

Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range, Clarion, Spring 2016
Chicken Lily, Henry Holt, Winter 2016
Mousequerade Ball, Bloomsbury, 2016
Away With Words – The Daring Story of Isabella Bird, Peachtree, 2017

 

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 18

*
This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

*

Today’s writing prompt is to write an outline for one of your works-in-progress that gives it a great title, a grabbing hook, several increasingly tension stirring moments that lead to one big problem that is ultimately solved by the child protagonist. Make sure it has an unexpected,  satisfying ending that keeps them coming back for more!

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For example: Story Arc

Catchy Title

Great Hook

Tense Moment #1

Tense Moment #2

Tense Moment #3

Peak Moment of Tension

Child Character Solves the Problem

Unexpected, Satisfying Ending

 

 

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Golden Quill Poetry Contest

The Golden Quill Poetry Contest is open for submissions.

The deadline is this Saturday, April 25th midnight Central Time.

And…did I mention the prizes?

1st place – A Manuscript Critique by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

2nd place – A Scholarship for Non-Fiction Archeology by Kristen Fulton

3rd place – A Scholarship for Pacing Picture Books to WOW! Class by Agent Jodell Sadler

*

PLEASE make sure you read the contest rules and follow them exactly. Unfortunately, due to the number of poems we will receive, a poem will be disqualified if it does not follow the guidelines exactly. This is only fair to those who did follow the rules and is good practice for us as writers because editors expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter.

*

Contest Rules:

First and Last name included in the body of the email at the top left

Email address included in the body of the email at the top left

Phone number – top left

Space down 5 spaces

The Theme is: Freedom

Title of poem – centered with no by line or name here

8 line limit

Must be a rhyming poem

You will be judged on clever title, rhyme scheme, rhythm, scansion, perfect rhyming words, internal rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and clever ending.

Email poems to Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

by April 25th midnight central time

*

*

*

Do you enjoy writing rhyming picture books?

Do you find rhyme challenging?

Do you want to pep up your prose with poetic techniques?

Then this is the class for you!

Writing in Rhyme to WOW! is a 4 week course,

M-F with daily lessons, writing prompts, rhyme journaling, creating tools you will use, group poetry readings, webinars and critique groups, and a one-on-one webinar critique with Angie.

Each class begins on the first Monday of the month and the weekly group webinars are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, (Chicago Time) or at a time that best suits the group due to time zones of those involved.

I am beginning to sign people up for June and July!

If you register now for June or July, I will give you the $99.00 price!

Contact Angie with questions.

Sign up now before the classes are full!

Click here for more information!

*

*

*

Need a Rhyming Picture Book Critique?

Angie offers

rhyming picture book and poetry manuscript critiques.

A One Time critique is ($25.00) or a Twice Look critique is ($35.00)

See the tab above or click here for more information.

*

*A

RhyPiBoMo Gift Shop is Open!

http://www.cafepress.com/rhypibomogiftshop

Please stop by and see what’s available this year. There are notebooks, mugs, buttons and more. All proceeds will go to WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS!

Thank you Tanja Bauerle for these gorgeous images!!!

*

*

Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

*

Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!

Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 17

Miranda Paul

 

*

Today’s guest blogger is a friend with whom I had the pleasure of meeting last summer at Kristen Fulton’s WOW Retreat in Georgia. It was the best week of my writing life as I met SO many of my virtual writing friends in person and signed with my wonderful agent Kenda Marcus of BookStop Literary! Mirada taught an amazing session that week and it was full of great ideas, motivating writing tips and loads of resources. I am so happy she is here to help us celebrate Non-Fiction and Earth Day with her environmentally friendly books!

I am pleased

to introduce

Miranda Paul

*

The Science of Poetry: A Look at

Rhythmic Nonfiction

^

The craft of writing books for children straddles the line between science and art. When I’m working on a nonfiction manuscript, it feels like I’m alternating between a paint-by-number kit and a laboratory experiment—with an outcome I can’t fully predict.

If you haven’t immersed yourself in newer nonfiction for young readers, you’re missing out. Today’s rhythmic and rhyming nonfiction picture books and poetry collections are quite remarkable. Here are five things I’ve noticed about some of my favorite titles.

1. Clear format or pattern
When working with a nonfiction concept or historically-based story, bending and twisting facts to change the plot isn’t an option. But establishing a different way to tell the story is an option.

If you’re exploring a concept that’s been done already, you might find a fresh, new format or pattern to use. For example, I chose a very unique stanza rhythm for my forthcoming book, Water is Water, which involves a concept (the water cycle) that’s been written about many times over.

 

 

Art from Water is Water © Jason Chin 2015. http://www.jasonchin.net

*

If you’re dealing with subject matter that is unique or unfamiliar to your audience, the opposite strategy may apply. Choosing an established format or pattern might balance the scales. Example: The Mangrove Tree by Cindy Trumbore and Susan L. Roth is about an environmentalist that many children will not recognize. Although it is not a rhyming book, they use a familiar pattern (The House that Jack Built / cumulative style) to make the text itself recognizable and/or predictable.

2. Consideration of audience
Along the lines of #1, some of my favorite nonfiction titles are brilliant in the way that they take a complex subject and make it engaging for children, or bring depth and wonder to a seemingly simple topic.

We often choose our subjects based on what we’re interested in—at least, I know I do. But the key for me is to take that concept or subject and ask what I’d be interested in about that topic if I were between the ages of four and eight. I also consider what I would already know, and what I wouldn’t.

Some books that find the balance between simplifying the complex and layering the simple in ways that engage children are:

A Rock Can Be… by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Violeta Dabija

Eggs 1, 2, 3: Who Will the Babies Be? by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Betsy Thompson

African Animals ABC by Philippa-Alys Browne

Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Jenkins

*

*

3. Re-Readability
This is my favorite quality of well-written rhyming books or poetry. The ease with which a child can memorize a text are part of what render a story successful, at least to me.

While things such as illustrations and an adult-child bond will inevitably contribute toward whether a book gets re-read, there are other factors that help a book’s chances of being loved until it’s spine is worn.

-Economy of words
If you can say something in fewer words, do.

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

-Impeccable rhythm
Make the adult reader a rock star with meter and rhyme that’s obvious, infectious, and smooth.

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan A. Shea

-Forward motion

Consider page breaks and the order of concepts/events to build anticipation.

An Island Grows by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Cathie Felstead

-Layers
Conscientious writers take care with details, making the story appreciated more and more over time. Word choice, back matter, and the overall presentation elevate a simple story to one that touches readers, reaches wider audiences, or invites further study.

Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar? by George Shannon, illustrated by Julie Paschkis

*

What do you think? Can any nonfiction subject be explored through poetry? Written about in rhyme? What other elements have made nonfiction picture books successful? Which titles are your favorites?

Feel free to leave a comment below!

*

*

About Miranda:

Miranda Paul is a children’s writer who is passionate about creating stories for young readers that inspire, entertain, and broaden horizons. In addition to more than 50 short stories for magazines and digital markets, Miranda is the author of several forthcoming picture books from imprints of Lerner, Macmillan, and Random House. Her debut, One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia, and her second book, Water is Water were both named Junior Library Guild selections. She is the Executive VP of Outreach for We Need Diverse Books™ (www.diversebooks.org) and the administrator of RateYourStory.org, a site for aspiring writers. Miranda believes in working hard, having fun, and being kind.

*

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia – illus. Elizabeth Zunon – Lerner, now available

Water is Water – illus. Jason Chin – Macmillan, May 26, 2015

Helping Hands – illus. Luciana Navarro Powell – Lerner, Spring 2016

10 Little Ninjas – illus. Nate Wragg – Knopf/Random House, August 2016

Are We Pears Yet? – illus. Carin Berger – Macmillan, Spring 2017

Learn more at http://www.mirandapaul.com.

                 

Buy Here                 Buy Here

 

 

 

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 17

*
This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

*

Today’s writing prompt is to write a rhyming poem about a non-fiction subject.

For example:

*

Une Soldier de France

 

The visions came of victory sought.

When seventeen, he bravely fought.

Though never trained to ride a horse,

his knowledge brought strategic force.

His battle standards fit quite loose

and led France to an English truce.

He proudly stood to honor France

but hadn’t learned their song and dance.

The French Commander asked to see

the George who set French captives free.

His ‘nom de plume,’ George Sand appeared.

His physique was small and sans un beard?

None could deny he’d left his mark.

Then proudly said, “I’m Joan of Arc.”

She spoke with courage beyond her years,

convincing all to calm their fears.

France had been saved by this young lass

who was born beneath their higher class.

How could George be a soldier girl?

The French folk’s oyster’s magic pearl.

With her little education learned

this saintly soldier soon got burned.

The commander shamed by a female’s grace

praised her to save his royal face.

Some said her mysterious, witchy, ways

would bring France shame in future days.

They questioned her with sneaky hooks

and demanded answers with tortured looks.

The flames erased her sketchy past.

T’was too late…when her name was cleared, at last.

Joan sacrificed to help her fellow man

who couldn’t do what a woman can!

© 2012 Angie Karcher

 

 

Congratulations to Week 3 Prize Winners

*

Monday Copy of THE BOAT OF MANY ROOMS Donated by J. Patrick Lewis
Winner – Ann Magee

Tuesday Copy of GROUNDHOG’S DILEMMA (Dec/2015) Donated by Kristen Remenar
Winner – Aimee Haburjak

Wednesday Manuscript Critique by Kristen Remenar
Winner – Kenda Henthorn

Thursday Manuscript Critique by Iza Trapani
Winner – Kristi Veitenheimer

Friday Manuscript Critique by Tim McCanna
Winner – Caroline Twomey

 

Winners, PLEASE message me your information on Facebook

or email it to Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

 

**

*

Golden Quill Poetry Contest

The Golden Quill Poetry Contest is open for submissions.

The deadline is this Saturday, April 25th midnight Central Time.

And…did I mention the prizes?

1st place – A Manuscript Critique by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

2nd place – A Scholarship for Non-Fiction Archeology by Kristen Fulton

3rd place – A Scholarship for Pacing Picture Books to WOW! Class by Agent Jodell Sadler

*

PLEASE make sure you read the contest rules and follow them exactly. Unfortunately, due to the number of poems we will receive, a poem will be disqualified if it does not follow the guidelines exactly. This is only fair to those who did follow the rules and is good practice for us as writers because editors expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter.

*

Contest Rules:

First and Last name included in the body of the email at the top left

Email address included in the body of the email at the top left

Phone number – top left

Space down 5 spaces

The Theme is: Freedom

Title of poem – centered with no by line or name here

8 line limit

Must be a rhyming poem

You will be judged on clever title, rhyme scheme, rhythm, scansion, perfect rhyming words, internal rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and clever ending.

Email poems to Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

by April 25th midnight central time

*

*

*

Do you enjoy writing rhyming picture books?

Do you find rhyme challenging?

Do you want to pep up your prose with poetic techniques?

Then this is the class for you!

Writing in Rhyme to WOW! is a 4 week course,

M-F with daily lessons, writing prompts, rhyme journaling, creating tools you will use, group poetry readings, webinars and critique groups, and a one-on-one webinar critique with Angie.

Each class begins on the first Monday of the month and the weekly group webinars are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, (Chicago Time) or at a time that best suits the group due to time zones of those involved.

I am beginning to sign people up for June and July!

If you register now for June or July, I will give you the $99.00 price!

Contact Angie with questions.

Sign up now before the classes are full!

Click here for more information!

*

*

*

Need a critique?

Angie is now offering

rhyming picture book and poetry manuscript critiques.

A One Time critique is ($25.00) or a Twice Look critique is ($35.00)

See the tab above or click here for more information.

*

*A

RhyPiBoMo Gift Shop is Open!

http://www.cafepress.com/rhypibomogiftshop

Please stop by and see what’s available this year. There are notebooks, mugs, buttons and more. All proceeds will go to WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS!

Thank you Tanja Bauerle for these gorgeous images!!!

*

*

Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

*

Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!

Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 16

Dianne White

 

*

Today’s guest blogger is a wonderful author with whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting last summer at the L.A. SCBWI Conference.  She has had great success early on as her debut picture book, BLUE ON BLUE, had received much national attention. I was a judge for a Mock Caldecott award ceremony in my area and Diane’s book was on my list to read and vote on…SO cool! I wish her the best of luck and can’t wait to see what she gives us next.

I am so happy

to

introduce

Dianne White

*

The Sound and The Feeling and How to Get There

 *

*

Each syllable, each line break, each sentence’s placement on the page … the rhythm, the word choice, the repetition (and maybe even the rhyme, if it’s done well) — all of these are massively important… The read-aloud experience should be so extraordinary that practically as soon as the book is closed, everyone just wants to open it up and do it again.

–from “Why We’re Still in Love with Picture Books (Even Though They’re Supposed to Be Dead),” May/June 2011 Horn Book

One of the first things a picture book writer learns is that each word must earn its place. So how does a writer know which words to choose and how to arrange those words to add to the sound and feeling of a piece? How does a writer get “there” – that undefined but immediately recognizable story place that captures not only the voice and structure you aimed for, but the emotional feeling you intended to leave with readers?

And how does a writer know if the words should rhyme?

Perhaps the easiest answer is – it depends. On the story. On the writer. On the ways the tools of poetry – those very syllables, line breaks, words, rhythms, and sentences – are put together.

According to Oliver Sacks, M.D. noted neurologist and author, our brains are wired for sound. It’s such an effective way to remember and learn new things, that it’s not surprising that young children are taught rhymes and songs at an early age. But the powerful connection between music and words isn’t limited to rhyme. Prose needs to sing, too. And it can. With the tools of poetry.

In Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School, Georgia Heard divides these tools into Meaning and Music.

First, MEANING:

* A WORD reflects not only its denotation or literal meaning, but also its connotation, or implied subtext. Choosing the best words means looking for words that do double duty. Words that shed light not only on character or setting, for example, but also mood or tone.

Kevin Henkes is a master at this. Take CHRYSANTHEMUM. She’s an over-the-top mouse in love with her name.

“She loved the way it sounded when her mother woke her up.

She loved the way it sounded when her father called her for dinner.

And she loved the way it sounded when she whispered it to herself in the bathroom mirror.

Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum.”

Longer sentences, repetition, and the rule of three help convey the voice of the entire piece and something of Chrysanthemum’s own exuberance for life.

* The ORDER, or arrangement and length of the words, affect a reader’s response.

Characters can skip, dash, or march… saunter, shuffle, or waddle. The latter three not only describe a slower pace, but are two syllables long and take longer to say or read. In other words, the words themselves embody the slower pace they describe.

Next, MUSIC:

The link between Meaning and Music is simply that the SOUND of a carefully chosen word can amplify meaning and deepen the emotional layers of story.

Think of the alphabet as families of sounds, each conveying something slightly different. For example, some letters in English produce a harsh sound, others a soft sound.

Now, consider how letter/sound combinations work in the context of words, phrases, and sentences. Mary Oliver writes:

The following three phrases mean exactly the same thing:

1. Hush!

2. Please be quiet!

3. Shut up!

The first phrase we might use to quiet a child when we do not want to give any sense of disturbance or anger. [The “sh” sound at the end of the word “hush” is soft, though slightly abrasive.]

The second phrase is curt, but the tone remains civil… [In particular, the “t” at the end of “quiet” is a harsh, hard stop.]

The third phrase indicates … impatience and even anger. [In this case, the “t” and “p” at the end of both words produce two hard stops.]

(adapted from A Poetry Handbook, 23-24)

And finally, consider how the Music of individual phrases and sentences supports Meaning through another tool – the up and down patterns of speech known as RHYTHM. A boisterous or silly story deserves a rising (iamb or anapest) rhythm. A story about childhood fears might use falling (trochee or dactyl) rhythms.

In my book, BLUE on BLUE, when the rain is at its strongest, a falling trochee rhythm mirrors the endless heaviness of the storm.

/ – / –

Pounding, hounding,

/ – / –

noisy-sounding.

/ – / –

Dripping, dropping.

/ – / –

Never stopping.

You can learn more about the sounds of letters and letter combinations in Mary Oliver’s A Poetry Handbook (“Sound,” chapter 4) and Ann Whitford Paul’s Writing Picture Books (“Making Music with Your Prose,” chapter 14).

So how does a writer get to the “sound and the feeling” of the best of the best picture books? By studying and using the tools of poetry. Picture books don’t always rhyme and they don’t have to. But look closely and you’ll find the author – consciously or unconsciously – has used many of a poet’s tools to place the best words in their best order.

*

*

About Dianne:

DIANNE WHITE has lived and traveled around the world and now calls Arizona home. She holds an elementary bilingual teaching credential and a master’s in Language and
Literacy. In 2007, she received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults
from Vermont College of Fine Arts. After teaching students of all ages for 25 years, she now writes full-time. Her first picture book, BLUE ON BLUE, illustrated by 2009 Caldecott winner, Beth Krommes, was published by Beach Lane Books (S&S) in 2014.

 

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 16

*
This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

*

Today’s writing prompt is to write a poem about rain with the best words in their best order.

For example:

Happily Damp

*

A drop

             a splash…then two, then three.

Where shall I go?

                                   Where shall I be?

The drops are dampening my hair

            I stop, then run…without a care.

It’s water falling from the sky.

Why did I run?

                               I’m not sure why.

‘Cause when I’m wet I feel …not dry.

But, it’s okay…

                              because I see

the  happy girl I’d hoped to be.

© 2015 Angie Karcher

Okay, these are spur of the moment poem examples…can you tell?  = )

 

Congratulations to Week 3 Prize Winners

*

Monday Copy of THE BOAT OF MANY ROOMS Donated by J. Patrick Lewis
Winner – Ann Magee

Tuesday Copy of GROUNDHOG’S DILEMMA (Dec/2015) Donated by Kristen Remenar
Winner – Aimee Haburjak

Wednesday Manuscript Critique by Kristen Remenar
Winner – Kenda Henthorn

Thursday Manuscript Critique by Iza Trapani
Winner – Kristi Veitenheimer

Friday Manuscript Critique by Tim McCanna
Winner – Caroline Twomey

 

Winners, PLEASE message me your information on Facebook

or email it to Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

 

**

*

Golden Quill Poetry Contest

The Golden Quill Poetry Contest is open for submissions.

The deadline is this Saturday, April 25th midnight Central Time.

And…did I mention the prizes?

1st place – A Manuscript Critique by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

2nd place – A Scholarship for Non-Fiction Archeology by Kristen Fulton

3rd place – A Scholarship for Pacing Picture Books to WOW! Class by Agent Jodell Sadler

*

PLEASE make sure you read the contest rules and follow them exactly. Unfortunately, due to the number of poems we will receive, a poem will be disqualified if it does not follow the guidelines exactly. This is only fair to those who did follow the rules and is good practice for us as writers because editors expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter.

*

Contest Rules:

First and Last name included in the body of the email at the top left

Email address included in the body of the email at the top left

Phone number – top left

Space down 5 spaces

The Theme is: Freedom

Title of poem – centered with no by line or name here

8 line limit

Must be a rhyming poem

You will be judged on clever title, rhyme scheme, rhythm, scansion, perfect rhyming words, internal rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and clever ending.

Email poems to Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

by April 25th midnight central time

*

*

*

Do you enjoy writing rhyming picture books?

Do you find rhyme challenging?

Do you want to pep up your prose with poetic techniques?

Then this is the class for you!

Writing in Rhyme to WOW! is a 4 week course,

M-F with daily lessons, writing prompts, rhyme journaling, creating tools you will use, group poetry readings, webinars and critique groups, and a one-on-one webinar critique with Angie.

Each class begins on the first Monday of the month and the weekly group webinars are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, (Chicago Time) or at a time that best suits the group due to time zones of those involved.

There are now 2 spots left in May!

I am beginning to sign people up for June and July!

If you register now for June or July, I will give you the $99.00 price!

Contact Angie with questions.

Sign up now before the classes are full!

Click here for more information!

*

*

*

Need a critique?

Angie is now offering

rhyming picture book and poetry manuscript critiques.

A One Time critique is ($25.00) or a Twice Look critique is ($35.00)

See the tab above or click here for more information.

*

*A

RhyPiBoMo Gift Shop is Open!

http://www.cafepress.com/rhypibomogiftshop

Please stop by and see what’s available this year. There are notebooks, mugs, buttons and more. All proceeds will go to WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS!

Thank you Tanja Bauerle for these gorgeous images!!!

*

*

Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

*

Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!

Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 15

Charles Waters

 

*

Today’s guest blogger is a very talented poet and actor who has been fortunate enough to learn and act out hundreds of classic poems by some of the best poets in the world. He is  busy spreading his love of poetry with kids who have no idea what treat is in store for them!  I would say he is on a mission to spread the word…poetry opens doors. In his words he is “spreading the gospel of verse and free verse because I don’t want anyone to feel left out of this life changing art form.”  How wonderful!

I am pleased

to introduce

Charles Waters.

PUTTING IN THE WORK

*

I wrote my first children’s poem called “The Fly in My Eye” in April of 2004 while on tour with Poetry Alive.  The poem is crummy but poetry itself is not, so therefore I stuck to it, and it’s never let me down.

Poetry Alive is a company that hires two person troupes to perform poetry in schools and universities across the country.  You have to learn them by heart, you only use two chairs, and you never use props or wear costumes.

It took me almost 9 months of performing the poem anyone lived in a pretty how town by E.E. Cummings before I understood its meaning, but when I did it hit me like a thunderclap.  I adored performing the poems of Jack Prelutsky, Ogden Nash, and Langston Hughes as these gave me a gateway into this world of metaphors and similes.

It was with this new knowledge I picked up from performing that I started thinking about writing poems of my own.  I had no prior experience of poetry in school, zero.  I don’t have a way of backing up this statement but I feel the reason so many children’s poets canvass the world spreading the gospel of verse and free verse is because they don’t want anyone to feel left out of this life changing art form, like a certain man I know who found out about it just before reaching the cusp of 30.  I’ve been making up for lost ground ever since.

My journey has been one of reading, absorbing might be a better word, any children’s poetry books I could get my hands on. Reading the poets I mentioned above, as well as anthologies by Lee Bennett Hopkins and Paul B. Janeczko and books by Nikki Grimes…if you haven’t read BRONX MASQUERADE, get thee to a bookstore! Valerie Worth’s small poems, and Barbara Juster Esbensen’s nature poems, among others, shifted my spirit; I was never the same afterward.

Reading and writing poetry should be a sweet obsession with words, phrases; you’re a court reporter of life in all its pain and glory.  I feel I received a head start because I was acting out poems by the world’s greatest writers for 3 years and almost 225 poems with Poetry Alive.

*
This brings me back to writing.  It is work, make no mistake, but it’s honorable, it should be looked on as joyful, at least to me.  When time races past as you work on your scribbles and you look up at the clock and hours have passed by, you’re putting in the work. If you applied your trade in another profession all day and can only squeeze in a limited bit of time to write, you’re putting in the work. If you feel a poem or manuscript isn’t firing on all cylinders like you thought and you have to start over, and then, to quote the British, “get on with it,” you’re putting in the work.  There’s no secret to any of this except your constant effort to learning, improving, submitting your work and reading at least one poem a day.

In an effort in getting to know others in children’s poetry I found myself joining the community of poetry bloggers by not only blogging myself, but by participating in their community writing exercises.

Laura Shovan http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2015/03/2015-sound-poem-project-wrap-up.html conducts one every February.   This past February she would post a sound clip and we’d have to write a poem about it.

Heidi Mordhorst over at http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2015/03/forwardlaunch.html has an exercise where she posts words that end with the letter ch. You, the poet, write a poem using that word.

Then there are weekly cyber writing get-togethers.

Tricia Stohr-Hunt’s blog http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/ posts a weekly poetry form that you can participate in.

Laura Purdie Salas’ Writing the World with Kids http://www.laurasalas.com/blog/ has a 15 Words or Less exercise where she’ll post a picture and you write about it.

I’ve gotten many, many poems out of these exercises; one has even been published so far. I’ve also gotten to know the poetry community and they’ve gotten to know me. If you show up to do the work with a humble heart and a willingness to learn, word spreads and maybe you get asked to write for anthologies.

In 2010 NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) held its annual conference in Orlando, FL where I use to live.  I took the initiative of setting up a dinner at Café D’Antonio in nearby Celebration, FL with as many children’s poetry educators and writers as I could rustle up.  From that dinner I finally met face to face with those I had only corresponded with online.  It was a lovely meal filled with a heartfelt sense of community, old friends catching up; new friends huddled together, nattering about poetry to their hearts content.  News of family, pets, work, manuscripts and reading, among other topics wafted through the air in a steady hum of togetherness.  I asked reading and writing advice from everyone, got a manuscript idea that turned into an, as of now, unpublished manuscript that I still have great hopes for, and got to know anthologists who would later ask me to submit for their books.  What I took away from that dinner was realizing how much work it takes to make it as a children’s poet.  It was an overwhelming, exhilarating and humbling fireball of a night.

Since that evening, so far, I’ve had 21 poems published in over 10 anthologies edited by current and former Children’s Poet Laureates, a Guinness Book World Record holder for poetry, and critically acclaimed writers/educators in the field of children’s literature.  In the meantime, I continue to write and submit manuscripts; I learn by heart my own poems and perform them, as well as conduct workshops professionally.

Jane Yolen, has said in her blog, http://janeyolen.com/telling-the-true-a-writers-journal/ which is a fountain of advice about what it takes to make it as a writer, that it’s all about BIC (Butt in Chair).  In order to put in the work, you have to sit down and put in the work.
I wish you all the best on your reading and writing journey, it’s a lifelong and noble one. 

*

P.S. Always carry a notebook and pen or a cell phone that has an application on it where you can type out random thoughts that you find on your travels.  You’ll thank me for it.

*

*

About Charles:

Charles Waters is a Children’s Poet, Actor and Educator who has performed in schools and universities across the country. His work has appeared in various textbooks and anthologies including: Amazing Places, edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins, The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry and The National Geographic of Nature Poetry, both edited by J. Patrick Lewis and One Minute Til Bedtime (2016) edited by Kenn Nesbitt.

 

For more information please visit:

Website: http://www.charleswaterspoetry.com/

Blog: http://www.charleswaterspoetry.com/#!blog/c16qh

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/CharlesWatersPoetry
Twitter: @waterscharles
Instagram: charleswaterspoetry

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 15

*
This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

*

Today’s writing prompt is to write a free verse poem on any topic you like.

For example:

*

It falls like

leaves.

It leaves

like spring.

It springs like

water.

It waters like

tears.

It tears like

trails.

It trails like

**************memories.

 

© 2015 Angie Karcher

 

Congratulations to Week 3 Prize Winners

*

Monday           Copy of THE BOAT OF MANY ROOMS Donated by J. Patrick Lewis
Winner – Ann Magee

Tuesday          Copy of GROUNDHOG’S DILEMMA (Dec/2015) Donated by Kristen Remenar
Winner – Aimee Haburjak

Wednesday    Manuscript Critique by Kristen Remenar
Winner – Kenda Henthorn

Thursday        Manuscript Critique by Iza Trapani
Winner – Kristi Veitenheimer

Friday             Manuscript Critique by Tim McCanna
Winner – Caroline Twomey

 

Winners, PLEASE message me your information on Facebook

or email it to Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

 

** 

*

Golden Quill Poetry Contest

The Golden Quill Poetry Contest is open for submissions.

The deadline is this Saturday, April 25th midnight Central Time.

And…did I mention the prizes?

1st place – A Manuscript Critique by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

2nd place – A Scholarship for Non-Fiction Archeology by Kristen Fulton

3rd place – A Scholarship for Pacing Picture Books to WOW! Class by Agent Jodell Sadler

*

PLEASE make sure you read the contest rules and follow them exactly. Unfortunately, due to the number of poems we will receive, a poem will be disqualified if it does not follow the guidelines exactly. This is only fair to those who did follow the rules and is good practice for us as writers because editors expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter.

*

Contest Rules:

First and Last name included in the body of the email at the top left

Email address included in the body of the email at the top left

Phone number – top left

Space down 5 spaces

The Theme is: Freedom

Title of poem – centered with no by line or name here

8 line limit

Must be a rhyming poem

You will be judged on clever title, rhyme scheme, rhythm, scansion, perfect rhyming words, internal rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and clever ending.

Email poems to Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

by April 25th midnight central time

*

*

*

Do you enjoy writing rhyming picture books?

Do you find rhyme challenging?

Do you want to pep up your prose with poetic techniques?

Then this is the class for you!

Writing in Rhyme to WOW! is a 4 week course,

M-F with daily lessons, writing prompts, rhyme journaling, creating tools you will use, group poetry readings, webinars and critique groups, and a one-on-one webinar critique with Angie.

Each class begins on the first Monday of the month and the weekly group webinars are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, (Chicago Time) or at a time that best suits the group due to time zones of those involved.

There are now 2 spots left in May!

I am beginning to sign people up for June and July!

If you register now for June or July, I will give you the $99.00 price!

Contact Angie with questions.

Sign up now before the classes are full!

Click here for more information!

*

*

*

Need a critique?

Angie is now offering

rhyming picture book and poetry manuscript critiques.

A One Time critique is ($25.00) or a Twice Look critique is ($35.00)

See the tab above or click here for more information.

*

*A

RhyPiBoMo Gift Shop is Open!

http://www.cafepress.com/rhypibomogiftshop

Please stop by and see what’s available this year. There are notebooks, mugs, buttons and more. All proceeds will go to WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS!

Thank you Tanja Bauerle for these gorgeous images!!!

*

*

Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

*

Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!

Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 14

Kristy Dempsey

 

*

We are in for a Saturday treat today! Yes, in all my exuberance to find our excellent guest bloggers, I added one blogger too many to squeeze all the posts into weekdays. So today our Saturday treat is from Kristy Dempsey, an author that I hope to meet in person this summer at the LA SCBWI Conference! I love all of her books but I must let you know that her all-time biggest fan is my friend Jackie Wellington who lobbied hi and low for A DANCE LIKE STARLIGHT by Kristy and award-winning illustrator Floyd Cooper (his Website)

to be on that darn Caldecott list!

I agree Jackie!

Kristy is a huge advocate of rhyme as well and she is the perfect blogger to share how strongly she feels about this topic!

I am honored to introduce

Kristy Dempsey.

*

 

Why Rhyme?

 

I am an obstinate rhymer.
I know what they say:
       Editors shy away from rhyme.
       Rhyme is difficult to edit.
       It’s hard to do well.
       There’s too much bad rhyme.
And on, and on, right?

*

I’ve heard those reasons and from time to time I’ve allowed them to discourage me from writing in rhyme. Since there are so many aspects of submitting and publishing that are out of my control, I should probably try to avoid giving editors any extra reasons to reject my manuscripts, shouldn’t I?

*

But then I remember my first-born child with eyes the color of muscadines that sparkled when we read books in rhyme. When she was six months old, we moved to Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She grew up hearing and speaking two languages, sometimes mixing words from the two. She was drawn to rhyming words no matter what language she was speaking. She giggled when I spoke to her in rhyme. She repeated rhyming pairs under her breath as I chanted nursery rhymes. She pointed to the rhyming words in a book well before she knew how to read by listening to the phrasing, watching me and perceiving that the next rhyming word would come at the end of the line. These were key building blocks in the foundation of her love for reading, for words and for self-expression in her communication.

*

Rhyme is an integral part of a child’s natural inquiry into how to use and find joy in language.

*

One of the first books that became a favorite to us was a simple paperback purchased from a Scholastic flyer. My daughter learned to count AND to rhyme with this book. To be honest, the meter is not perfect and the reader stops to count on each page breaking up the flow of the rhyming. But this just serves to highlight each rhyming couplet. It was during a reading of this book that I first heard my daughter repeating the rhyming pairs under her breath after I read each couplet. She was 18 months old.

 *

Later, after having similar reading and giggling experiences with her younger brother and sister, I took a job as the librarian of the American School in our city. It was then that I began to be more intentional about including rhyme as an integral part of every child’s education. With my own children, we had just been having fun responding to their own joy of the language. But with my students, I began to recognize key aspects of rhyming books that contribute to positive literacy learning experiences.

*
(How did this change my writing? I’m not positive it did change the nuts and bolts of how I write in rhyme, but it did make me an obstinate rhymer. Kids need rhyming books so we MUST keep writing rhyming books that are good enough to convince editors!)

*
Here are some key aspects of rhyme that have convinced me of its necessary role in a child’s development (and the reason I pay such close attention to these details in my writing):

*

1. Rhythm and repetition

*
Inherent in any good rhyming story is a rhythm of language that is almost contagious. There will be other posts during RyPiBoMo that discuss how to do meter well. But what I want to discuss here is what good meter does for the beginning reader/listener of a rhyming story. It creates a sense expectation and confidence. There will be a familiar/similar sound that falls on that beat in 3, 2, 1… there! The child knows what to listen for after a couple of lines, after the beat and structure become internalized.

*

One book that has made this obvious for me is Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle. Almost from the first time my little ones hear this book, they are predicting the rhyming words for me as I read it aloud.

*
Little Blue Truck
   came down the road.
   “Beep!” said Blue
   to the big green toad.

*

   Of course, my students are using the rhythm of the story to build their expectation for when that second rhyming word will fall. And they are also looking at the illustrations for clues at to what that word will be. Which all goes hand in hand with the second aspect of rhyme I wanted to mention.

*

2. Context

*
Acclaimed author and teacher Mem Fox says, “If children cannot learn the skill of predicting what’s going to come next in language, they cannot learn to read.”

*

Rhyme helps to scaffold this skill by not only allowing students to predict a word based on the context within a phrase but to pair a word with a sound they have already heard in a previous line.

*

So how does this idea of context affect us as writers? When writing rhyming books for    young children, let’s pay attention to word pairs that will allow students good prediction opportunities. It is much easier for students to anticipate the rhyming of  “road” and “toad” in Little Blue Truck than it would be to guess a less concrete example like “by” and “why”. When we increase the opportunity for prediction via context, we’re helping build more confident readers.

*

And this idea of a more confident reader takes me to . . .

*

3. Joy

I don’t know about you, but I’m in this business for the readers. There is nothing more important to me than that book in the hands of a child, in the hands of a reader, and hopefully a reader with a look of joy or wonder or understanding on his or her face. There is nothing that compares to that moment. I’ve seen those looks on the faces of my students as we share the same experiences I had with my own children, reading, rhyming, giggling, chanting and connecting, not only to one another, but to words and the joy they elicit. I couldn’t let RyPiBoMo go by without reminding us of the reasons rhyming books are so important. And I would love to leave you with a collage of pictures of those faces that hold your rhyming books in their hands, that take such joy in the way you weave words, that read your stories and get caught up in the way you’ve used language. But since I can’t share their pictures here, let me introduce you to some rhyming books that have brought joy to us over the past year. Let’s give them even more, okay?

*

About Kristy:

Kristy Dempsey grew up in a Tennessee holler, became a teenager in a small South Carolina town and went to college thinking she would become something that would take her far, far away from hollers and small towns. She became many different “somethings,” the most recent of which has her a continent away from home working as a teacher and a librarian in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a bustling city of 4 million people. Ironically she often finds herself writing about home and small towns, brave choices, family relationships and all the things she misses most from her childhood. She is the author of Me with You (Philomel), Mini Racer (Bloomsbury), Surfer Chick (Abrams) and the recent A Dance Like Starlight (Philomel), a 2015 ALA Notable Book, Junior Library Guild Selection with starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist.

*

Kristy’s Website

*              

Buy Me and You           Buy Mini Racer

             

                   Buy Surfer Chick    Buy A Dance Like Starlight

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 14

*
This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

*

Today’s writing prompt is to write a rhyming poem called WHY RHYME?

For example:

*

WHY RHYME?

*

“Don’t write in rhyme!”

All the “writer folks” say.

“It’s silly, it’s less than, it’s corny, passe’.”

“No one will buy it. They’ll rip it to shreds.

And all those who write it are daft in their heads!”

“But, wait…why not try it, I say with a grin.”

I wink as I smile and I say it again.

“If you don’t try it then you’ll never know

if you’ve got what it takes to make your words glow.”

When writing in rhyme there’s a magical flair

that stirs from within,

                                              then “ZIP-ZAPS”

                                                                                  out to the ends of your hair.

You float off your seat and then swivel in space

because writing in rhyme requires rhapsodic grace.

All writers of rhyme know just what I mean.

If you don’t write in rhyme, you are missing this scene.

When all that you’ve put on the page starts to dance

like a ballet at dusk with a hypnotic trance.

The feeling I feel as ovations occur

is permission I need to write what…

                                                                            I prefer.

© 2015 Angie Karcher

 

*

Rhyming Party!

What’s a Rhyming Party you ask?

It’s a party in our RhyPiBoMo Facebook group where I quiz the attendees about past blog post information and all involved

MUST…respond in rhyme!

It’s silly, fast-paced fun and one lucky partier will win

a Scholarship for my Writing in Rhyme to WOW! Class!!!

*

*

*

Golden Quill Poetry Contest

The Golden Quill Poetry Contest is open for submissions.

The deadline is April 25th midnight Central Time.

And…did I mention the prizes?

1st place – A Manuscript Critique by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

2nd place – A Scholarship for Non-Fiction Archeology by Kristen Fulton

3rd place – A Scholarship for Pacing Picture Books to WOW! Class by Agent Jodell Sadler

*

PLEASE make sure you read the contest rules and follow them exactly. Unfortunately, due to the number of poems we will receive, a poem will be disqualified if it does not follow the guidelines exactly. This is only fair to those who did follow the rules and is good practice for us as writers because editors expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter.

*

Contest Rules:

First and Last name included in the body of the email at the top left

Email address included in the body of the email at the top left

Phone number – top left

Space down 5 spaces

The Theme is: Freedom

Title of poem – centered with no by line or name here

8 line limit

Must be a rhyming poem

You will be judged on clever title, rhyme scheme, rhythm, scansion, perfect rhyming words, internal rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and clever ending.

Email poems to Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

by April 25th midnight central time

*

*

*

Do you enjoy writing rhyming picture books?

Do you find rhyme challenging?

Do you want to pep up your prose with poetic techniques?

Then this is the class for you!

Writing in Rhyme to WOW! is a 4 week course,

M-F with daily lessons, writing prompts, rhyme journaling, creating tools you will use, group poetry readings, webinars and critique groups, and a one-on-one webinar critique with Angie.

Each class begins on the first Monday of the month and the weekly group webinars are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, (Chicago Time) or at a time that best suits the group due to time zones of those involved.

There is only 1 spot left in May!

I am beginning to sign people up for June and July!

If you register now for June or July, I will give you the $99.00 price!

Contact Angie with questions.

Sign up now before the classes are full!

Click here for more information!

*

*

*

Need a critique?

Angie is now offering

rhyming picture book and poetry manuscript critiques.

She offers a One Time critique or a Twice Look critique.

See the tab above or click here for more information.

*

*A

RhyPiBoMo Gift Shop is Open!

http://www.cafepress.com/rhypibomogiftshop

Please stop by and see what’s available this year. There are notebooks, mugs, buttons and more. All proceeds will go to WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS!

Thank you Tanja Bauerle for these gorgeous images!!!

*

*

Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

*

Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!

Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 13

Janet Wong

 

*

*

Today’s guest blogger is an attorney turned author/editor and has been successful in all arenas! She encourages authors to write poetry for the 21st century. She and author Sylvia Vardell’s collaborations through Pomelo Books has resulted in The Poetry Friday Anthology Series. These are hearty books full of glorious, spectacular poems by hundreds of talented contributing authors. The most recent release, THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY FOR CELEBRATIONS, is full of magic and interesting tidbits about well known and less known holiday celebrations. It is one you will want to add to your collection!

I am SO happy to introduce

Janet Wong.

 *

Find Your Voice in an Anthology

Find your voice, people say. Your voice, as if you have only one. The problem with most writers is that we have several voices shouting in our heads. The silly voice? The sad voice? Dr. Seuss or Sylvia Plath? Which one to choose?

For a writer who is starting a new project—any kind of writer and any kind of project—I suggest finding a voice in an anthology. Spend five minutes flipping through a thick book of poems quickly, as if you were scanning the room at a cocktail party to decide which group to join.

Any of the four books in The Poetry Friday Anthology series would be ideal for this purpose: the original book, The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School, The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science, or the brand-new addition, The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations. Together, these books contain more than 700 poems by nearly 150 poets, including Jack Prelutsky, J. Patrick Lewis, Joyce Sidman, Margarita Engle, Naomi Shihab Nye, Pat Mora, Linda Sue Park, Nikki Grimes, Joseph Bruchac, and more. Please take a minute to visit PomeloBooks.com to learn about this series that Sylvia Vardell and I have created. If you decide to buy one of these titles, you can easily pass it along to a teacher or librarian friend who will thank you for the gift, guaranteed.

Another great anthology for this purpose—and one that I’ll use to illustrate my point—is J. Patrick Lewis’s National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. I flipped it open just now and landed on pages 86 and 87—Jane Yolen’s “Anemone” and David McCord’s “The Starfish”—two very different poems. If you have this book, open it up and take a look. If you don’t have it, get to a library!

Yolen packs her poem with repetition, rhyme, and alliteration in a serious and sophisticated tone. This is Jacques Cousteau at your party—wow!—“a lifetime / On shifting sea-soft sands.” He is sipping cognac as he describes an anemone to a trio of admirers.

McCord, on the other hand, is the funny old “uncle” consoling the 7-year-old who has been spying on the party in her pajamas. “Would you rather be a starfish / Or an out-beyond-the-bar fish?” he whispers with Bailey’s breath. Gee, I don’t know. An “out-beyond-the-bar fish,” I guess?

I would be happy to join either Yolen or McCord, but let me see who else is in the room. . .

On page 51 of the National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry, there is a poem by A.R. Ammons (“Spruce Woods”) facing one by Lilian Moore (“Squirrel Forgets”). The Ammons poem is spare, observing, reflective; he’s the smart loner professor wedged in the corner, drinking a cup of hot water with lemon. I know I could learn a lot from you, Mr. Ammons, but . . . Lilian is tugging at my vest. “Where / where / where / did I bury / that nut,” she’s asking everyone in the room, one by one. Little Lilian’s insistent voice might end up driving me crazy, but her simple chatter is fresh, inviting, and where my mind is “at” right now. OK, Lilian, let’s sit “criss-cross applesauce” on the floor. You can ask lots of questions and, yes, we can drink Orangina. We’ll munch potato chips, too—of course! Because no matter who you decide to be today, some things never change.

*

*

About Janet:

Janet Wong is a graduate of Yale Law School and a former lawyer who switched careers and became a children’s poet. Her dramatic career change has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other shows. She is the author of 30 books for children and teens on a wide variety of subjects and produces, with her collaborator Sylvia Vardell, The Poetry Friday Anthology series (PomeloBooks.com).

*

       

 Pomelo Books  Buy Here

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 13

*
This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

Today’s writing prompt is to write a list of themes that you could write poems for to submit as a collection for an anthology.

*

*

It’s “Friday Favorites” day again!

Today is the day that I ask you to choose one of the rhyming picture books that you read this week as part of the challenge and share it with the world. Post a picture of it on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) and a link to the authors blog, a link to a book store or a link to anywhere people can find it and buy it. This is the day we celebrate all the wonderful rhyming picture books out in the world already! These authors are our heroes and heroines. We should celebrate the hard work it took them to get to publication! We should buy these books ourselves if we can and share them with friends and family.

Now is the time to promote great rhyme!

I was thrilled that so many of you shared your favorite rhyming picture books last Friday! Thank you! See if we can post even more today!

*

What if you are not on social media?

That is no problem. Just share titles with friends, family, teachers, librarians, book store owners…anyone who will listen. Word of mouth is very powerful! Go to a book store and ask for a specific title. If they don’t have it ask them to order it. You can certainly do our part without social media!

It would be great if you would also add the link to my blog so folks can see what we are doing here.

Here’s the link:

https://angiekarcher.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/rhypibomo-2015-day-2-nikki-grimes/?preview=true&preview_id=3722&preview_nonce=51465bf1a5&post_format=aside

*

*

Rhyming Party!

What’s a Rhyming Party you ask?

It’s a party in our RhyPiBoMo Facebook group where I quiz the attendees about past blog post information and all involved

MUST…respond in rhyme!

It’s silly, fast-paced fun and one lucky partier will win

a Scholarship for my Writing in Rhyme to WOW! Class!!!

*

*

*

Golden Quill Poetry Contest

The Golden Quill Poetry Contest is open for submissions.

The deadline is April 25th midnight Central Time.

And…did I mention the prizes?

1st place – A Manuscript Critique by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

2nd place – A Scholarship for Non-Fiction Archeology by Kristen Fulton

3rd place – A Scholarship for Pacing Picture Books to WOW! Class by Agent Jodell Sadler

*

PLEASE make sure you read the contest rules and follow them exactly. Unfortunately, due to the number of poems we will receive, a poem will be disqualified if it does not follow the guidelines exactly. This is only fair to those who did follow the rules and is good practice for us as writers because editors expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter.

*

Contest Rules:

First and Last name included in the body of the email at the top left

Email address included in the body of the email at the top left

Phone number – top left

Space down 5 spaces

The Theme is: Freedom

Title of poem – centered with no by line or name here

8 line limit

Must be a rhyming poem

You will be judged on clever title, rhyme scheme, rhythm, scansion, perfect rhyming words, internal rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and clever ending.

Submit poems to

Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

by April 25th midnight central time

*

*

*

Do you enjoy writing rhyming picture books?

Do you find rhyme challenging?

Do you want to pep up your prose with poetic techniques?

Then this is the class for you!

Writing in Rhyme to WOW! is a 4 week course,

M-F with daily lessons, writing prompts, rhyme journaling, creating tools you will use, group poetry readings, webinars and critique groups, and a one-on-one webinar critique with Angie.

Each class begins on the first Monday of the month and the weekly group webinars are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, (Chicago Time) or at a time that best suits the group due to time zones of those involved.

There is only 1 spot left in May!

I am beginning to sign people up for June and July!

If you register now for June or July, I will give you the $99.00 price!

Contact Angie with questions.

Sign up now before the classes are full!

Click here for more information!

*

*

*

Need a critique?

Angie is now offering

rhyming picture book and poetry manuscript critiques.

She offers a One Time critique or a Twice Look critique.

See the tab above or click here for more information.

*

*A

RhyPiBoMo Gift Shop is Open!

http://www.cafepress.com/rhypibomogiftshop

Please stop by and see what’s available this year. There are notebooks, mugs, buttons and more. All proceeds will go to WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS!

Thank you Tanja Bauerle for these gorgeous images!!!

*

*

Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

*

Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!

Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 12

Iza Trapani

 

*

 Today’s guest blogger is a talented artist and author who has a very successful series of books in rhyme…Nursery Rhymes!

I will refrain from getting on my nursery rhyme soap box today but let’s suffice it to say, I am a big advocate of these simple, yet very powerful language development tools! As a former kindergarten teacher and developmental therapist, I want writers to know how truly important reading and having repetitive, rhyming text is to helping a child learn to talk and to read. Iza tells that she was given Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes as a child and these helped her learn English…very powerful indeed!

I am thrilled to have another nursery rhyme advocate

on board this rhyming train!

I gladly introduce

Iza Trapani.

*

Editing and Revision

By the time we submit our manuscript to an editor, we have worked and reworked it many times. We have carefully chosen our words, took out unnecessary ones, made sure that  the story moves forward from page to page. If it’s written in rhyme, we have paid strict attention to the rhythm and meter; we’ve read it out loud many times to make sure it flows (read prose aloud too), and we’ve also had others read it, because we poets are notorious in our ability to make our uneven rhymes sound “good.”  We’ve removed forced rhymes, smoothed out awkward spots and made sure our words sing. Generally, we feel satisfied with the story, because we know we have done our best.

And yet, after all that work, an editor will still find problem areas.

When I first started writing children’s books, like many beginners, I was very attached to my words and my initial responses to editors’ comments were defensive. I got over that in a hurry. I have learned that another set of eyes and ears is essential. When I go back to my early stories that I had once considered “precious”, I want to gag and run out of the room. Time is a great editor.

But so are professionals. Without question, my manuscripts are much improved after my editor and I have reworked them together. And I adore the process! Yes, it involves “killing my darlings”- throwing out  words and lines I may love- words and lines that may be strong and lyrical, but don’t work in a particular story. Yes, it can be a struggle to find replacement lines. And yes, sometimes a close to complete revamp is needed. Nonetheless, I find the process invigorating and satisfying.

Sometimes the edits are minimal. Sometimes not. The edit on my most recent manuscript, an extension of the nursery rhyme, OLD KING COLE,  was quite a challenge. Here is the traditional verse:

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.

The problem was that my editor and I didn’t realize we each knew different melodies for the rhyme. The one she knew was a lively, staccato tune (and I later found out- the more popular one). The one I knew was a more melodic, minor tune.

The last line of the verse caused the most problems. In singing the verses, (which we do with all my nursery rhyme books – in addition to reading aloud) she was pronouncing fiddlers with three syllables as in the melody she knew, whereas I was pronouncing it with an arpeggiated four, as in the melody I knew.

Eventually we discovered we had different tunes in our heads, and then we agreed on using the more popular one. After that, the editing went much smoother.

Still, this was a hard rhyme to adapt. It has internal rhymes and three spots with the same rhyming sound, and it isn’t  always easy to find three words with the same sound that will work in context (especially when writing for children.) Then, of course, there was that troublesome last line.

Here are some of my edits of the second stanza:

(1st draft)
“Welcome all to the Cole Castle Ball!
Hear my fiddlers play us a tune.
We’ll frolic and dance in the grand royal hall
On this fine and festive afternoon.”

I’ve been writing rhyming books for over twenty years, but some of my first drafts are awful. Like this first one. Ugh!

(2nd draft)
“Welcome all to the Cole Castle Ball!
Come listen to my fiddlers play.
Let us romp and dance in the royal hall
On this bright and very merry day.”

Replacing  frolic with romp and taking out grand was an improvement, but not there yet. The stresses are in the wrong places.

(3rd draft)
“Welcome all to the annual Ball,”
Said the king to the guests within
“We’ll romp and we’ll dance in the royal hall.
Let the fun and music now begin.”

I improved the meter in the 3rd line. I also realized that I should have a dialogue tag: Said the king to the guests within. We didn’t like annual Ball, and the fourth line is awkward.

(4th draft)
“Welcome all to the King Cole Ball,”
Said the king to the guests within.
“We’ll romp and we’ll dance in the royal hall.
Let the tunes and merriment begin.”

My editor came up with King Cole Ball which I initially resisted. It was a bit of a tongue-twister and lacked a  syllable but it flowed better than Cole Castle Ball and was an improvement over annual Ball. Now, I really like it. It’s playful. Up to this point, I was still stretching  fiddlers into 4 syllables. This fourth line using merriment was better than in the 3rd draft, but still problematic for my editor- which is why I kept changing that line. Finally, I decided to pronounce fiddlers with two syllables- as it should have been from the beginning! I had resisted it because of the print of the tune in my head. Here’s the final draft:

“Welcome all to the King Cole Ball,”
Said the king to the guests within.
“We’ll romp and we’ll dance in the royal hall.
Let the tunes and the fun begin.”

With Let the tunes and the fun begin I established that fiddlers is pronounced with two syllables and it matches the traditional line to a tee. Thinking of fiddlers as as three or four syllables just created havoc in each of the fourth lines. The syllables were right but the lines didn’t flow. Fid-di-lers rolls off the tongue nicely, but other words are not so cooperative, and the lines ended up awkward.

The crux of the matter, rather than counting every syllable, is to maintain the proper pulse and to choose words that make the lines flow- both in reading and singing. And if you’re editing a song, make sure you and your editor know the same melody!

Here is another example of reducing syllables while maintaining the proper pulse from my book, Row, Row Row Your Boat.  Here’s the traditional verse:

Row, row row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream

The 3rd line has 12 syllables. I reduced mine to 8 and it works nicely:

Row row row your boat
Row with all your might
Rocking, bashing, water splashing
Better hold on tight!

I also took the liberty of using gerunds rather than adverbs- to add action: I only had four short lines in which to describe the scenes so I had to optimize them. Here are a few more examples of that shortened 3rd line:

raining, hailing, wind is wailing
beavers damming, logging, jamming
sunshine glowing, off and rowing

The constraints of rhyme are always challenging. It’s a lot of work. But it’s also rewarding to make those edits and end up with a polished manuscript. Remember- there’s always a way to say it differently. Happy revising!

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About Iza:

When Iza Trapani immigrated to America from Poland when she was seven years old, her relatives gave her a Mother Goose collection. Little did she know, as she was learning English through the rhymes, that someday she would be retelling them in picture books. Iza is the author and illustrator of a best- selling series of nursery rhyme extensions, in which she starts with the traditional verse then adds additional stanzas to create a story. Among her titles are The Itsy  Bitsy Spider (which was featured on PBS Storytime), Row Row Row Your Boat, Froggie Went A-Courtin’, The Bear Went Over the Mountain and many more. Her books have received the IRA/CBC Children’s Choice Awards, Bank Street Best Books of the Year,  ABA Pick of the Lists and the Oppenheim Toy Portolio Gold Book Awards. Most importantly, her books are widely used in schools and libraries to help children learn to read. Iza’s 24th book, Old King Cole,  will be released on August 4th, 2015 and she has two more titles in the works for 2016 and 2017 publication.

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      Buy Here                   Buy Here

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Iza’s Website

Iza’s Blog

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on twitter

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 12

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This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

Today’s writing prompt is to write your own version of your favorite nursery rhyme.

For example:

Hickory Dickory Dock

the cat ran up the clock.

He chased the mouse

around the house.

Hickory Dickory Dock.

Hickory Dickory Duck

the cat was out of luck.

The mouse, you see

was gone by three.

Hickory Dickory Duck.

© 2015 Angie Karcher

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Rhyming Party!

What’s a Rhyming Party you ask?

It’s a party in our RhyPiBoMo Facebook group where I quiz the attendees about past blog post information and all involved

MUST…respond in rhyme!

It’s silly, fast-paced fun and one lucky partier will win

a Scholarship for my Writing in Rhyme to WOW! Class!!!

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Golden Quill Poetry Contest

The Golden Quill Poetry Contest is open for submissions.

The deadline is April 25th midnight Central Time.

And…did I mention the prizes?

1st place – A Manuscript Critique by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

2nd place – A Scholarship for Non-Fiction Archeology by Kristen Fulton

3rd place – A Scholarship for Pacing Picture Books to WOW! Class by Agent Jodell Sadler

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PLEASE make sure you read the contest rules and follow them exactly. Unfortunately, due to the number of poems we will receive, a poem will be disqualified if it does not follow the guidelines exactly. This is only fair to those who did follow the rules and is good practice for us as writers because editors expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter.

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Contest Rules:

First and Last name included in the body of the email at the top left

Email address included in the body of the email at the top left

Phone number – top left

Space down 5 spaces

The Theme is: Freedom

Title of poem – centered with no by line or name here

8 line limit

Must be a rhyming poem

You will be judged on clever title, rhyme scheme, rhythm, scansion, perfect rhyming words, internal rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and clever ending.

Submit poems to

Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

by April 25th midnight central time

Do you enjoy writing rhyming picture books?

Do you find rhyme challenging?

Do you want to pep up your prose with poetic techniques?

Then this is the class for you!

Writing in Rhyme to WOW! is a 4 week course,

M-F with daily lessons, writing prompts, rhyme journaling, creating tools you will use, group poetry readings, webinars and critique groups, and a one-on-one webinar critique with Angie.

Each class begins on the first Monday of the month and the weekly group webinars are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, (Chicago Time) or at a time that best suits the group due to time zones of those involved.

There is only 1 spot left in May!

I am beginning to sign people up for June and July!

If you register now for June or July, I will give you the $99.00 price!

Contact Angie with questions.

Sign up now before the classes are full!

Click here for more information!

Need a critique?

Angie is now offering

rhyming picture book and poetry manuscript critiques.

She offers a One Time critique or a Twice Look critique.

See the tab above or click here for more information.

*A

Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

*

Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!

Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 11

Pat Zietlow Miller

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Today’s guest blogger is a writer that is on fire! Not unlike the Hunger Games heroine…trust me, when you get to the bottom of this post and see all the books she has coming out in 2015, 2016 and 2017 you will want to be Pat Miller! I love her picture book SOPHIE’S SQUASH and can’t wait to own the rest. There is something so magical about these heartwarming themes that her books have that make you want to go back and read them again and again. She has obviously figured out the magic potion to writing for kids and I am happy to have her sprinkle some of that

magic on all of us today!

I am pleased

to introduce

Pat Zietlow Miller

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Now is the Time for Humorous Rhyme

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I’m in awe of well-done rhyming picture books. When the rhyme and plot and emotional arc are spot on, they are a work of art. In fact, when I read books like ALL THE WORLD, HURRY DOWN TO DERRY FAIR, BLUE ON BLUE and ONCE UPON A MEMORY, I hold them near to my heart.

Books like this were among the ones that inspired me to try my own hand at rhyming. I remember thinking, “Well, if it doesn’t work, I don’t have to show it to anyone.” And then, I spent months tapping the beat and counting syllables and reading my work out loud, trying to make things just as smooth and perfect as possible.

I know I didn’t achieve perfection, but I did sell two rhyming picture books – WHEREVER YOU GO (coming April 21 from Little, Brown) and SHARING THE BREAD: AN OLD-FASHIONED THANKSGIVING STORY (coming Aug. 25 from Schwartz & Wade).

But one thing I have not yet attempted, much less mastered, is the art of a humorous rhyming picture book. Because if you can write awesome, heart-holding rhyme and also be funny, you are golden. Absolutely golden.

So let’s look at an author who glitters brightly, Jill Esbaum.
Jill has written several funny rhyming picture books – ESTELLE TAKES A BATH and TOM’S TWEET come to mind. I strongly suggest you read them at the first available opportunity. But today, we’re going to talk about I AM COW, HEAR ME MOO, which was published in 2014 by Dial Books.
It’s the story of a cow named Nadine who brags that she’s not scared of anything. When her friends call her bluff, Nadine finds herself in the woods at night. And she’s surprised to find it’s fascinating. Not scary at all, until she gets overconfident, loses her friends, thinks something is chasing her and runs straight off a cliff.

Here’s what makes this book a rhyming success story:

Plot

If your rhyming book is telling a story (as opposed to being a lyrical poem) it needs to have a plot just as strong as non-rhyming books. That means an initial incident, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement. Jill’s book delivers.

Nadine and her friends explore the scary woods, get lost in a cave, discover bones, race through the woods, run right off a cliff and land in a pond before finally stumbling home.
A good way to see if your story has a plot is to write it out in prose. Yes, that takes extra time, but it’s worth it. Read your prose version and see if there’s enough action and intrigue to sustain a reader. If there isn’t, you have work to do.

Another tip is to write a one-sentence summary of each of your stanzas. Then read your summary sentences in order. Do a lot of them sound the same? Are they very vague and general? If so, you need to amp up your plot. Also, read your one-sentence summaries to see if your plot happens in the right order. It’s easy to get your stanzas out of order.

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Word choice

There’s a lot of cow humor in Jill’s rhyme. Nadine is so scared her milk curdles. Her friends tell her to “Moooove it!” and when Nadine is finally home safely she “fell on her brisket and kissed the barn floor.” Make no mistake, working in the humor into the story’s meter and rhyme scheme is no small feat.

Jill also slyly pokes fun at Nadine’s overconfidence:
“Not lightning?” asked Starla. “Loud noises? A rat?”
“I’m not scared,” Nadine boasted, “of any of that.”
“The woods?” asked Annette. “Cause that place scares me stiff.”
“Not me,” bragged Nadine with a proud little sniff.

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Of course, we come to find out Nadine may not have been completely truthful.
The other awesome thing about Jill’s word choice is how well her verse flow. It reads very conversationally. The rhyme is so good, you almost forget it rhymes. You never have to read it a certain way to make it sound right.

I know Jill, and sometimes, I can hear her voice when I read her words. Here are two of my favorite stanzas that show inspired word choices that still read seamlessly and are spot-on with the meter.

Like a rocket, she shot over brambles and bumps,
galumphed over deadfalls and rotted-out stumps.
She thundered through thickets, deep gullies, tight squeezes,
and ragweed that triggered spectacular sneezes.

And …

She took her sweet time checking out every nook.
This cranny? That corner? Nadine had to look.
Her tour of the cave-den was almost complete …
when a small pile of bones made her heart skip a beat.
“Ta-da!” Nadine sang. “Here I am, girls. Let’s go.”
Were her friends waiting there where she’d left them?
Um, no.

Now, writing like this is not something you can crank out without a lot of work.
Les Paul, a songwriter who helped pioneer the solid-body electric guitar, once said, “You can’t go to the store and buy a good ear and rhythm.” This is true. Some people have more of natural gift for how words sound than others. And Jill is certainly part of that group.

But anyone can get better by reading good rhyme, understanding why it works and then working to make their own as good as possible. So read on, write on and then … rhyme on.

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About Pat:
Pat Zietlow Miller is the author of SOPHIE’S SQUASH (which does not rhyme) and WHEREVER YOU GO (which does). She’s won the Golden Kite Award and received the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor and the Charlotte Zolotow Honor. Pat has eight books under contact, two of which rhyme. You can learn more about her at http://www.patzietlowmiller.com.

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Look at ALL these books!

SOPHIE’S SQUASH from Schwartz & Wade, available now

WHEREVER YOU GO coming from Little, Brown, April 21, 2015

SHARING THE BREAD coming from Schwartz & Wade, August 2015

SOPHIE’S SEEDS, coming from Schwartz & Wade fall 2016

THE QUICKEST KID IN CLARKSVILLE coming from Chronicle in 2016

MY BROTHER, THE DUCK, coming from Chronicle in 2017

WIDE-AWAKE BEAR coming from HarperCollins in 2017

BE KIND, coming from Roaring Book in 2017

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          BUY HERE                   BUY HERE                      BUY HERE

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Twitter: @PatZMiller

Website

Golden Kite speech

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 11

*
This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

Today’s writing prompt is to write a humorous rhyming poem.

*For example:

Words Out-Going

The web that was spun by the spider so free,
was hung in a corner, not from sea to sea.

The mouse that ran through my house, oh, so quick,
he didn’t have buttons on top that you click.

The home that I knew was where I slept at night,
not the page that comes up with icons at right.

A snail and the mail were two separate things.
Now it’s something the mail lady brings.

When I was printing-on-line while at school,
my handwriting followed every rule.

The keyboard played music I practiced each day,
and surfing was done on a wave with a spray.

“Yahoo” I yelled, sledding down slopes so slick.
A virus was what made me puke and feel sick.

Software and boots were pjs and shoes.
A port was for docking the boat on a cruise.

Mosquitoes left mega bytes on both of my legs.
The menu I liked was with bacon and eggs.

Troubleshooting meant you had really bad aim,
and cd’s were letters which after B came.

The desktop I knew was piled high with my stuff,
and files were for filing a nail that was rough.

The Sunday drive we took every week,
was the chat that we had; we did actually speak!

I don’t know when everything got so confused.
The language I knew is forever abused.

These words will never have meanings the same.
I suspect that this thing with the screen is to blame.

© 2015 Angie Karcher

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Golden Quill Poetry Contest

The Golden Quill Poetry Contest will accept entries STARTING April 13th and the deadline is April 25th midnight Central Time.

*

PLEASE make sure you read the contest rules and follow them exactly. Unfortunately, due to the number of poems we will receive, a poem will be disqualified if it does not follow the guidelines exactly. This is only fair to those who did follow the rules and is good practice for us as writers because editors expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter.

*

Contest Rules:

First and Last name included in the body of the email at the top left

Email address included in the body of the email at the top left

Phone number – top left

Space down 5 spaces

The Theme is: Freedom

Title of poem – centered with no by line or name here

8 line limit

Must be a rhyming poem

You will be judged on clever title, rhyme scheme, rhythm, scansion, perfect rhyming words, internal rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and clever ending.

Submit poems to

Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

by April 25th midnight central time

Do you enjoy writing rhyming picture books?

Do you find rhyme challenging?

Do you want to pep up your prose with poetic techniques?

Then this is the class for you!

Writing in Rhyme to WOW! is a 4 week course,

M-F with daily lessons, writing prompts, rhyme journaling, creating tools you will use, group poetry readings, webinars and critique groups, and a one-on-one webinar critique with Angie.

Each class begins on the first Monday of the month and the weekly group webinars are on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, (Chicago Time) or at a time that best suits the group due to time zones of those involved.

There are only 2 spots left in May!

I am beginning to sign people up for June and July!

Contact Angie with questions.

Sign up now before the classes are full!

Click here for more information!

Need a critique?

Angie is now offering

rhyming picture book and poetry manuscript critiques.

She offers a One Time critique or a Twice Look critique.

See the tab above or click here for more information.

*A

Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

*

Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!