Thinking of doing good in uncertain times, part 2

As we finish week three of living in lockdown in Madrid, along with a good portion of the world (I read somewhere that a third of the global population is on “lockdown”), it seems like every few days we are needing redefine how to live at home. With the uncertainty of when our kiddo will be able to go back to school, or if she will go back at all this year; with the increased load of schoolwork the school plans to send; with the continued fear of going to the grocery store and rushing through the aisles like it’s a lightning round in Supermarket Sweep, I’’m not surprised we cannot sustain what we’ve been doing for the past twenty-something days. it’s as if we’ve passed the free trial period, and now we have to commit to a more mentally-and emotionally-sustainable subscription to this new life.

We have been safe, healthy, comfortable, and super well-fed (“probably a bit too well-fed,” would say our poor Ikea couch who definitely did not sign up for this overuse!), so we are some fo the fortunate and privileged families. So, at the beginning of quarantine, inspired by so many children’s book authors and illustrators, musicians and artists, I began a participating in my own version of Ame Dyckman and Charlene Chua’s Twitter initiative for illustrators and kids called “What Should I Draw” (@WhatDraw). I loved this idea and knew that it would be a way in which I could contribute. It has been so fun to turn the kids’ ideas into drawings, and even more so to then surprise them with the images. What I never expected was to receive comments not only from the parents but also comments from Instagram, Twitter and Facebook followers. Here’s a sampling of comments, which have been so rewarding and heartwarming to receive :

“These drawings are so delightful. Thank you for sharing them.” —Jennifer

“Stopppppppppp this is the best. Thank you!” —Catherine

“I can’t stop smiling…” —Amie

“So much joy in your work—thank you! —Elizabeth

“I love every single one of these!!!” Sheree

“This is super!” —Ben

“These all brought me joy.” —Kristen

“Thank you, the girls love all of these. I love all of these!” —Genevieve

“Oh my gosh—you totally made Mateo’s day! Thank you so much for making the world a better place!” —Laura

“We absolutely LOVE it!!!! Thank you! They both want to hang it in their rooms!”

—Sharyn

“That’s adorable, Carolina!” —Mary

“This is beautiful! I love it, I love it, I love it!!” —Elena

“That’s amazing!!!” —Michael

“Thanks, Carolina! It’s great! I love how you take an idea and add the details to it!” —Carissa

“@cpedrawza’s drawings from children’s requests are making my days brighter.” —Gina

“…he says ‘it is perfect!’” —Ebru

In my previous blog post from March 27, “Thinking of doing good in uncertain times” you can see the first group of drawings I did for friends’ kids. Here is the second batch…enjoy!

Thinking of doing good in uncertain times

On March 9th, we received an email message from our daughter’s school telling us that the Madrid Community had decreed that all education institutions—public, private, elementary through university—would have to close on March 11th for two weeks. We had been wondering why we hadn’t heard anything from the school about how they were handling the spread of germs and the safety of our children and their staff and teachers. So for us, despite keeping up with the sad and scary news reports about the effects of coronavirus in China and Italy, we went from silence to “school will be closed for the next two weeks” in a single email. 

 

We got organized, drew up a schedule with our 8-year old daughter so that she could get the work her teachers sent home with her in those two weeks little by little, and figured we needed to keep in mind this was not vacation. It was life, redefined temporarily. I knew it would be okay because we have a kiddo who is super cooperative, however, my selfish side wanted to make sure that I would be able to keep working on my illustrations and the bit of writing I had gone back to doing.

 

Our first three days were super organized. Our daughter handled the independent learning really well. There were little distractions, and we ended the week well. At around that time, we started hearing about schools in the United States that were announcing closures too. Surprisingly, in my mind this news immediately reduced the 5,000 plus miles between Spain and the US considerably, and the feeling of our world being a relatively small community became very real.

 

In just a couple of days, I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of resources pouring out from the US to help children and families stay engaged, keep learning, and be entertained. With each passing hour, it seemed like children’s book authors and illustrators, musicians, museums, and others were announcing readings, kitchen concerts, live drawing sessions, ideas for art lessons, virtual visits, and so much more!

 

This generous attitude of people helping each other, of supporting others who need it, of letting kids and grownups know that we are all in this together, touched me so much, it brought me to tears. It also had me asking myself, “how can I help too?” I was hearing about all these people who were sharing their gifts with the world, what was my gift? It didn’t take too long for me to answer that…drawing! I was considering doing something with our daughter’s grade mates, when I happened to stumble upon an Instagram post by Julie Rowan-Zoch about an initiative called “What Should I Draw?” started by illustrators Ame Dyckman and Charlene Chua on Twitter, in which parents tweet their kiddo’s ideas, tag the prompts with @DrawWhat and #WSID and illustrators draw them. 

 

Ever since my daughter started Pre-Kinder, I have been working on a lunchbox drawing a day project. I figured I wouldn’t be doing those drawings during our time off from school, even though I attempted to do a daily quarantine drawing for her, after three or four days, that fizzled out. But offering other kids to suggest ideas for drawings could be such a wonderful way to spend a portion of my days. I went ahead and wrote emails to the parents of our friends in Seattle, New Jersey, and a few other places. I told them about the idea and asked that if they wanted to participate, I’d be happy to receive their kids’ ideas so I could take a stab at drawing them.

 

I began to receive some and then some more, and now since March 17, I’ve been trying to keep up with the requests. Once I finish them, I post them and share them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I follow that by cleaning up the drawings in Photoshop, turn them into pdf’s and mail the drawing to the child who submitted an idea.

I have been having fun turning the kids’ ideas into images, and it has been a great creative exercise for me. 

I will be posting more of my What Should I Draw drawings here on the blog (go here for batch #2)…enjoy! (hover over the image to read the idea behind the drawing)…and please, stay home and stay healthy!

A drawing a day...

In my life, I have moved several times, I’ve done different types of jobs, I’ve become a mother, and I have grown and changed. The one thing that I can say has always been a constant presence is my love of drawing.

One of my earliest memories is of me drawing at a little folding table in my parents’ bedroom one evening while they watched television. Somehow, and I don’t remember how, very early on drawing became a part of who I was: a way for me to process the world; a way to replicate and remember images I liked; a set of symbols that make up a personal language; a way to connect to people in my life. I became the kid in the family and the kid at school who was “into drawing.”

Over the years, I have read and heard about the importance of drawing every day. Even though I am a firm believer that I can only get better at drawing by drawing, I wasn’t doing it consistently, and I both missed it and felt bad about not doing it. I would try to convince students that they should draw frequently, that they should keep sketchbooks, and here I was drawing here and there, but far from every day.

Nearly three years ago, that changed. We had just moved to Seattle and my daughter was going to start going to school full day for the first time. She and I had been hanging out every day since she had been born. We were lunch buddies, we played together, we read together (and she’d elbow me because around 2 pm my sleepiness would barge in while reading to her, and my voice would trail off…”I’m up, I’m up…where was I?”). I wanted and needed to do something for her (and for me) that reminded her during the day that I was thinking about her. I wanted her to know that I could still be her lunch buddy if only for the seconds it took her to take a little piece of paper out of her lunchbox and give it a look. 

That is how my “lunchbox drawings” to the kiddo began.  The first year, I did the quick little drawings with a sharpie or a ballpoint pen on bright colored sticky notes. Most of the time, I made them in a rush after getting her sandwich and fruit stuffed in containers. They were quick “hello’s” and “I love you’s” with a little drawing. It was in the days leading up to her first day of Kindergarten when I decided to start doing the drawings on blank note cards, and to try to be more intentional about them. I still wanted them to be rather quick, for the sake of time and as a good mental exercise, but I wanted to do a better job at them.

In the last two school years, the lunchbox drawings have become a way for me to record the kiddo’s likes (and, at times, dislikes), things she’s interested in, and family jokes…in a way, her life. I make sure to write a little note in the back that not only says “I love you” but also mentions the reason for the drawing in case it’s not obvious and is worth remembering. There are times when she doesn’t “get” the drawing, which is okay…I blame it on the late night sleepy drawing! (without a little squirt elbowing me to wake up!)

Apparently, to create a habit you have to at least do that new something for about 66 days—a little over two months. There have been only a handful of days, in the last three years, when I have set my head on the pillow to go to sleep only to remember: “Oh crap! I forgot to do the lunchbox drawing!” Otherwise, it truly is part of what I do everyday. There are nights when I have absolutely no clue what to draw, and some nights when the drawing just flows out of me. The kiddo now expects her drawings, and I know she appreciates them and even shares them with her friends (even if sometimes she doesn’t remember what I drew if I ask her about it after school. It’s okay!). I love doing them for her (and for me). The truth is that after having done over 500 drawings, I can’t imagine not sending her a drawing in her lunchbox every day…so drawing will continue to be part of who I am. And I’m more than okay with that!

You can see more Lunchbox Drawings by visiting my instagram gallery.

The Podcasts I'm listening to, part "dos"

Hello!

Back in January of this year, I wrote a blog post about my favorite Podcasts.  I have been meaning to write a second one because I have slowly added a few more that I listen to while I'm out for a walk or drawing (I can't listen and write at the same time. My brain can't handle processing so much language at the same time!), or in the car with our kiddo..

Here they are...hope you will find all of them or most of them, as worthwhile as I do.

3 Point Perspective: The Illustration Podcast

Hosts: Will Terry, Children's Book Illustrator (@willterry333), Lee White, Illustrator (@Art_Lee_White) and Jake Parker, Illustrator, Writer & Teacher (@mrjakeparker)

Will's website

Lee's website

Jake's website

Society of Visual Storytelling website (@SVSLearn)

3 Point Perspective on iTunes

 

Fuse 8 n' Kate

Hosts: Betsy Bird, Collection Development Manager at Evanston Public Library (@FuseEight)  & Kate Ramsey, Betsy's sister (and so much more, I'm sure, I just couldn't find it!)

Betsy's blog on SJL

Betsy's website

Fuse 8 n' Kate on iTunes

 

STEM Read

Hosts: Gillian King-Cargile, Founder & Director of STEM Read (@gkingcargile) and Dr. Kristin Brynteson, Engineer and Educator (@kbrynteson)

Dr. Brynteson's website

STEM Read Northern Illinois University website

STEM Read Podcast on NPR

STEM Read on iTunes

 

Shipping & Handling

Hosts: Bridget Smith, Literary Agent at Dunham Literary Inc. (@bredalot) & Jennifer Udden, Literary Agent at Barry Goldblatt Literary (@suddenlyjen)

Shipping & Handling website

Bridget's profile

Jennifer's profile

Jennifer's blog

Shipping & Handling on iTunes 

 

Story Makers Podcast

Hosts: Elizabeth Stark, Author, Lead Coach and Teacher at the Book Writing World (@Elizabeth_Stark) and Angie Powers, Writer and Filmmaker (@kipprsnak)

Book Writing World website

Angie's website

Story Markers Podcast's website

Story Makers Podcast on iTunes

 

TED Radio Hour

Host: Guy Raz, Journalist, Correspondent and Radio Host (@guyraz)

TED Radio Hour on NPR (@TEDRadioHour) 

TED Radio Hour on TED

TED Radio Hour on iTunes

 

Wow In the World

Hosts: Mindy Thomas, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Tinkerer at Tinkercast (@AbsolutelyMindy) and Guy Raz, Journalist, Correspondent and Radio Host (@guyraz)

Tinkercast website

Wow In the World on NPR (@wowintheworld)

Wow in the World on iTunes 

 

PW Kid Cast: Publishers Weekly PW Kid Cast

Host: Emma Kantor, Associate Children's Book Editor at Publishers Weekly (@emkantor)

Publisher's Weekly website (@PublishersWkly)

 

 

Enjoy!

What I have learned from researching literary agents...and nothing about being chased by a mountain goat!

When I was taking the Writing for Children Certificate at the University of Washington from fall 2016 to spring 2017, one of our assignments was to research agents. At the time, looking for potential agents seemed so far into the future that I took it seriously, but the stakes were not at all high. I wanted to complete the assignment and make it worthwhile, but at the same time, nothing was riding on who I chose. I'm not even sure how I found the agency and agent I did back then, but the funny thing is that she now occupies a space on my agents-to-query list. So, I must have done a better job than I thought at finding someone I considered a possible match. After that exercise in spring 2017, I didn't think about agents all that much because I wanted to focus on actually writing (and illustrating) so that maybe I'd have a need to find an agent some day.

Well, it is now spring 2018 and "some day" has arrived. Since the agent assignment, I have finished the Certificate, started a critique group (with 4 classmates from the UW program--I will write about that in another blog post), started working a few hours a week as a Kindergarten, library and fourth grade aide, have worked on several manuscripts, made three dummies from three of my most polished manuscripts, and have worked on sample art. And so the time has come (in my humble opinion) to start seriously considering querying agents.

A few months ago, I began making a list of agents by doing some Google searches with phrases such as:  "top literary agents children's books". That brought up links to blogs like Darcy Pattison's. Every year or so she comes up with a Top 20 List of Top Literary Agents based on her research of who has sold the most titles. 

Here are a couple of other links that helped me get started:

Great! Storybook (Nov 2015)

The Children's Book Academy (Aug 2014)

I spent some time compiling a list of agents who mentioned in their profiles that they were seeking picture books and author/illustrators. A couple of months went by, during which the list sat quietly in my folder. Recently, I learned that in the world of agents, an "open for queries" status can change in a matter of only a few months. So just because I had my nicely typed list, it became critical to double-check each agent for their current status. A good place to do this, apart from the agent's profile in the agency's site, is Query Tracker. On this site, they make it very clear in red type if an agent is closed for queries. I figured out pretty quickly that checking there first gave me the green light (or not) to continue with my more extensive research on a particular agent. 

I have read from several sources that a smart approach to sending out query letters is to send them in batches of 5 to 7 at a time. Not more than that. I have come to terms with the reality that  I will have to do many batches, as I've also read that it will likely take querying around 100 agents before I actually find one who will take a chance on me. This process is not for the faint of heart or for the thin-skinned! It's for the hard-working and the hopeful!

The reasons for small batches, as I understand them:

  • I have a much better chance of personalizing my letters:  I know I should absolutely try to do this; and it doesn't mean only using the agent's name in the greeting. It means trying to connect with a particular agent from what I found out about them and their agency in my research. Writing individual letters is only possible if I concentrate on a few agents at a time.
  • I discover that my query letter needs revising: I don't want to reread my letter after I've mass mailed about 100 agents, and realize that my letter is not actually doing its job of describing my story or me. It will probably be wise for me to revise if I haven't heard back after 4 to 6 weeks and send queries to a new batch, and see how that one goes! "Keep Calm and Query On!"
  • My manuscript needs more work: if I were very impatient (which I don't think I have been) and didn't workshop my manuscript enough, or didn't put it away in a drawer for a couple of months after several revisions, as many suggest, I may reread it (after having mailed it out to every agent out there!) and kick myself when I see a bunch of changes I could've made.
  • As the ad copy for Botany men’s suits (1966) used to say “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”: Most agencies state that if one agent doesn't accept your MS submission, you should consider it an agency-wide rejection. To please not submit that MS to another of their agents, even if you've revised it. Smaller batches guarantee that I won't mess up big time. Better to strike out with a small batch than a huge one. Another thing I've learned along the way is that there are a lot of agents out in there! Sure, as in every field, some agents are better-known, but there also have to be many great ones who are not as known.

I would be lying if I said that that I haven't felt overwhelmed with regard to this process more than once...or many times. But I finally told myself that feeling overwhelmed wasn't going to get me anywhere soon, so I began my Excel sheet (I actually use Numbers for Mac) and started drawing up a list of a few agents that are now my "first batch". 

The one thing that has me a bit befuddled is the suggestion that I should not necessarily choose my "top choice agents" (brings back memories of college applications! I wonder if I can also speed up the process with a request for "early decision"?) for my first batch of query letters. I don't know much about agents to begin with, even after extensively researching many of them, let alone try to rank them based on something other than having a "feeling" that some might be a better match than others. I guess that would be reason number 5 for not making that "top list" your first query batch: you don't want to run the risk of messing up with the ones you most want to impress? (Did I mention that this process is overwhelming? Always remember: you're not alone about feeling this way. It's guaranteed to overload your noggin!). I still don't know how to fully figure this one out, really.

Here's what I've been doing to gather enough information about my first group of agents. I swear that this part of a writer's life is so time-consuming I could spend a year just doing this very thing, and not writing a single story. I have to admit that I enjoy this kind of information gathering, so as Kirby Larson once told me when I asked her "when do you know you've done enough research for your historical fiction?"...she said that research can be endless, but at some point you can just call it procrastination! Ah! There's a quote that says: "I put the Pro in Procrastinate!" I resemble that remark! So in conclusion: know when to stop, use what you've learned and move on to the next agent, or on to actually writing your query letters.

These are the places where I have been looking online for information about agents, and taking notes:

  1. Query Tracker:  I find this to be the most useful to check if an agent is open for queries or not.  That said, I'm sure it's useful in a myriad of other ways that I have yet to discover.
  2. The agency's website: most agency websites have a separate profile or bio for each of their agents. Many times these profiles will also include an agent's wish list, but not all of them do. Make sure you check out the "Submissions guidelines" page where you will learn what exactly to include in your query letter, what to send, if the agency accepts submissions by email, or if they have a query form you must fill out, or even if any or all of their agents are closed for submissions. Note to self: follow these guidelines to a tee. 
  3. Publisher's Marketplace: a good source of information about agents, their twitter handles, a list of clients, wish lists, and also information that mirrors the one on the agency's website. Again, there's probably much more, but I haven't dug deep enough!
  4. Google search: the results are mostly interviews or guest posts on author blogs; sometimes posts where readers have a chance to submit to that agent for a limited time; still other links might take you to an agent's website--some agents are also authors, which is great! What's nice about these interviews is that they tend to provide more personal information, not only professional.
  5. Social media search: I have often read how important it is to follow agents on Twitter to get a better sense of their voice, to read if they are sharing wishes for submissions, and to know who and what they are following themselves. On Facebook, I only request a connection if what I can see of the agent's Facebook page focuses on promoting kid lit topics, client books and other people's books, photos from conferences and expos, or their agency. If it looks like it's solely a personal page (or there are too many cat photos) I stay away from it. Better to "Like" the agency's page instead. I'm relatively new to Instagram, and although I have found agents with accounts, there are some that have accounts but are not posting...that doesn't mean they are not following others, though. Instagram is a great place for me to discover other illustrators. So that's the extent of my social media socializing! I'm an introvert by nature, so having added Twitter and IG to my daily routine of Facebook checking makes me feel like an electronic social butterfly. It's fun but mentally exhausting!
  6. Manuscript Wish List: a site where you can search for agents, and read their wishes for the kinds of manuscripts they want to receive in their inboxes. Not all the agents you search will appear (agents have to join to add their information), but sometimes through searches articles will pop up as options, and you might get distracted once again and read them instead of continuing your search. It's okay. As long as you're learning new stuff! (at least that's what a friend has told me could happen!) Also, look for #MSWL to find agent wishes.

I would estimate that it takes me a half hour to 45 minutes (maybe up to an hour--depends on the person) to get through researching one agent. Yes, I'm sure I get distracted frequently along the way ("Squirrel!"), but I want to make sure I have enough information to give me a sense of that particular agent, and to find out if there are tidbits that will provide me with any insights, common ground or shared interests.

During all this sleuthing, I have not hesitated to ask questions within a few communities I'm part of on Facebook about things I don't understand about the process of querying: KidLit 411, Storyteller Academy, or my chapter of SCBWI. If you've heard that the kidlit community is very supportive, you heard right. People are always willing and happy to share their insights and experiences, so go ahead...ask away!

Now that I have notes on 5 to 7 (or 8) agents who might be open to the type of stories I write, and with whom I think I could have a good working relationship, I celebrate a little, but I know this is not over yet! It's not a sprint, it's a marathon, or more like a 100K trail race up steep rocky mountains with lions and tigers and goats waiting to chase me!

Now it's time for me to take these notes and put them to work in my impressive, intriguing, awe-inspiring, mind-blowing query letters! (No pressure...whatsoever! Yikes!) But writing the query letter is a whole other blog post and...Look! Over there! It's a mountain goat! "Bleeeeeeh!" Run! And wish me luck!

 

ps. If you have read this whole thing and have additional suggestions based on your own agent search experiences, or have any questions, send me a message using the contact page.

pps. You might also find these links useful:

Author/illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi, (@inkyelbows) has created several Twitter lists that I found just the other day, and will come in handy when you want to find agents and editors to follow:

Agents kidlit/YA List and Kidlit/YA Editors List

Agent Query

Writer Beware

Thumbs Down Agencies List 

 

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