tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41285780803365994862024-03-05T23:51:36.505-05:00The Hunterdon County Children's Writers and Illustrators GroupWe are a diverse group of children's writers and illustrators with a common goal; Publication!Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-49451386130879119652010-03-18T10:29:00.002-04:002010-03-18T10:39:02.816-04:00Book Illustration Course by Lena Shiffman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNyDXypghcCjgUhX3k4-L_9zaQ4vErsGZuJZVC10TPX2E3ktJGLARyc6IXRE4f_XB3_dhV8AF2cj2no0pnOG5vTLqdGe5-tjZ1QWnmoh_mFKTPG9bPxmt5VeGMxfl-kJGN10LkdUhceQ/s1600-h/LSchiffman2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNyDXypghcCjgUhX3k4-L_9zaQ4vErsGZuJZVC10TPX2E3ktJGLARyc6IXRE4f_XB3_dhV8AF2cj2no0pnOG5vTLqdGe5-tjZ1QWnmoh_mFKTPG9bPxmt5VeGMxfl-kJGN10LkdUhceQ/s320/LSchiffman2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449983145058699282" /></a><div>Noted children's book illustrator, Lena Shiffman, is offering a course on Book Illustration at the Somerset Art Association in Bedminster beginning March 24th. The course consists of 6 classes to be held every Wednesday at 1 - 3:30 pm.</div><div>The course is geared for all level students and will cover many aspects of book illustration from storyboards and sketching through to finished illustration, working with deadlines, etc. Don't miss this terrific opportunity to learn with one of New Jersey's most talented illustrators!</div><div>But hurry and register - classes will be beginning soon!</div><div>Check out <a href="http://www.somersetart.org/pdf/2010SpringAdultClasses.pdf">Somerset Art Association's pdf</a> for full details, (scroll down to Wednesday Adult Classes), or you can call them at (908) 234-2345.</div>Jeannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664962648810401982noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-47326278633043673122010-02-15T21:41:00.004-05:002010-02-15T22:27:17.313-05:00Drive by ShootingNeed some inspiration to get your artist juices flowing this month? Take a look at this photo from a series of mine I like to call Drive by Shooting.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438677495653059362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bk5zpdYZ0Mr_BJx_9fMnEpcjhplLB9jPWTrFLS82VWx5km6SKbNjku4AizY1QULDxxylr4nNTXDTgROPdE7Zw1Cl_MSYBM9ut-h4APsDSOOWFpJRbpNrgj5rFx6eh3ENAO6xX9-EBevI/s200/downsized_0203000722.jpg" border="0" />Ask yourself the following questions before you put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, or brush to canvas.<br /><ol><li>What do you see when you look at this picture?</li><li>What do you think of?</li><li>What do you hear?</li><li>What do you feel?</li><li>What do you smell?</li><li>Whose <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">perspective</span> is this? </li></ol><p>Now take yourself out of this picture and ask all the same questions again but from <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">your new character's </span>perspective you think it's from. Is it a teenage girl on a reluctant journey? A scared boy running away from home? A puppy who lost his way? What is <strong><em>he </em></strong>thinking, feeling, seeing, hearing? What's locked him on this journey that's so out of focus? </p><p>If you feel safe enough to share, please feel free to leave it in the comment section. You have until March 1st. Good luck. And happy writing. </p>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-61571783083072195422009-11-05T12:24:00.013-05:002009-12-01T16:16:46.561-05:00NaNoWriMo Word-0-Meter<div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:180%;"><strong>Congratulations HCCyWIG NaNoWriMo participants! </strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:180%;"><strong>You all deserve a big round of applauds!!!!</strong></span> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">It's not the end result but what you learned along the way... Well done, Novel Group. I am so proud of all of us!<br /></div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="left">Anne Ehrhart 53,917<br /></div><a title="NaNoWriMo writing toys games & gadgets" href="http://www.languageisavirus.com/nanowrimo/word-meter.html" target="_blank"><div style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BACKGROUND: #ffffff; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; WIDTH: 200px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid; HEIGHT: 15px"><div style="FONT-SIZE: 8px; BACKGROUND: #6600ff; WIDTH: 108%; LINE-HEIGHT: 8px; HEIGHT: 15px"><br /></div></div><br /></a>53917 / 50000 words. 108% done!<br /><br />Christine Duval 38,115<br /><a title="NaNoWriMo writing toys games & gadgets" href="http://www.languageisavirus.com/nanowrimo/word-meter.html" target="_blank"><div style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BACKGROUND: #ffffff; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; WIDTH: 200px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid; HEIGHT: 15px"><div style="FONT-SIZE: 8px; BACKGROUND: #6600ff; WIDTH: 78%; LINE-HEIGHT: 8px; HEIGHT: 15px"><br /></div></div></a>39115 / 50000 words. 78% done!<br /><br />Felicia Chernesky 50,531<br /><a title="NaNoWriMo writing toys games & gadgets" href="http://www.languageisavirus.com/nanowrimo/word-meter.html" target="_blank"><div style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BACKGROUND: #ffffff; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; WIDTH: 200px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid; HEIGHT: 15px"><div style="FONT-SIZE: 8px; BACKGROUND: #6600ff; WIDTH: 101%; LINE-HEIGHT: 8px; HEIGHT: 15px"><br /></div></div></a>50531 / 50000 words. 101% done!<br /><br />Lynette Stone 916<br /><a href="http://www.languageisavirus.com/nanowrimo/word-meter.html" target="_blank"><div style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BACKGROUND: #ffffff; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; WIDTH: 200px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid; HEIGHT: 15px"><div style="FONT-SIZE: 8px; BACKGROUND: #6600ff; WIDTH: 7%; LINE-HEIGHT: 8px; HEIGHT: 15px"><br /></div></div><br /></a>916 / 12500 words. 7% done!<br /><br />Sheri Oshins 14,633<br /><a href="http://www.languageisavirus.com/nanowrimo/word-meter.html" target="_blank"><div style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BACKGROUND: #ffffff; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; WIDTH: 200px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid; HEIGHT: 15px"><div style="FONT-SIZE: 8px; BACKGROUND: #6600ff; WIDTH: 29%; LINE-HEIGHT: 8px; HEIGHT: 15px"><br /></div></div><br /></a>14633 / 50000 words. 29% done!<strong></strong>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-30058548520671992442009-11-03T14:47:00.004-05:002009-11-03T14:56:23.481-05:00Commence the Writing Frenzy!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6F5g7CwMw6jvwYufnKsj94lSEYS4nK6Qe55smIce-G4-vjeU1M7W7aqhcHVYB0h29ciRQv-2AUOo9_zE9nOmUeyLIIRtJ_a3CRk6OLHoO3RH-Zqgc2UKQSdI9-SjGWHtL84Mm0aKWv92N/s1600-h/Tattersall+Inn+10-2008+8.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399967996551417906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6F5g7CwMw6jvwYufnKsj94lSEYS4nK6Qe55smIce-G4-vjeU1M7W7aqhcHVYB0h29ciRQv-2AUOo9_zE9nOmUeyLIIRtJ_a3CRk6OLHoO3RH-Zqgc2UKQSdI9-SjGWHtL84Mm0aKWv92N/s200/Tattersall+Inn+10-2008+8.jpg" border="0" /></a>It's that time of year again, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.nanowrimo.org"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NaNoWriMo</span> </a>time. For those of you who do not recall. November is National Novel Writing Month. The makers of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">NaNo</span> issue a challenge to all novel writers to write 50,000 word in one month. And that time starts... NOW!<br /><div></div><br /><div>Not a novel writer? That's okay. You can use this challenge however you like. Perhaps you want to issue a challenge that you will write 10 new picture books this month or complete two dummies. It can't be an easy challenge or you won't take it seriously <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">and</span> you wont' be stretched beyond your limits. Whatever the challenge you set, it must be BIG. So think <span style="font-size:180%;">BIG</span>...</div><br /><div>My novel group is ALL taking on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">NaNo</span> challenge. I am so proud of them! How <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">about</span> your small group. Maybe you can all agree to challenge each other to cross some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">writery</span> finish line by November 30<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">th</span>. </div><br /><div>Let us know what your group comes up with... </div>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-72540522235898821042009-10-19T12:45:00.003-04:002009-10-19T12:49:00.044-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKKIJPPqT4xrl7klHUGtDubsYvRgeijzDsmLJ7du-0M3JNXo1hSeG9lMtCKSzUAmRSoisb8QhPHLuqDoIAWTxQXcM_huNz6P7cjiWz-H7tVQ6Kc9rJ-AB2SNtdV7a7rBsoDi_bUTrVwTq/s1600-h/books+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394353248865079554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKKIJPPqT4xrl7klHUGtDubsYvRgeijzDsmLJ7du-0M3JNXo1hSeG9lMtCKSzUAmRSoisb8QhPHLuqDoIAWTxQXcM_huNz6P7cjiWz-H7tVQ6Kc9rJ-AB2SNtdV7a7rBsoDi_bUTrVwTq/s200/books+001.jpg" border="0" /></a>Today, I was over at <a href="http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/spinellis-team-up-for-new-book/#comment-432">Kathy Temean's amazing blog </a>and was touched by inspiration on a day when I really needed a double espresso shot of some. Kathy's the RA for the <a href="http://www.newjerseyscbwi.com/first.shtml">NJ chapter of SCBWI.</a> We are so lucky, here in NJ, to have her as our fearless leader and awesome cheerleader.<br /><br />Well, today she was writing about a new book by <a href="http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/spinellis-team-up-for-new-book/#comment-432">Jerry and Eileen Spinelli entitled, Today I will</a>. It has inspirational quotes meant to inspire daily writing exercises, ending with a daily promise, Today I will...<br /><br />I fell in love with the idea of a daily promise.<br /><br />This made me stop and think. Because so far today, I was wasting it on negative chatter in my head. When I read her blog posting I thought to myself, Now wait a minute! Cut that out! I scolded myself, Would your daily promise be, Today I will beat myself up?<br /><br />No. Of course it wouldn't. We would never promise ourselves things like that, but I bet there are a few of you out there, like me, who do from time to time, unknowingly, spend the day with the negative voice in your head (No, I am not pschotic). I would even go so far as to say that WE ALL, from time to time, fill our heads with negative chatter and beat ourselves up over things we cannot change - essentially, wasting the day and our time. So, Kathy's blog made me Stop, Drop, and Write my daily promise. (I wonder if you can also write a promise of what you WON'T do).<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><u></u></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><u>Here are my promises for today...</u> </span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:130%;">Today I will write new pages to my WIP. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">Today I will meditate </span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">Today I will find peace and carry it with me </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">And I just have to do a NOT one...</span> <span style="font-size:130%;">Today I will NOT allow negative chatter to fill my head. </span></li></ul><span style="font-size:130%;"><p></span>Truthfully, you're only supposed to have one Today I Will per day, but once you start... it's like eating potato chips... </p><p>What's your daily promise for yourself today? </p><blockquote></blockquote><p align="left"><br />And while I'm here, I thought I'd remind those of you who might be sleeping under a rock or living in a cave....<br /></p><span style="font-size:180%;"></span><p align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">ONLY 13 MORE DAYS UNTIL NaNoWriMo!!!!<br /></p></span><p align="left">I am so excited.<br /></p><p align="left">My genius husband created this phenomenal Excel spreadsheet for me to keep track of my daily words, total words, percentage done, percentage remaining... It does everything but write the story for me. I think I am going to use NaNo for two things - one for my WIP just to get me to the end - so for that I won't do a 50,000 word challenge because I don't need it. AND either for the revision which I already started OR for a brandy-new story... I can't decide. It's like trying on shoes and making yourself buy only one pair. Impossible!</p>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-70685172797987480302009-09-10T10:41:00.003-04:002009-09-10T10:45:08.444-04:00Split PersonalityWoe is the artist… We artists struggle with many things –<br /><ul><li>How to make money while pursuing our art? </li><li>How to ignore the household chores so you can write without guilt?</li><li>How to ignore distractions like the telephone, long conversations with a good friend, email, blogging, etc. ?</li><li>Do I exercise now in this spare time or work on my novel?</li><li>Do I write this in present or past tense, in first or third person?</li><li>Is my pacing right, my tone, does my voice sound like a 40-year old or a 12-year old?</li><li>The dog is whining; Do I let him out again, or put him in his crate so he can stop distracting me!</li></ul><p>There are A LOT of things that get in our way but did you know that that is because there are two of you? </p><p><br />According to <a href="http://www.fsu.edu/profiles/butler/">Robert Olen Butler </a>from his book, <a href="http://www.fsu.edu/profiles/butler/">From Where You Dream; the Process of Writing Fiction,</a> there are two of you; the one you are aware of – the writer-self – and the one you might not be aware of – the nonwriter-self. </p><p>The writer-self says, I want to write! The nonwriter-self says, No I don’t. And that is the voice that tells you to do the dishes first, or fold the laundry, or let the dog out, or second-guess your every writer decision, or write this blog article instead of edit pages to send out for submission. </p><p>Now that you are aware of this saboteur you can look her right in the eyes and say, “CUT IT OUT! I mean it. I’m serious. I WANT TO WRITE,” and silence her once and for all. </p><p>Butler further goes on to say, writing, like all other art forms, must stay a sensual experience. Easier to do for dancers, musician, and artists, but not for writers whose art is words. So how does one create a sensual experience through words? Think of the five ways we experience emotions.</p><ol><li><strong><u>Sensual Reactions</u></strong> - be aware of where in the body the emotion is felt and what specifically is felt - a rise or fall in body temperature, heartbeat, muscle tension, neural changes...</li><li><strong><u>Sensual Response</u></strong> - be aware of how the sensual reactions are shown on the body - posture, gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and so forth.</li><li><strong><u>Experience Emotion through flashback</u></strong> - most of the times we are unaware of this because we do it so readily, but think about it... when you get upset about something, often times you get flashbacks of other times in the past you also felt like this. Sometimes it is an object that will bring you back to when you felt this way before. For example, you're angry with your mother because she always forgets to call you on your birthday. You have sensual reactions - maybe you get hot, hear a ringing in your ear. You have a sensual response - you stand with arms folded, foot tapping, shooting icy stares at the phone which never rings. And then you have the Emotional flashback as you stare at the phone - She always does this. Remember that time when I was 9. She said we'd go to Farrel's for dinner and the huge 12 scoop sundae. I waited by that damn olive green phone in the kitchen until the sun and moon switched places in the sky. By the time she got home, I was in bed and her breath smelled of wine and cigarettes once again. [this is just an example... my own mother would never do such a thing =] This flash back is key. It is quick, rooted in the present emotion but tells so much about both characters, triggered by an object in the present tying it to the past.</li><li><strong><u>Emotional Flash forward</u></strong> - this is like a flashback but it speaks of the future. It can speak of your characters hopes or fears. Let's take the above example again. Next year I turn 30. Will she forget me again, even then? No! Next year, I am going away on my birthday. Yeah. Just me and Flo. We'll get on that charter bus... no a plane. Yeah, we'll fly out of this one street light town to some tropical heaven where there are no phones and then it won't matter if she forgets because I won't be there to find out. In the flash forward we still learn a lot about our character. We learn about her tiny town, her dreams of leaving it behind, and learn there is a friend she might take with her. But the yearning is still there. She still yearns for her mother to notice her and love her.</li><li><strong><u>Sensual Selectivity</u></strong> - Butler says that at every moment we are accosted by sensual cues but when we experience an emotion we only allow a certain number of sensual cues in. What we see is our deepest emotional inner self. Again back to our example... Ugh rain clouds. Of course! Nothing but me and the lonely grey cloud above that follows me everywhere. Outside there are also flowers in bloom, leafy crowns on the trees, birds splashing in puddles but our MC can only see the lonely grey rain cloud because that cloud reflects her feelings, it's how she sees herself, and so she tunes out all the other sensual details and focuses only on the one that represents her emotions.</li></ol><p>I recommend adding this one to your bookshelf dedicated to writer How To's. I am on my second reading now. There were some parts that were not so helpful for me. But the parts that were have changed my writing forever.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc33cc;">Now let’s share. What are ways you tell the nonwriter-self within you to PIPE DOWN and let you write?</span></p>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-50768199574584033962009-07-13T19:36:00.002-04:002009-07-13T19:40:32.281-04:00Weekly Summer Writing Goals. Wanna Play???<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358093193423661890" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8rzyAtLzHxWCuwtbWZrxxNyYxmMR78G0bxqJFpi7CSqUnMVZ153FZfneBulNNwUCIYxcpuKNWPBwWZct6vyVlVu8xv-4XfFb3qov8pqXWLUZjlxJB9Vlr5ZQLRCdBS6C31-u5xiEWqVn/s200/doggies+2009+177.jpg" border="0" />It's back... <em><span style="font-size:180%;">Summer Goals.</span></em> If any of you would like to join in with me to keep each other motivated, inspired, and on-track, please join in in the comments section.<br /><br />What are <em><span style="font-size:180%;">Summer Goals?</span></em> Exactly what it sounds like. Every week you will set your writer's goal for the week. Maybe it's a word count. Maybe a revision. Maybe you need to cut words, etc. Whatever your goal, just state it and then tell us if you were able to accomplish last week's goal, why or why not.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><em>My turn...</em></span><br /><strong><u>Novel Title:</u></strong> OWE<br /><strong><u>Novel Draft:</u></strong> 1.6<br /><strong><u>Date:</u></strong> 7-13 -09<br /><br /><strong><u>What I Accomplished Last Week:</u></strong><br />Well, I posted my goals late (via email to fellow Summer Goals Writers) so I knew it was a lot to tackle in a short amount of time and so I am not surprised to admit that I did not reach my goal. I see now though, that my goal will remain my goal probably for many weeks, most likely the rest of July. I did read chapter 12 and saw it was laden with problems and so I began rewriting. I know, I know. I wasn't supposed to do that but it's better now and I feel better about that chapter. I noticed chapter 13 was far too long and so I divided it up into chapter 13 and my now chapter 14. I also really like my new chapter 13. This is where I stopped working due to a very busy and full weekend.<br /><br /><strong><u>Downside:</u></strong><br />Didn’t reach my goal. BLECH! It was really hard to flex my writing muscles after many months away from my novel. It was slow going at first to get in touch with my writing-self. I felt very low and overwhelmed like I will never, never, ever complete this novel. *whine* When life takes you away from your desired goal and you come back to it after months away, the task feels HUGE and unobtainable. I do feel better now and I know if I just keep at it, I will eventually, sooner or later (hopefully sooner) finish my novel. But it is so hard to get back on track after a long hiatus. It truly is like exercising. (Speaking of… yeah, I should begin doing that again too!) *Sigh*<br /><br /><strong><u>Upside:</u></strong><br />Once I did get in touch with the writer-part of myself, it felt very good. And even though I shouldn't have been writing new pages (according to last week's goal), it was good to be writing anyway. I feel chapters 12 and 13 are exciting and move the story forward. It felt so good to write again.<br /><p><strong><u>Goal for this week:</u></strong> </p><ul><li>Re-familiarize myself with my outline; add, delete, change accordingly </li><li>Continue to re-familiarize myself with my story by reading current pages from chapter 14 on </li><li>Edit as little as possible (if possible) </li><li>Try to keep chapters to 5 - 6 pages each. Divide chapters where necessary</li></ul>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-15975084646958444912009-07-10T11:26:00.004-04:002009-07-10T11:39:17.498-04:00Children's Book Glossary<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxgJlnreh1plPlxXV77TgStSZQdZ5R6aA44LgmJ7A869X0ZMrVJ-FU2RFBS9mCapm011_BLBoU1vHgHn4ljFOR_zk3biKJJC4A0U9uv9QxJOgaAuaD5y92BAcxaFfkjM75ESPW3sM3Jg/s1600-h/purplecrayon.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 35px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxgJlnreh1plPlxXV77TgStSZQdZ5R6aA44LgmJ7A869X0ZMrVJ-FU2RFBS9mCapm011_BLBoU1vHgHn4ljFOR_zk3biKJJC4A0U9uv9QxJOgaAuaD5y92BAcxaFfkjM75ESPW3sM3Jg/s400/purplecrayon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356855494920682082" /></a><br />Whether a newbie at children's book writing and learning basic terminology or someone more experienced, it always pays to have a handy reference for the many terms in the field we encounter. Have you ever found yourself wondering ... what is back matter? What's the big deal about Bologna? (and no, it doesn't have a first name.) And exactly how is a graphic novel defined?<div>Wonder no more! Simply refer to Harold Underdown's all-encompassing <a href="http://www.underdown.org/cigglossary.htm">glossary of publishing terms and jargon</a> from his book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books." In addition, Underdown's web site, <a href="http://www.underdown.org/">The Purple Crayon</a>, will provide a wealth of information on writing and publishing in this field. There are sections which not only define the different genres, but have entire articles on them, as well as ongoing updates of which editors and agents are moving where, plus a just-revised section on the state of children's publishing in the current economy. </div><div>Lots to read and learn ...</div><div>Jeanne</div>Jeannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664962648810401982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-2569774956836010702009-07-03T17:32:00.002-04:002009-07-03T17:35:16.954-04:00NJ SCBWI Events - 2009/2010I've posted information about our events for the 2009/2010 season. Remember that most of our events sell out, so register early. If you have any questions, give me a holler.<br /><a href="http://www.newjerseyscbwi.com/allevents.shtml">http://www.newjerseyscbwi.com/allevents.shtml</a><br />LaurieUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-8952494638656013512009-06-17T12:06:00.004-04:002009-06-17T15:28:49.436-04:00Agent Panel Discussion from the 2009 NJ SCBWI June Conference<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDm09ZI2Pupd7JIVsg4nxZ5iLprNmYeHJirJVr2Dqvuf7jVXbJwJlwN_k5vJdAgrnxdM78FrLK7SkLf5hyphenhypheng5GA36WGF96Y8WjzhPemqBKD-Y2fa2i2zVe1eFDrNBdbixkhZW5oygqNqBoR/s1600-h/Oliver+June+17,+2009+028.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348379472329269362" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDm09ZI2Pupd7JIVsg4nxZ5iLprNmYeHJirJVr2Dqvuf7jVXbJwJlwN_k5vJdAgrnxdM78FrLK7SkLf5hyphenhypheng5GA36WGF96Y8WjzhPemqBKD-Y2fa2i2zVe1eFDrNBdbixkhZW5oygqNqBoR/s200/Oliver+June+17,+2009+028.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1o5wsnPHvube9YRzDaKeuWBNG3WLg3dAoF9PxZYJYfc3JjbaOK-lIlpFFUWgjp_vzrp3FK40LeG-a4Gk2NeXkWCH4gmUxh56MbdxwoV3OqkZ0wEs3FGbEKMwgOi2xIR8v3LqZAx02wLYe/s1600-h/Oliver+June+17,+2009+014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348379332633664482" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1o5wsnPHvube9YRzDaKeuWBNG3WLg3dAoF9PxZYJYfc3JjbaOK-lIlpFFUWgjp_vzrp3FK40LeG-a4Gk2NeXkWCH4gmUxh56MbdxwoV3OqkZ0wEs3FGbEKMwgOi2xIR8v3LqZAx02wLYe/s200/Oliver+June+17,+2009+014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Oliver, our newest family member at 8 weeks<br /></span></div><div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">If you couldn't attend this year's NJ SCBWI June Conference but would still like to learn about it, go to my <a href="http://sheriperloshins.blogspot.com/">blog</a>. I will be posting take-aways, golden nuggets of inspiration, and more from this year's conference. </span></div><div><div><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:180%;">My most recent posting is from the <a href="http://sheriperloshins.blogspot.com/2009/06/agent-panel-discussion-from-2009-nj.html">Agent Panel Q & A Discussion. </a></span></div><div><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:180%;">Thanks, everyone!</span></div><div><br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wNx0O7bBV_rHVMwnE-gOeHZzZeRbZiervWzFuAV0YWVnF2LvUwxxZxMbtD7uxPVY_rRNAFkKt7L-st59Zh2DLVJSr2vjV0L-IM7NAjt_NJhmt3pVmWUUtU8z7ZSl-ag46-trFdcqvrKV/s1600-h/Oliver+June+17,+2009+022.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348380273735657826" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wNx0O7bBV_rHVMwnE-gOeHZzZeRbZiervWzFuAV0YWVnF2LvUwxxZxMbtD7uxPVY_rRNAFkKt7L-st59Zh2DLVJSr2vjV0L-IM7NAjt_NJhmt3pVmWUUtU8z7ZSl-ag46-trFdcqvrKV/s200/Oliver+June+17,+2009+022.jpg" border="0" /></a></p></div>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-50013821083079641712009-05-01T09:10:00.003-04:002009-05-01T09:15:30.996-04:00Would You Believe?PHEW! What a whirlwind March and April were. So, where have I been? Would you believe I was abducted by aliens? No. How about I found myself falling through a mirror to the lost city of Lemuria (Atlantis' twin lost city - a little <a href="http://www.pjhoover.com/books.php">PJ Hoover's The Emerald Tablet</a> for you). No, you don't buy that either... Hmmm, let's see... OK, I know. I was walking through the woods when I decided to follow this hawk and became terribly lost in an unfamiliar, unfriendly forest. No, that's in my book.<br /><div> </div><div>OK, truth be told... I was here all along but under siege of fast and furious freelance writing jobs. Before leaving for Florida, I thought I was going to burst a blood vessel in my temporal lobe! I have NEVER been under so much pressure. But hey, I am not complaining! It's good to be busy and good to have a job at a time like this. So, am I back? Yes. But, it won't be as predictable as I normally am - blogging every week. Instead, I am going to have to blog when the window opens. I think things are becoming more manageable. </div><br /><div>In order to better balance my freelance, my speculative novel, and my blog, I am beginning a new bi-monthly feature. I am hoping it will keep us connected, hone our writing skills, and maybe help keep up my blog during this crazy run better than I've been lately. </div><br /><div>But, before I go into more detail about this new bloggy venture, I need to spread the linky love to a dear friend, mentor, talented writer and artist, and NJ's own SCBWI Regional Advisor - <a href="http://www.kathytemean.com/">Kathy Temean</a>. Kathy's just joined the blog-o-sphere and I'd love it if we all give her a warm welcome by visiting her amazing site. Kathy offers a plethora of reliable information. She knows many agents, editors, and publishers. She gives good advice and knows her stuff! <a href="http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/">So check her out...</a></div><br /><div>So what's my new bloggy column about??? Well, I am combining my two areas of interest, photography and writing. I am going to post a new picture prompt every two weeks, I will put up a picture and ask that you free write about the photo in my comments section. Let's make some rules though... Hmmm, let's see... Actually, it's only 1 rule. It should only take you 5 minutes. There, that's my only rule, for now. Feel free to write poetry, something for children, something for adults, the beginnings of an idea maybe for a novel... whatever comes to your head in five minutes and leave it in the comment section. Feel free to also comment on the off-the-cuff writing samples left there as well. </div><br /><div>Let's get started. Here is our first picture... <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330843197186472498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOyS3cJOxR9K50Mg7cl1yPIIPc6XNSPbkzKjNzjSRKnufGI7GrCg-2PEYbPn3Y0YV-nPKkT9khyKKvEH0iyLC25km9B0dmPqeM3bCwVufrEpAjr47OrjQRZXqJh428ageOSDCLeELhea1/s200/doggies+2009+155.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>You have two weeks to submit your five minute stories or beginnings of a story. So, May 14th. Hope you'll play along...<br /></div><div>Glad to be back!<br /></div><div>Happy Writing,<br />Sheri</div>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-14817179289547309992009-02-07T20:21:00.006-05:002009-02-07T20:51:03.027-05:00Flash Fiction Contest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGMu1KQW7KOvImpf3mwNAwOz3iEbaZdKgYlghgk3ep1R0FARGIudxyeKp9iTmoSSeOs8FS6jilqZomv5rSUskWJM4_F2aar1GdqiNWXVgFCyMlEbNBppMa7WjsNG49FHR1-EINKtUI896/s1600-h/new+pictures+189.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300237435852131650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGMu1KQW7KOvImpf3mwNAwOz3iEbaZdKgYlghgk3ep1R0FARGIudxyeKp9iTmoSSeOs8FS6jilqZomv5rSUskWJM4_F2aar1GdqiNWXVgFCyMlEbNBppMa7WjsNG49FHR1-EINKtUI896/s200/new+pictures+189.jpg" border="0" /></a> Our Feb 15th event is just a week away. It is going to be fabulous, if I do say so myself. I am so excited to meet some of our new members and to see some familiar faces.<br /><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left">We have lots of fun games planned and I imagine the library will never have been so loud and raucous. </div><div><br /></div><div align="left">We are even having a flash fiction contest. Flash Fiction is a short piece of work that is a complete story. It must have a beginning, middle, end, conflict, and resolution. Have you begun working on your piece? </div><div><br /></div><div align="left">Here are the rules and some questions answered...</div><ol><li><div align="left">Your short fiction piece cannot exceed 250 words, not even by a single word. This INCLUDES the words from the sentence starter, but DOES NOT include the words in your title.</div></li><li><div align="left">It must contain, a beginning, middle, end, problem, and a resolution</div></li><li><div align="left">It must begin with these two sentences…<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">It wasn't that Harley was afraid. Not exactly</span></div></li><li><div align="left">Your story must fit into one of the following categories….<br /><strong><em>humor, thriller, fantasy, realistic fiction, or historic fiction.</em></strong></div></li><li><div align="left">It can be written for any age range: picture book, chapter book, middle grade novel, tween novel, young adult novel.</div></li></ol><p align="left"><u><span style="font-size:130%;">You must:</span></u><br /><br /></p><ol><li><div align="left">Print and bring <strong>two copies. </strong>One copy will be read aloud by a volunteer (other than yourself) and one copy will be on display for votes.</div></li><li><div align="left">DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON YOUR COPIES</div></li><li><div align="left">On the top of your submission, include your <strong>title</strong>, <strong>word count</strong>,<strong> intended age range</strong>, and <strong>genre</strong> (but again, no name) For ex. </div></li></ol><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>Clash of Thunder</em>, 250 words, middle grade, horror</span></strong> </div><p align="left">There will be two winners per category, a 1st place and 2nd place. All winners will choose from a variety of prizes.</p><p align="left">Prizes include:<br />A gift certif. to Wegmans<br />A gift certif. to Zanya's Day Spa<br />Bottles of wines<br />How to books<br />A candle basket<br />An illustrators gift basket<br />And more.</p><p align="left">Please do not wrap gifts so winners can see the items in order to make their selection.</p><p align="left">Each member can only enter the contest once. Sorry. </p><p align="left">If you will be unable to attend, you can still place your flash fiction piece here under the comments sections, but winners and prizes will only be chosen by those who attend. Still, it is a great exercise and I hope you give it a shot!</p>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-25592402162373549872009-02-04T23:06:00.006-05:002009-02-04T23:26:46.696-05:002009 Winner of the Tomie DePaola Portfolio Award goes to...<em><span style="font-size:130%;">Congratulations to our very own...<br /></span></em><div></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.leezaworks.com/">Leeza Hernandez</a>!!!</span></div><br /><div align="left">Leeza was named the winner of the 2009 Tomie DePaola Portfolio Award at this year's NYC SCBWI Winter Conference. I know Leeza must still be floating in the stratosphere somewhere but she floated down briefly to tell me what winning felt like to her...</div><div align="left"><blockquote></blockquote><em>After the shock and delight of receiving the award, I think I truly felt like winning was a sign that I was finally on the right track. I've spent the past few years wondering where I could fit in, what my style was, where I was headed, and even if children's books was the right path for me. For the past twelve months though, this has all started to come together and shown me my desires and passions for working in children's literature. I spent many an early day and late night sketching, painting, doodling, researching, networking, crying and illustrating -- and somewhere in that time, everything clicked. To have two such prestigious names in the children's book world -- legendary Tomie dePaola and Penguin Putnam's art director Cecilia Yung -- describe my work as "Fresh" and "Superlative" is the icing on the cake. I cannot express my gratitude enough to them or to everyone who has been a part of my life since I began this wonderful journey. The feeling is simply AWESOME!</em> <blockquote></blockquote>I am so very proud of Leeza's growth, determination, and stamina! And I admire her talent and positive disposition in life and art. I feel very lucky to know her, to be her friend, and to know that she is my friend too, and to have her a part of HCCyWIG.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299160716951996066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 139px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Tc_5seWpmt1tNuISSdAdQc7AxA7OitUXMjBLNYaWwBXxU8PuAf2078Wc_2c1ISG4mr0qtzLJcCRI6W_qdgKYR6HoXvHYrCpeYWJGYWGG0zjrcWeweJRO74PUPvXr1qaQ-WE7WfO1t57j/s200/Leeza's+Alice.bmp" border="0" /></div><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">Please join me in congratulating Leeza in this awe inspiring accomplishment! </span></p><p>Always remember, if you stick with it, eventually, you will break in!</p>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-86639916315677837192009-01-12T10:26:00.004-05:002009-01-12T10:44:22.187-05:00Writer's Resolutions 2009Happy New Year!<br /><br />Hope you all had a great holiday and maybe even caught up on some needed and well deserved R&R. Of course, you know with a new year comes resolutions. But I am not speaking about resolutions to lose weight or exercise more… Those are important goals too. After all, your health IS important. But I am speaking about my favorite kind of resolutions - Writer's Resolutions of course!<br /><br />Whether it be to sell a magazine article, finish three dummies in the year, or polish your manuscript, setting goals is the first step to obtaining them. Without setting a goal in writing, it is too easy to forget or forgo. Something magical happens when you put something in writing. We all know this - after all, we're all writers! But when you put something in writing, you automatically become accountable. Don't know where to start? Start small and obtainable.<br /><br />Feel free to borrow any of these goals if you can't come up with your own…<br /><ol><li>Make a space that is just for you and your writing. A place where you and only you go to write. </li><li>Decide on an amount of time you will try to write each day or each week. For example…. <em>I will write two hours five days a week, rain or shine.</em> Or… <em>I will write ten hours a week.</em></li><li>Some novelists like to work with word count instead of time. So maybe your goal could be… <em>This year I will strive to write 5,000 a week.</em> (Believe me, that goes fast! Take it from a past <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">NaNoWriMo</span> contestant!)</li><li>Maybe you've had a novel (harrumph!) you've been working on for quite sometime so your goal is to (once and for all, for crying out loud, G-d willing) finish the (darn!) thing.</li><li>Maybe it's to read more books in your sub-genre… <em>This year I will read 20 books in my field. </em></li><li>Maybe it's to test your book to a live audience… <em>This year I will reach out to schools or libraries to see if I can read my books to a classroom and test it out on a live audience. </em></li><li>Or here's my favorite… <em><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>I will treat my writing like a business and be present each day, ready to work as if my livelihood depends on it.</strong></span></em></li></ol><p>Whatever your dreams are, turn them into goals. And then watch your goals become reality! </p><p><span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">February 15<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> is going to be a fun day.</span> </strong></span>Don't forget to <span style="color:#ff6666;"><strong>RSVP by Jan 15</strong></span>. This event will be catered and we will play lots of games and get to know all our new members. Plus, there will be door prizes! If you have not <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">RSVP'd</span>, do it today!</p><p>Thanks everyone! </p><p>Sheri Happy Writing! </p>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-75245277076532988962008-12-06T22:08:00.003-05:002008-12-06T22:13:00.899-05:00Our next Illustrator MeetingWe are all set for our next Illustrator meeting on Monday Dec. 8.*<br /><br />Please bring: <br />Your goals from the last meeting; portfolios; dummies; questions and oodles of creativity for Monday night's discussion.<br /><br />Topics to be discussed: Finding a style (but maybe you have more than one); Achievements from 2008 and where to head for 2009 plus preparing for upcoming conferences.<br /><br />See you there 6:30pm sharp!<br /><br /><br />* This meeting is open to HCCWiG members ONLY.Leeza Hernandez Illustratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00106986854087354103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-40408779698539233232008-12-01T20:20:00.008-05:002008-12-01T20:33:50.472-05:00FINAL WORD COUNT FOR NANOWRIMO<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274999170109744290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrUj-ziBuyJVpx-M6aTXwv_3647A3KpqGRx72SDanl2BUN4n1p5HGu79U1XUsmB8QJw2_BjEgl_mcPSA4iUj9OKzulw2lY5FrMzOT7zXQ4GM_eY0KF3cd5_N6totJ5iHALDRSQfwXMVlR/s200/November+12,+2008+011.jpg" border="0" />Drum roll please........<br /><br /><div><div align="left">If I count all words in this draft at this point, the total count is......<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:180%;">40,829</span></strong></div><div align="left"><br />However, about 7,000 of those words are from a few chapters from my last version that I need to rewrite, but have now run out of time. So, if I only count all the words written from Nov 1 - 30 and don't count those two or three chapters I haven't rewritten yet, than my final word count is......</div><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:180%;"><strong>33,016</strong></span> </div><div align="left"><br />But, I am not upset at all that I didn't reach the goal of 50,000 words. I never thought I would meet that goal, although there was a moment when I did believe it was attainable. I have learned far too much to feel sad. I have learned I can... </div><br /><div align="left">...write through fatigue<br /></div><div align="left">...write through pain<br /></div><div align="left">...write through a cold </div><div align="left">...write through sick children<br /></div><div align="left">...write through sleepless nights<br /></div><div align="left">...write after working with 3 year olds<br /></div><div align="left">...write while my family is home and doing loud activities<br /></div><div align="left">...write in the car with the radio on and the kids in the back seat watching a movie (My husband was driving... Oh and I cannot, however, write while my DH sings. Sorry, THAT is too much of a distraction for me!) </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">~But most of all, I have learned that I can finish this book and that I will finish this book.<br /></div><div align="left">~I have learned that 50,000 words is reachable and that my story will probably wind up being longer than 50,000 words. </div><br /><div align="left">I have learned a good set of earphones do a lot more than block out sound. They also work like blinders on a horse and help me to zero in my focus. </div><br /><div align="left">I have also learned not to share your story before it is finished and never, never, EVER revise until YOU ARE DONE! Repeat after me.... NEVER, EVER, EVER REVISE UNTIL YOU ARE DONE! </div><br /><div align="left">Writing my first novel has been a real up hill battle, learning simultaneously about my novel as I am learning how to write one! Not an easy task at all. But I love what I do. I can't not (double negative, I know...) do what I do. And one day I will make money doing what I do. I believe in my story and I believe in my dedication. </div><br /><div align="left">I would recommend NaNo to everyone and anyone who will listen. My suggestions are... </div><ol><li><div align="left">write an outline before Nov 1. Write several. A long, detailed one and a short one. My long one was 31 pages full of detail - what characters were in that chapter, what props, what's foreshadowed, what was the mini conflict, mini resolution, and "disaster" that kept forever pulling my MC to that point of no return, or what I like to call the journey... My short outline was 2 pages long and basically was a few short words - no more than 3 - just sighting he crux of each chapter.</div></li><li><div align="left">Do your research before November 1</div></li><li><div align="left">Tell members of your writing group, you will not be sharing pages for the month of November</div></li></ol><p align="left">I want to thank all of you for following my journey and for cheering me on through this process. It was such a thrill to know you were all there behind me and I was behind all of my fellow NaNo writers as well. </p><p align="left"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><em>My story will not reach The End at word 50,000. And although NaNoWriMo is over, many of us are not done. So, join me in setting a new goal - to reach 50,000 words or the end of your story by December 31st. Let's ring in the New Year with new MSs. So, whose with me?</em></strong> </span></p><p align="left">Again, from the bottom of this writer's heart... thank you! December 31st, here we come!</p></div>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-58642890717917415582008-11-12T23:20:00.003-05:002008-11-12T23:24:45.111-05:00NaNoWriMo Day Twelve<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbS09FgKN7wlp17-XYDY4Hrwsnr1picJyAYDmpk0rFKTEyjtpoXxyMNNYcMNQCZUkrDtvs4Cg2_VTEqFeb2wp9hLLrkH_ZcxO8WlKoly9Bjjzatrj_NTY5SgbM33lQT5nX8uYwkj3VJGF/s1600-h/November+12,+2008+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267992509508605970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbS09FgKN7wlp17-XYDY4Hrwsnr1picJyAYDmpk0rFKTEyjtpoXxyMNNYcMNQCZUkrDtvs4Cg2_VTEqFeb2wp9hLLrkH_ZcxO8WlKoly9Bjjzatrj_NTY5SgbM33lQT5nX8uYwkj3VJGF/s200/November+12,+2008+003.jpg" border="0" /></a> And so an elm fell in love with a maple<br />and were locked in an<br />everlasting embrace.<br /><blockquote></blockquote><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#6600cc;"><strong>NaNoWriMo Day Twelve Word Count</strong></span> </div><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#6600cc;">Goal:</span></strong> 1945 daily words </div><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#6600cc;">Actual:</span></strong> 2043 daily words; 15002 total words; 30% done! </div><div align="left"><br /> </div><div align="left"><strong><span style="color:#6600cc;">Downside:</span></strong> I caught a bad case of the "let's read all my previous pages" bug today and completely lost track of time re-reading and revising! I was stuck, I tell you, stuck! I couldn't help myself. I felt like I couldn't remember all that I had previously written and so I couldn't write forward without first reading back. It's a bad habit, -- the way, I'm used to writing... First, revise yesterday's pages and then writing forward. I'm what I like to call a two-stepper. Only, I didn't just read yesterdays pages...<br /><br />It all started because I was critiqued last night on the first four chapters of this WIP. Originally, I wasn't going to let anyone read it until it was finished and I'd had a chance to revise it. But these ladies have read my story since the very beginning and I wanted to hear if they thought, this new angle and new voice was putting my story on the right track. Their answer was 'yes,' happily.<br /><br />I saw the piles of MSs on my desk this morning, and I tried to ignore them. I told myself to put them in my binder and read them December 1st. But they called me. They beckoned me. They taunted me with their remarks in the margins and squiggly editorial marks. And like not being able to turn away from an accident scene, I was pages deep suddenly in revisions!!!<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#6600cc;">Highlight:</span></strong> With that said.... I still managed to eek out 2043 words today, bringing my total word count up to 15,002 words!!!! *party horns sound* *confetti falls* I also felt very overwhelmed still that I was behind and kept saying, well, I should be at 20,000 words today. I should have written 6,000 words in order to catch up. And then I said, wait a minute... There are still 18 days left. 15,002 words subtracted from 50,000 words is 34,998 words divided over 18 days = 1944.3333 words a day, or just 1945. I really think that's possible! For the first time, I REALLY feel like I can do this! Like I can finish this novel. It might not be polished. It might have a lot of repetition and cliches, but I can write 50,000 words in 30 days! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...<br /><br />Time is yet to tell, but I am feeling very positive and very good. And this NaNoWriMo business is AWESOME!!!!</div></div>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-30966073447769028272008-11-03T15:53:00.001-05:002008-11-03T15:54:50.856-05:00NaNoWriMo Day ThreeToday was a bit harder, only because I had a short time to write in the morning before having to go to the dentist. Then I had a short time to write before my kids got home from school, while I was still in a bit of pain and exhausted from the who dentist thing. Still, I managed to eek out over 1,000 words, so I am happy.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#3333ff;"><strong>NaNoWriMo Day Three Word Count</strong></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Goal:</strong></span> 1667 daily words or 5001 total word count for the three days<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Actual:</strong></span> 1516 daily words, 6072total word count<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Highlight:</strong></span> I was in some uncharted territory today and that was exciting. The chapter I worked on today, was not just a re-write, but it included a lot of new material I added from my writer's retreat into my outline. Also, the highlight was just having a deadline. I love a deadline. I work very well with ridiculous deadlines. They make me push myself and work against pain and fatigue. If I didn't have this deadline, I wouldn't have written at all today. I probably would have taken some Motrin and a nap after the dentist, but instead I wrote. That feels great!<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Downside:</strong></span> I didn't make my 1667 words for the day, but I am still ahead of the total word count needed for the first three days by 1,071 words, so I am not too upset about it. I'm off to a good start and I feel great. And yes, the NaNo website is still super slow!Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-75446649563223421532008-11-02T13:22:00.001-05:002008-11-02T13:25:21.635-05:00NaNoWriMo Day TwoSo far, this is exactly what I needed to kick my butt into gear. My family has been amazingly supportive, keeping the house quiet so I can write. Yesterday my DH took the kindelah out of the house so it would be super quiet.<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Goal:</strong></span> 1667 daily words or 3334 total word count<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Actual:</strong></span> 2577 daily words, 4554 total word count<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Highlight:</strong></span> Fixing some things that were missing, wrong, or needing deletion from my 1.5 draft. Being VERY AWARE this time around of SHOWING and not TELLING.<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Downside:</strong></span> The downside remains the NaNo site itself. When it is time to update my NaNo word count, the site is excruciatingly slow and it doesn't show yesterday's word count at all. I mean it does on "My NaNo," (when I can get to that page) but not at the top right on the home page... I guess someone has to verify, and how can they when I still can't cut and paste my scrambled text in that spot... ARGH!<br /><br />But I don't want to end on a sour note, so I will repeat my total word count instead...<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#000099;"><strong>4554 words in two days!</strong></span></div>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-47193908039365888442008-11-02T13:15:00.004-05:002008-11-02T13:21:35.268-05:00NaNoWriMo Day OneFollow my journey through the NaNoWriMo challenge to write 50,000 words in one month. If you are also taking the NaNo challenge, please post your progress too.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">NaNoWriMo Day One Word Count</span></strong></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><span style="font-size:180%;"></span><br /></span><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Goal:</strong></span> 1,667 words<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Actual:</strong></span> 1,977 words<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Highlight:</strong></span> Passing my goal with ease<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Downside:</strong></span> Can you say S l O W . . . The NaNoWriMo site could not have been slower. I think I grew old waiting for pages to open. And I couldn't download my daily excerpt for verification. At first, I was not going to download my text for fear of stealing, etc. But then I figured out how to scramble my text so I thought, maybe I will download today's writing. However, I couldn't get my cursor to even click on that spot. Did anyone else have this problem.<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Question for NaNo Writers:</strong></span> Are you going to download your excerpt each day for word count verification?Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-2517843956753282842008-10-15T19:53:00.017-04:002008-10-15T20:29:05.635-04:00November is National Novel Writer's Month<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoeRqYblOu6uyrIFSjRaJbk9b3oQox6t3ssJAgSz0LR_EB8xB2HBg9HycN-IfEO8SQjC5QaZcH6sDF24eAEtsReUfuGUAM9PC42ThIUvDoPbG_T-LglFSmM57X00UPm1Can9II4OIg-5j/s1600-h/Tattersall+Inn+10-2008+8.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257538871428494082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoeRqYblOu6uyrIFSjRaJbk9b3oQox6t3ssJAgSz0LR_EB8xB2HBg9HycN-IfEO8SQjC5QaZcH6sDF24eAEtsReUfuGUAM9PC42ThIUvDoPbG_T-LglFSmM57X00UPm1Can9II4OIg-5j/s200/Tattersall+Inn+10-2008+8.jpg" border="0" /></a> Did you know, November is National Novel Writing Month? Well, it is and our friends over at <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a> organize a novel writing contest each year for the month of November. But this is no ordinary contest.<br /><div></div><br /><div>This contest is really a contest against your own stamina, dedication, and will to hash out a story and not care about anything other then word count. If you've been trying to finish that novel, or wanting to begin one, or have always thought about writing one, now's the perfect time and NaNoWriMo can help you reach your goal. </div><br /><div>See, their goal is for your to flesh out your story beginning on Nov 1 and reach 50,000 words by November 30. Sound daunting? Well, the thing is, they don't want you to care one iota about quality, <em><strong>just quantity</strong></em>. They want you to write, and write freely. Don't stop yourself to edit or go back to revise, just write forward... push yourself to write, write, write the whole month through. You can use this time between now and Nov 1 to write notes, an outline, a sketch, etc. But pages begin on Nov 1. </div><br /><div>Each day, you will post your total word count and a small excerpt. You will get to read buddies' entries and your buddies will get to read yours. (You accept who your buddies are) You will each cheer each other on to that 50,000 word finish line. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><u><span style="color:#0000ff;"></span></u> </div><div><u><span style="color:#0000ff;"></span></u> </div><div><u><span style="color:#0000ff;"></span></u> </div><div><u><span style="color:#0000ff;"></span></u> </div><div><u><span style="color:#0000ff;"></span></u> </div><div><u><span style="color:#0000ff;"></span></u> </div><div><u><span style="color:#0000ff;">Cindy Pon </span></u>used NaNo to get over the "middle" hump of her story, <em>Silver Phoenix</em>, and now it is waiting to hit book stores! I am not saying that what she wrote was publishable when NaNo was over. Because, again, beautiful prose is not the objective of NaNo. But she used NaNo to get her <em>unstuck</em> and to reach her personal goal of completing her then, first novel. She then spent the next year, or so, polishing it until it finally sold and incidentally, Cindy has currently sold another two book deal. She will be using NaNo to help write a rough copy of the Sequel to Silver Phoenix and her story has inspired me to get me over my "middle" hump of my story. </div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Won't you join me? We can cross that finish line together!</div><br /><div>To give you a brief idea what 50,000 words are... One page, in correct formatting, is about 300 words, depending on if the page is heavy in dialogue or narration (narration would be wordier). So, 50,000 words is about 166 pages and the average length of, I believe, an early to mid-level MG novel. </div><br /><div>I just signed up today. I am nervous and not sure if I will reach the goal of 50,000 words in one month, but as long as I am writing, the word count doesn't really matter to me. I have been striving to finish my current WIP for a long time now and I am going to use NaNo as a tool for me to reach my goal of hashing out large chunks of my story I have really been struggling to write. </div><br /><div>So, the folks at NaNo might have a goal for each of us to reach 50,000 words, but I have my own goal. In other words, don't let the word count scare you. Let NaNo be a goal for you to just get that burning novel out. And if you decide to sign up, let me know what your user name is so we can sign up as buddies for one another and cheer each other on. </div><br /><div>Good luck my wordy friends and write, write, write!</div><br /><div>XO, Sheri</div>Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-40930617727782010642008-10-09T23:12:00.004-04:002008-10-09T23:35:22.081-04:00Alan Gratz on MG novels vs YASo, a lot of us have wondered from time to time if our novels should target an MG or YA audience. We wonder, how can we really know? What are the differences? Where is the line drawn in the sand?<br /><br />We hear a lot of conflicting info that makes us ponder, and question, and agonize over this... am I writing for a 9 - 12 year old or a 13 - 17 year old? And what really is the difference? What can I write about for a 13 year old, that I can't for a 12 year old? And what about this "new" age range, the '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tweens</span>????<br /><br />Sometimes the lines are very blurry and it's hard to truly know. If you attended the June conference for NJ <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">SCBWI</span>, then you might have heard the editors discuss this new age range, the '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">tweens</span>, which is really the grey area, bridging MG and YA, and more specifically, meant for the later end of the MG spectrum - kids who want to be a teen, but aren't ready 100% to let go of childhood.<br /><br />Well, <a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/">Beth <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Revis</span>, over at Writing it Out</a>, has recently sat down with YA author Alan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Gratz</span> to ask him these burning <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">questions</span> on behalf of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">novelists</span> everywhere. She attended one of his workshops and then interviewed him on his career and the YA industry. Alan did a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">superb</span> job answering all her questions (and one of mine too).<br /><br />To follow her 4 part discussion of the workshop, the interview and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">the</span> answer to the 'tween market, follow the below links...<br /><a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/2008/10/conference-notes-alan-gratz-on-ya-vs-mg.html">Part 1</a>; What's the Difference<br /><a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/2008/10/conference-notes-alan-gratz-on-ya-vs-mg_06.html">Part 2</a>; Challenges in YA vs MG<br /><a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/2008/10/conference-notes-alan-gratz-on-ya-vs-mg_07.html">Part 3</a>; Know Your Audience<br /><a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/2008/10/conference-notes-alan-gratz-on-ya-vs-mg_08.html">Part 4</a>; Sell Your Book<br /><a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/2008/10/author-interview-alan-gratz.html">The Interview...</a><br /><div>and literally, <a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/2008/10/your-questions-answered.html">My <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">question</span> answered...</a> <em>I wonder what Alan would say about this "new" age range they are calling the '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">tweens</span>, the official grey zone bridging MG and YA?</em></div><br /><br />Beth did a great job capturing the workshop and Alan helped define the line between these two (now three) age ranges. I hope you enjoy this info as much as I did! Thanks Beth!Sheri Perl-Oshinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08025716805041579831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-87414243783087316842008-09-23T17:14:00.013-04:002008-09-23T18:18:05.679-04:00Doris Ettlinger Visit Hosted by HCCWIG<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineZZh-d8wZ6wkaJm97P5p6e1I-E4virEVxaNXcK_OjGNbdLruxEE6-UJ2BR9NvpeXB8-OQvljnRttW-4zPRY1-8VTxZqCT78Wq2iSW44PsJggE3Uh6zwJ6z9YCxPMBtUjnXMrjrlYJVk/s1600-h/doris-draws.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineZZh-d8wZ6wkaJm97P5p6e1I-E4virEVxaNXcK_OjGNbdLruxEE6-UJ2BR9NvpeXB8-OQvljnRttW-4zPRY1-8VTxZqCT78Wq2iSW44PsJggE3Uh6zwJ6z9YCxPMBtUjnXMrjrlYJVk/s400/doris-draws.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249338736538144002" /></a>Doris Ettlinger delighted an intimate crowd at the Hunterdon County Library on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008. While we made some additional preparation for our guests, Doris sketched on the whiteboard, saying it always calmed her before speaking publicly.<div><br /><div>Doris' informative talk certainly belied any pre-visit jitters as she presented a well-prepared slide-show which covered her background as an artist, her current books as well as her thoughts and feelings about them. We learned about Doris' various techniques that she has developed along the way to bring to life the rich characters she has created in her illustrations. Whether drawing children or famous people like Abe Lincoln or a cat that came over with the Pilgrims, Doris brings a lovely, luminous quality to her work through watercolor and colored pencil.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNo2u7DqzPjDKsZ9KQV0YqvhF3xINBwUlhsb4OD4U3k2CRLEAFlZMvhFNHchfRA7-XWE__o_4eylqBESerCSmYlgYxCQkgHIscyBDd4hZW0FCMXQ3r3C43pWaLkvkwzr5AHwXHwo6VMlA/s1600-h/doris-books.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNo2u7DqzPjDKsZ9KQV0YqvhF3xINBwUlhsb4OD4U3k2CRLEAFlZMvhFNHchfRA7-XWE__o_4eylqBESerCSmYlgYxCQkgHIscyBDd4hZW0FCMXQ3r3C43pWaLkvkwzr5AHwXHwo6VMlA/s400/doris-books.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249341426975544130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " /></a><div style="text-align: left;">She chatted about her favorite books, and some of the personal touches, (such as the occasional appearance of her dog, Bruce Wayne), that appear in her books. She also discussed the entire illustration procedure from first receiving an offer to do a book through receipt of the manuscript through the actual illustrating process. Doris also gave some great tips on how she illustrates using aerial views, two page spreads and collecting small animal figurines to help her with perspective on animals.<br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSR-2Q8cMD5KPQcT1rr5Te0YprIcaIm1eeqqBgtkbXBjhTcEfptR8bikuMzXtaYVJtujQ3anoZHOg7Zkzq5Jz3RaUBwppycrUab-B0uKGIZCtjXEy7BQ-klx-1mzAPAXMIpdLdXlGsG5Y/s1600-h/doris-signing.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSR-2Q8cMD5KPQcT1rr5Te0YprIcaIm1eeqqBgtkbXBjhTcEfptR8bikuMzXtaYVJtujQ3anoZHOg7Zkzq5Jz3RaUBwppycrUab-B0uKGIZCtjXEy7BQ-klx-1mzAPAXMIpdLdXlGsG5Y/s400/doris-signing.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249341027601241170" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; " /></a><div>Many of these were readily noticeable in the collection of books Doris had brought for sale. After a question and answer period, Doris signed books and chatted with us.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A big thanks to Doris for being the guest of HCCWIG and sharing her experiences in the illustration of children's books.</div><div><br /></div><div>On hand to welcome Doris Ettlinger and guests were three of HCCWIG's facilitators, from left to right, Jeanne Balsam, Leeza Hernandez and Cathleen Daniels. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-LQ9AKLCaqS6Ri5V3DdP48BqPt2mJUKnZhnHUDA95eR2IhjGDb5E0918yVPh939CQgz4-mEoTKKx0irBlA1dXgjt-yeGXR3iGTm4kgr2VCo6d0LuwqhCS724P21IHE-4Urz40Xwhk0g/s1600-h/jeanneleezacathy2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-LQ9AKLCaqS6Ri5V3DdP48BqPt2mJUKnZhnHUDA95eR2IhjGDb5E0918yVPh939CQgz4-mEoTKKx0irBlA1dXgjt-yeGXR3iGTm4kgr2VCo6d0LuwqhCS724P21IHE-4Urz40Xwhk0g/s320/jeanneleezacathy2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249342429539216402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; " /></a></div><div><br /></div></div>Jeannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14664962648810401982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-2660913235412552242008-09-20T22:35:00.008-04:002008-09-20T23:01:12.728-04:00Picture Book Group II NewsIts always nice to be able to celebrate group members successes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aWEpIK4FyMs/SNW2cws9U8I/AAAAAAAAAjQ/6PWTjKLmf3s/s1600-h/dianacards1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aWEpIK4FyMs/SNW2cws9U8I/AAAAAAAAAjQ/6PWTjKLmf3s/s400/dianacards1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248301545996243906" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Art of Game deck of cards featuring Diana Patton's illustrations.</span><br /><br />Diana Patton's illustrations have been published in a deck of cards (there are 100 cards by different artists) for International Game Developers' President Jesse Schell's publication "The Art of Game Design." Jesse's book -- also named "The Art of Game Design" -- is out, as well as T-shirts featuring some of the cards. Diana's "The Lens of Unification" appears on one of the tees. The cards are a way of brainstorming to invent and/or improve a game -- whether video, board, TV, or amusement park. For more details, click <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/schellgames/products?ps=30">here</a>. Go Diana!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aWEpIK4FyMs/SNW2mHnETfI/AAAAAAAAAjY/li6E60hU2yw/s1600-h/dianacards2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aWEpIK4FyMs/SNW2mHnETfI/AAAAAAAAAjY/li6E60hU2yw/s400/dianacards2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248301706764373490" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">One of Diana's illustrations also made it on to a T-shirt.</span><br /><br />******<br /><br />Facilitator Leeza Hernandez just signed her first illustrated picture book deal with Charlesbridge Publishing. <span style="font-style:italic;">How to Eat Your Math Homework</span> by Ann MaCullum is due for release in 2010. <br /><br />Leeza also illustrated a boy's chapter book, called <span style="font-style:italic;">Twin Formation</span> -- independently published by <a href="http://www.goldenrampress.com">Golden Ram Press</a>. (Pictured below).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aWEpIK4FyMs/SNW3Kx2L1OI/AAAAAAAAAjg/Or4B2i_CwWw/s1600-h/TF_final_cvr-LORES.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aWEpIK4FyMs/SNW3Kx2L1OI/AAAAAAAAAjg/Or4B2i_CwWw/s400/TF_final_cvr-LORES.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248302336577361122" /></a>Leeza Hernandez Illustratorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00106986854087354103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4128578080336599486.post-5326728990388975692008-09-13T15:12:00.002-04:002008-09-13T15:24:36.600-04:00Subjects for Magazine ArticlesThe Hunterdon Library subscribes to a database index magazine articles. It's searchable, so for example, you could search within <em>Highlights</em> and see if they've published any math articles. (Now who might want to do such a search?) You can see if your topic's been done to death or is brand, spanky new.<br /><br />It's easy to use:<br />1. Log into your library account at <a href="http://ipac.hunterdon.lib.nj.us/">http://ipac.hunterdon.lib.nj.us/</a><br />2. Click on "E-Sources"<br />3. Under E-Source Targets, click on "EbscoHost"<br />4. Enter you library card number again and click "login"<br />5. Make sure MasterFile Premier is checked and click on "continue"<br />6. If you only want to look in one magazine, click on "publications" at the top<br />7. Otherwise, just enter your search<br /><br />I know, I know. As usual, I've given the directions in excruciating detail. But really, it's easy to do. LaurieUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1