Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Blog, page 52
December 19, 2015
Advice For Young Writers, Minecraft Books and Cute Office Dogs: Three Questions With Danica Davidson
Danica Davidson started writing at age three and never stopped. Before selling her first book, she wrote for such places as MTV, CNN, The Onion and Los Angeles Times. Among other publications, she was recently featured by Forbes for her Minecraft writing. She’s represented by the James Fitzgerald Agency. Attack Of The Overworld is the second book in Danica's Minecraft series, which is geared toward ages 7-12.
Also read Danica's recent post on the BNKids blog about Minecraft, Cyberbullying and Girl Power and her Cynsations interview.
You can find Danica at DanicaDavidson.com and on Twitter at @DanicaDavidson.
Synopsis of ATTACK ON THE OVERWORLD (Skyhorse, 2015): Attack on the Overworld is the sequel to Escape From the Overworld, where Minecraft character Stevie finds a portal to our world and befriends a girl named Maison. Now cyberbullies have hacked the portal and let themselves into the Minecraft world, turning it into eternal night and transforming people into zombies.
Q. Could you please take a photo of something in your office and tell us the story behind it?
Since I adopted my dog Porthos from the local shelter a couple years ago, he’s been a constant companion.
(Bonus points if you get his name reference: he’s named after the beagle Porthos in Star Trek: Enterprise, who in turn is named after Porthos from The Three Musketeers. I know . . . I’m a nerd.) He always wants to be with me, so my boyfriend thought of placing a dog bed under my writing desk. Porthos likes to sleep by my feet while I’m writing and we go out for walks together when I’m brainstorming. I also like to bring him along to book signings of the book store owner says it’s okay. He is the most literary dog I know!
Q. What advice do you have for young writers and/or illustrators?
The most common advice is usually to keep writing/reading/drawing, and I give that, too. But another piece of advice I wish I’d gotten is that it’s normal to get TONS of rejections before you get published, and not only should you not give up, but you should not let it devastate you. Young writers are told to expect rejection, but I was never told to expect as much rejection as I’ve gotten, and sometimes it really got me down.
I remember a few years back, when I was swimming in rejection letters, an editor at a magazine told me something along the lines of, “I once met a famous writer who got TEN rejection letters. TEN! So don’t feel so bad.” I was thinking, “I passed ten rejections years and years ago. If ten is the definition of ‘a lot,’ I not only feel bad, but now I feel even worse.” Another writer told me he thought it was time to give up after 35 rejections. Oh, I’d looong passed 35 rejections by then, but I was too embarrassed to say it because I thought he’d tell me to give it up at that point and I couldn’t bear to hear that.
The hardest part is getting your foot in the door. But I kept working, kept networking, kept writing and kept submitting, and in this past year and a half, I’ve sold six books. And I’m ready to write more.
Some people are surprised to see me sell six books while in my twenties, but I tell them I didn’t just start doing this. I’ve been submitting and getting rejected since I was eleven. Ever since I was little I’ve known this is what I wanted to do in my life, and if that’s the case for you, follow that voice with hard work, persistence and a sense of humor.
Q. What are you excited about right now?
I’m excited to see more of my books come out and see where writing takes me next. I have two books out now: Escape from the Overworld and Attack on the Overworld, both Minecraft novels. The third Minecraft novel, The Rise of Herobrine, is out in April. My book Manga Art For Beginners, which teaches how to draw in a manga style, is out in March, and I worked with an amazing artist named Melanie Westin for that one. I've written a graphic novel for a major children's franchise that will be out in the fall. I don’t know how much I can say yet, but there should be a big announcement on that one soon and it’s a franchise everyone knows. And I’m about to get started on my fourth Minecraft book, which will be titled Down Into the Nether, and is scheduled to come out in June. This is what I love to do, and I want to write all different kinds of books for all different ages!
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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.
December 18, 2015
December 17, 2015
December 16, 2015
Book-combo holiday gift idea: THE TRUTH ABOUT TWINKIE PIE by Kat Yeh
Rereading my friend Kat Yeh's debut middle grade book THE TRUTH ABOUT TWINKIE PIE makes me think how great a holiday gift this book would be. Twinkie Pie is my favorite kind of book: a wonderful voice, characters I care about and an unexpected but thoroughly satisfying ending. See my interview with Kat on Inkygirl earlier this year.
Anyway, here are a few fun gift packaging ideas:
- Combine this book with the ingredients for one of the many excellent recipes in this book for a middle grader who likes to cook/bake.
- Great hostess gift for your favorite librarian or kidlit book lover: a copy of this book along with a a yummy baked Twinkie Pie (or No-Peek Chicken, Maybe Even Better Soup, Madder'n Heck Smashed Potatoes, Special-Occasion Fancy Sandwiches, Pull-Aparts, Easier-Than-Pie Pudding, Impossible Pie, Tangled-Up Pie, Heartbreak On Toast, Pick Me Up, Cherries In The Snow or one of the other recipes)
- Other combo gift items you could include: baking or cooking utensils or tools, a cookbook, Twinkies :-))
You can find out more about The Truth About Twinkie Pie and Kat Yeh on her website.
December 15, 2015
Writing Challenges Should Inspire Motivation, Not Guilt
Did you attempt NaNoWriMo this year and have to bow out because you simply didn't have enough time? Are you looking for a year-round writing challenge with some flexibility?
Try my 250, 500 or 1000 words a day challenge.
December 12, 2015
Creativity tip: Take the time to look at the world a different way
A creative tip for writers and illustrators: Every so often, take the time to look at things around you differently than you normally would. Sounds like a glib cliché, I know, but I encourage you to really give it a shot. When I'm walking through a familiar area or doing something I've done a zillion times before, I tend to take my surroundings for granted. Every once in a while, I force myself to stop and really look at something or someone. I mean really LOOK. If I have the time, I sketch or write about it in my notebook. If I only have a few minutes, like when I'm waiting in a grocery line, then I make it a mental exercise. I also do this through my found object art and encourage young people to do found object art for the same reason.
Since I consciously started doing this, I have found my work showing the benefits. I'm sharing this tip here in hopes that it might help some of you as well.
How you can apply this principle in your illustrations: Before settling on a way of illustrating a scene, experiment with different perspectives and other ways of interpreting the text. Feel free to use one of my brainstorming templates. Do more art just for the fun of it to keep yourself from falling into a rut. Doodle, experiment. Remind yourself you don't have to show anyone what you're drawing.
How you can apply this principle in your writing: Avoid describing people and things in clichéd phrases ("she was fit as a fiddle" etc.), take the time to make your characters and stories unique, don't chase trends. Carry around a notebook and jot down phrases, descriptions, ideas, names. Brainstorm. Write every day; it doesn't have to be for a book project or something you want to get published. Write for FUN. Experiment with poetry (you don't have to show anyone); I find writing poetry makes me more conscious of word choice and the sound of the words. Read what you write out loud; read in a different voice, at different speeds.
Do you have your own creativity boost techniques? Feel free to share them below in the comments.
December 11, 2015
Graphic novel love: SUNNY SIDE UP by Jennifer and Matthew Holm
Not only is SUNNY SIDE UP a wonderful graphic novel for middle grade, but you can also find out tons of behind-the-scenes info about how it was made in THE YARN. I met Jenni Holm at NerdCampMI earlier this year and found her super-friendly and down-to-earth.
Found out more about Jenni at JenniferHolm.com, about Matthew at MatthewHolm.net and SUNNY SIDE UP at Scholastic.
Need a gift for a reader, writer or illustrator but have a small budget? Give them some TIME
Click the image above for a print-ready PDF or download the "Gift Of Time" gift certificate here.
Looking for a gift for a friend but don't have the cash? Give the gift of TIME.
Depending on your relationship with the recipient, you could offer to do dishes for a week, pick up the kids from school, x number of hours of running, grocery shopping, babysitting and so on. If your friend complains about not having time to read, combine this certificate with a book.
Some suggestions for presenting the gift:
- Slip the certificate into a white envelope and then decorate the envelope with holiday stickers, sparkles, doodles, etc.
- Roll up the certificate and tie a color ribbon around it. Present it as is, or wrapped in gold tissue paper.
- Combine the certificate with themed gift, like with some packaged soothing chamomile or mint tea, chocolates in a mug, or other "it's time to spoil yourself" items.
- Combine the certificate with one of your favorite books.
Enjoy!
For more free, print-ready goodies, see Debbie's Print-Ready Archives.
December 7, 2015
Advice For Young Writers, Thumbnail Dummies, Office Cats and BIGFOOT DOES NOT LIKE BIRTHDAY PARTIES: Three Questions with Jaime Temairik
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Jaime Temairik is an illustrator and author based in Seattle and is actually quite fond of birthday parties.
You can find Jaime at JaimeTemairik.com and on Twitter at @jaimetem.
BIGFOOT DOES NOT LIKE BIRTHDAY PARTIES! is a new picture book written by Eric Ode, illustrated by Jaime Temairik, published by Sasquatch Books in October 2015.
Synopsis of Bigfoot Does Not Like Birthday Parties!:
The townsfolk of Mossy Pockets want to throw a party to celebrate Bigfoot’s special day, but Bigfoot Does Not Like Birthday Parties! Internal rhyme gives the growing lists of people, instruments, pies, and animals a delightful momentum. The party excitement builds until it all comes to a pie-smashing disaster.
For a peek inside Jaime's process, click on the image below to see the original thumbnail dummy for Bigfoot. From Jaime: "I think it's fun to see how similar (or different) the final art/layout is to the original brainstorm."
Q. Could you please take a photo of something in your office and tell us the story behind it?
My picturebook making office is sort of in my kitchen. My dog, Logan, and my cat, Bebop, keep me company while I work in the kitchen, and they nap a lot, so let's consider them office decor? This is a picture of Bebop being Bebop:
Q. What advice do you have for young writers and/or illustrators?
My advice for young writers and illustrators is Have an Art/Writing Smörgåsbord!
A smörgåsbord is a Swedish word that is defined as: a buffet offering a variety of foods and dishes (hors d'oeuvres, hot and cold meats, smoked and pickled fish, cheeses, salads, and relishes).
You never know what sort of art or writing style you will love and shine in until you try it. I drew a lot as a kid with pencils and pens, but didn't really paint or sculpt or try Photoshop until I got to high school where my art and photography classes had new and exciting painting supplies and paper for me to goof around on. My art style currently is pencil drawing, and painted textures and smashing them all together in Photoshop—I'd never have gotten to this style if I hadn't been lucky enough to try out all sorts of materials.
Melissa Sweet is a GREAT example of all sorts of materials and medium coming together to make amazing picturebook art and story. You can even grab art supplies from a REAL smörgåsbord—I love Debbie Ohi's (maybe you've heard of her) found object/food art. (From Debbie: Thanks, Jaime!)
If you can get your family, or school, or community center to help you find different media to play with, play your heart out! Art supply stores also have demo days where you can try out all sorts of new materials.
My advice for less-young writers and illustrators is the same, really, you should always be open to attending classes/conferences or getting books from the library about different writing or illustrating techniques. It's hard to splurge on new art supplies when you are on a budget, but maybe you can have an art supply potluck with artist friends and each person can share a technique or their preferred medium?
Q. What are you excited about right now?
Oh man, I am very excited about attending the 17th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference in New York in February. New York is my favorite place on the planet, and besides my family, children's book people are my favorite people on the planet. I am already chomping at the bit for February.
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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.
