Alice Y. Chen's Blog, page 9
July 21, 2015
Play with Centipede Dragon!
After recounting to my sister the June 13 presentation, and especially the success of the magical scale challenge when the kids swarmed to the board to help me finish the star, she made this comment, “If only there was a way to play the game online.”
Three years back when I tried to learn Dreamweaver in order to build my website, I had wanted to do this. But it required Flash action-scripting to allow the child to virtually move the pieces around like you would with an iPad game, and I am frankly too tired to learn Flash....
But then I stopped thinking so high-tech. Instead, we’re going “old school” to make this happen.
Kids can now download a magical scale template off the “Play with Centipede Dragon” page of www.centipededragon.weebly.com and have their parents print the PDF file. They can download one of two versions: the magical scale set that is already in color, or a version that they themselves can color. Once they cut out the scale pieces, they will be ready to play!
Soon, I’ll begin putting up word challenges that kids (and adults) will attempt to form with the scale pieces. When they’ve come up with their solution, they can e-mail a photo of it to me. I will then put up the winning picture on the website! There will be things in the game format work out, of course, but let’s just GO FOR IT!
July 14, 2015
July 7, 2015
Happy Birthday to Centipede Dragon!
July 2, 2015 marked the 1st birthday, or anniversary (?) of "Centipede Dragon A Benevolent Creature’s" publication. To all who have supported me through this last year, there is no adequate way to express my gratitude. It’s been a tough road at times, having to constantly switch roles from editor to copy editor, production editor to technical editor, from publicist/marketer/advertiser to presenter…oh yeah, and slogging on with the writing and illustrating for book 2.
At every turn I’m making decisions far beyond my expertise and comfort zone, but this is what a one-person operation must do. Yet every time I have presented and every tiny bit of feedback reinforces that the hard work has not gone in vain. Of course, no person is an island, and there have definitely been some key supporters of me throughout this endeavor. I can only hope I’ve done you proud!
At every turn I’m making decisions far beyond my expertise and comfort zone, but this is what a one-person operation must do. Yet every time I have presented and every tiny bit of feedback reinforces that the hard work has not gone in vain. Of course, no person is an island, and there have definitely been some key supporters of me throughout this endeavor. I can only hope I’ve done you proud!
June 30, 2015
What’s in a page?
Back to the perpetual editing process!
With the rearrangement of layout comes the expected page content juggle, where one must determine within a page 1) what new content to create to better suit the accompanying text, 2) what may have to move to another page, or 3) get deleted altogether. This can be an extremely difficult process especially when one is emotionally attached to every object, every vignette, and every thing one has drawn. I am also pragmatic, not wanting to waste any of the drawings. But when text is changed on any given page, the accompanying images must also be re-assessed as they may no longer match.
Take a look at this pic, which I use time and again as an example. The top image shows the original layout for the page corresponding to the introduction of Ben. I included him in the scene because in the text I have just introduced him as a character in the story. In re-evaluation, the imagery of the 3 sheep scenarios is actually quite strong, and therefore, is enough to focus upon in a single page without having anything else in the picture. So I opted to take Ben out so that the sheep scenarios are alone on the page.
But now I’m left with the “Ben scratching head” drawing that cannot be wasted! Where should I put it? Look at the bottom image; what do you think?
With the rearrangement of layout comes the expected page content juggle, where one must determine within a page 1) what new content to create to better suit the accompanying text, 2) what may have to move to another page, or 3) get deleted altogether. This can be an extremely difficult process especially when one is emotionally attached to every object, every vignette, and every thing one has drawn. I am also pragmatic, not wanting to waste any of the drawings. But when text is changed on any given page, the accompanying images must also be re-assessed as they may no longer match.
Take a look at this pic, which I use time and again as an example. The top image shows the original layout for the page corresponding to the introduction of Ben. I included him in the scene because in the text I have just introduced him as a character in the story. In re-evaluation, the imagery of the 3 sheep scenarios is actually quite strong, and therefore, is enough to focus upon in a single page without having anything else in the picture. So I opted to take Ben out so that the sheep scenarios are alone on the page.
But now I’m left with the “Ben scratching head” drawing that cannot be wasted! Where should I put it? Look at the bottom image; what do you think?
June 26, 2015
Summer time is the time for CRAFTS
BONUS post for this week: As the official summer vacay has begun for many in our local area, I have neglected to mention that you can find several craft activities to download, print and do with your kids!. Please visit: http://centipededragon.weebly.com/cra... to find out what Centipede Dragon has been up to this past year, AND what your kid can be up to this summer!
#centipededragoncrafts #summerkidscrafts #papercrafts #paperlanterns #batik #watercolor #magicalscalechallenge #magicscales #centipededragonbookmark #centipededragoncoloring #coloringbook
#centipededragoncrafts #summerkidscrafts #papercrafts #paperlanterns #batik #watercolor #magicalscalechallenge #magicscales #centipededragonbookmark #centipededragoncoloring #coloringbook
June 23, 2015
More about pacing.
I forgot to give a special thanks to my husband Stephen for taking such great photos, and to my friend and CD roadie, Flo, who helped with the reading and was in charge of music. And now, back to “the Journey.”
A while back I glossed over the fact that as I continued my search for the next publisher to which to submit, that in between submissions I would re-work both the text and illustrations. Not so much re-drawing of content, but more about re-arranging said content. So take a look at my example. In the older draft on top, my 2-page spread contains A LOT of action. Ben discovers Centipede Dragon, perceives Centipede Dragon’s illness, makes a decision to help, runs back to the shop, comes back with the blanket, and climbs the tree to where CD resides.
Zowee, I’m EXHAUSTED.
The reason I initially paced it this way is that I was told the formula for plotting out a children’s storybook was that in the first approximately 26 of 32 pages, I was to A) Introduce the character; B) Introduce the character’s dilemma C) Build the suspense of the dilemma by introducing complications and D) Come to a crisis point.
In the next 2-4 pages I was to resolve the crisis. And in the last 2 pages I wrap everything up neatly.
After several rounds of dummy-making and submissions, I began to NOT like how bunched up all this action was. This is what is extremely helpful with dummies, irrespective of whether or not you have illustrations. Authors still can envision, whether fuzzy or in sharp relief, what their story looks like. So the dummy is vital to understand the flaws in pacing.
Now, take a look at the bottom row that represents two 2-page spreads, showing the same action occurring in 2 pages but now spread out over 4 pages. What do YOU think of the pacing now?
A while back I glossed over the fact that as I continued my search for the next publisher to which to submit, that in between submissions I would re-work both the text and illustrations. Not so much re-drawing of content, but more about re-arranging said content. So take a look at my example. In the older draft on top, my 2-page spread contains A LOT of action. Ben discovers Centipede Dragon, perceives Centipede Dragon’s illness, makes a decision to help, runs back to the shop, comes back with the blanket, and climbs the tree to where CD resides.
Zowee, I’m EXHAUSTED.
The reason I initially paced it this way is that I was told the formula for plotting out a children’s storybook was that in the first approximately 26 of 32 pages, I was to A) Introduce the character; B) Introduce the character’s dilemma C) Build the suspense of the dilemma by introducing complications and D) Come to a crisis point.
In the next 2-4 pages I was to resolve the crisis. And in the last 2 pages I wrap everything up neatly.
After several rounds of dummy-making and submissions, I began to NOT like how bunched up all this action was. This is what is extremely helpful with dummies, irrespective of whether or not you have illustrations. Authors still can envision, whether fuzzy or in sharp relief, what their story looks like. So the dummy is vital to understand the flaws in pacing.
Now, take a look at the bottom row that represents two 2-page spreads, showing the same action occurring in 2 pages but now spread out over 4 pages. What do YOU think of the pacing now?
June 16, 2015
June 13 Presentation re-cap
his past Saturday, I was the guest author at the library’s weekly story time event, and afterward I ran the Magical Scale Challenge for the 3rd time. You would think I’d be used to this by now, but I still get stupid nervous. I had been fretting about it for days, and did the only thing I could do: rehearse my speech (which I continually change) over and over until my throat hurt.
Families started to file in. My good friend (and second assistant) showed up and we went over the “agenda.” And more and more families kept coming….After 60+ folks piled in (and spilled out into the main library), we began, because at that point, there’s no calling-in sick!
Although it’s hard for kids to sit through much, I was very impressed at how well this large group, which included some pretty young children, sat with their parents and listened. There’s always the usual squirming and crying, but a trick to keep me from getting distracted is that I rehearse in front of a TV that is on. That way, extraneous movement and noise don't phase me.
After I read the story, I like to spend about 3 minutes explaining where the idea of centipede dragon came from, and how I developed the character. Some folks don’t agree that I interject this, but I want to remind them to NOT ignore that all-important 2nd audience: the parents. When I do this talk, most often each and every adult eye IS on me…unless their kid is chewing on a book. My husband, who was taking photos, saw one parent text a picture of the original batik I show during the talk to someone.
You also might think it gets predictable to play the same game over and over again. But kids will always surprise you, as they did this time when they jumped in to help me with the last challenge of the morning: A star!
To every one of the kids who came, you are all my shining stars. Thank you!
Families started to file in. My good friend (and second assistant) showed up and we went over the “agenda.” And more and more families kept coming….After 60+ folks piled in (and spilled out into the main library), we began, because at that point, there’s no calling-in sick!
Although it’s hard for kids to sit through much, I was very impressed at how well this large group, which included some pretty young children, sat with their parents and listened. There’s always the usual squirming and crying, but a trick to keep me from getting distracted is that I rehearse in front of a TV that is on. That way, extraneous movement and noise don't phase me.
After I read the story, I like to spend about 3 minutes explaining where the idea of centipede dragon came from, and how I developed the character. Some folks don’t agree that I interject this, but I want to remind them to NOT ignore that all-important 2nd audience: the parents. When I do this talk, most often each and every adult eye IS on me…unless their kid is chewing on a book. My husband, who was taking photos, saw one parent text a picture of the original batik I show during the talk to someone.
You also might think it gets predictable to play the same game over and over again. But kids will always surprise you, as they did this time when they jumped in to help me with the last challenge of the morning: A star!
To every one of the kids who came, you are all my shining stars. Thank you!
June 9, 2015
Don't forget!
Just a reminder that this Saturday, June 13 at 11am, I will be reading Centipede Dragon at the Charles E. Beatley Central Library in Alexandria. Then, I’ll be running around “Loco bananas” style with more magical scale throwdowns from the kids!
June 2, 2015
Keep on rolling
Thanks for spending Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with me!
I last left you with me in the midst of the manuscript submissions waiting game. One way that I managed my emotions during these periods was to research the publishing companies I wanted to submit to next.
I followed to the letter what I was told to do: Don’t just send the work cookie-cutter style to them in the hopes they recognize your brilliance, but make sure MY BRILLIANCE is the exact match to that they seek. I agonized over finding the unique commonality between my book and each company I chose. I hemmed and hawed at what angle to take: do I highlight how my quirky artwork is similar to such-and-such they published last year, or do I emphasize the historical basis of the symbol itself, not unlike so-and-so from the New York Times bestsellers? I painstakingly wrote each covering letter with what I hoped was the right amount of logic, marketing and pizazz necessary to show them just how perfect a match we were.
When the waiting period was over, I told myself “It’s not you, it’s them.” But before sending the next submission, I took the opportunity to change wording, tweak an illustration, to fix the thing/s that bugged me, for maybe this was also the very thing that led to Rejection.
In the silence of “No-feedback” land, there is A LOT that is said. And they’re all different forms of “Rejected.” At the conferences they tell us the world of children’s book publishing is a dash of trend, a heap of market-ability, a cup of sale-ability, all thrown into a base made of flawless writing and art. In all the years I have been working on and vetting my book (as you have read), I’ve only ever received positive feedback about my work. So I began to wonder, would my half-this, half-that creature ever be in vogue? Would a book starring Asian kids ever become worthy enough for a publishing company to invest in? Would MY style of artwork be considered IN style someday? Would a book about caring for one another NEVER be cliche?
The truth is that whatever formula a best-selling author has come up with at the point in time where his/her book explodes into fame, it’s an extremely fickle and elusive formula. Understand that while thousands of books are published each year, millions of GREAT books are actually written. So the best thing to do is have faith in your book, keep calm, and carry on.
I last left you with me in the midst of the manuscript submissions waiting game. One way that I managed my emotions during these periods was to research the publishing companies I wanted to submit to next.
I followed to the letter what I was told to do: Don’t just send the work cookie-cutter style to them in the hopes they recognize your brilliance, but make sure MY BRILLIANCE is the exact match to that they seek. I agonized over finding the unique commonality between my book and each company I chose. I hemmed and hawed at what angle to take: do I highlight how my quirky artwork is similar to such-and-such they published last year, or do I emphasize the historical basis of the symbol itself, not unlike so-and-so from the New York Times bestsellers? I painstakingly wrote each covering letter with what I hoped was the right amount of logic, marketing and pizazz necessary to show them just how perfect a match we were.
When the waiting period was over, I told myself “It’s not you, it’s them.” But before sending the next submission, I took the opportunity to change wording, tweak an illustration, to fix the thing/s that bugged me, for maybe this was also the very thing that led to Rejection.
In the silence of “No-feedback” land, there is A LOT that is said. And they’re all different forms of “Rejected.” At the conferences they tell us the world of children’s book publishing is a dash of trend, a heap of market-ability, a cup of sale-ability, all thrown into a base made of flawless writing and art. In all the years I have been working on and vetting my book (as you have read), I’ve only ever received positive feedback about my work. So I began to wonder, would my half-this, half-that creature ever be in vogue? Would a book starring Asian kids ever become worthy enough for a publishing company to invest in? Would MY style of artwork be considered IN style someday? Would a book about caring for one another NEVER be cliche?
The truth is that whatever formula a best-selling author has come up with at the point in time where his/her book explodes into fame, it’s an extremely fickle and elusive formula. Understand that while thousands of books are published each year, millions of GREAT books are actually written. So the best thing to do is have faith in your book, keep calm, and carry on.
May 29, 2015
Concluding Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
In this final week of May, I want to talk about Asian families. Many perceived differences come in the ways we express or apply our values which, in and of themselves, are universally similar.
The Asian family hierarchy begins with the oldest generation. These members are the most revered, because of the wisdom they often hold in the years of life they have acquired. I think we all can agree that the older we get, the smarter we get. Therefore, during holidays and other family celebrations, the oldest members of the family are paid respect in the form of a prayer and offering, and are given whether they are alive or have passed on.
The nuclear family consists of parents and their children, and each member has certain expectations and obligations to the other.
Parents protect, advocate for, and give their children the personal tools needed to succeed. Parents must be their children’s educators, their protectors, their guidance counselors; in effect, their job is to arm them with the coping skills they will need to live independently in a very complex world. The perception of Asian culture is that of harshness and that Asian parents only value success. While it’s true that Asians value success, when looking at it from a different perspective, it is also true that they simply do not believe it is in their child’s power to FAIL.
Children in return are expected to contribute to the family by behaving, listening, and helping out where possible. Children should be respectful of their parents, not take for granted what is given, and should work hard for the opportunities their parents are giving them.
Asian families are frankly like any family. We fight amongst ourselves, and sometimes don’t even like each other. What is inherent is that every generation interacts and is involved in family dynamics to move the family forward into the future. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Month. And remember that it’s always good to celebrate other heritages during any month of the year!
The Asian family hierarchy begins with the oldest generation. These members are the most revered, because of the wisdom they often hold in the years of life they have acquired. I think we all can agree that the older we get, the smarter we get. Therefore, during holidays and other family celebrations, the oldest members of the family are paid respect in the form of a prayer and offering, and are given whether they are alive or have passed on.
The nuclear family consists of parents and their children, and each member has certain expectations and obligations to the other.
Parents protect, advocate for, and give their children the personal tools needed to succeed. Parents must be their children’s educators, their protectors, their guidance counselors; in effect, their job is to arm them with the coping skills they will need to live independently in a very complex world. The perception of Asian culture is that of harshness and that Asian parents only value success. While it’s true that Asians value success, when looking at it from a different perspective, it is also true that they simply do not believe it is in their child’s power to FAIL.
Children in return are expected to contribute to the family by behaving, listening, and helping out where possible. Children should be respectful of their parents, not take for granted what is given, and should work hard for the opportunities their parents are giving them.
Asian families are frankly like any family. We fight amongst ourselves, and sometimes don’t even like each other. What is inherent is that every generation interacts and is involved in family dynamics to move the family forward into the future. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Month. And remember that it’s always good to celebrate other heritages during any month of the year!
