Author & Screenwriter Holly Goldberg Sloan on Writing Multiple POV’s & Unreliable Narrators

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Counting by 7s, Holly Goldberg Sloan, screenwriting, Short, writing tips

By Karol Ruth Silverstein

Holly Goldberg Sloan is the author of five children’s novels, including New York Times bestsellers Short and Counting by 7s, and the highly acclaimed young adult novel, I’ll Be There. She has also written a number of successful family feature films, including Angels in the Outfield, The Big Green, and Made in America. Her latest movie is Pure Country: Pure Heart, and will be released by Warner Bros on August 1, 2017. The mother of two sons, Holly lives with her husband, Gary Rosen, in Santa Monica, California. She spoke with Karol Ruth Silverstein about transitioning from film to kid lit, writing from multiple points of view, and the inspiration for her work.

Karol Ruth Silverstein: First, thank you so much for doing this interview! After a successful career as a screenwriter and director, what prompted you to get into writing children’s books?

Holly Goldberg Sloan: I stumbled into writing books. I was on vacation in Mexico. I was working for DreamWorks at the time on an animated project. I couldn’t get email, so I was not able to get the studio notes I was waiting for. I had a lot of free time. I started writing a story. When I got home to Santa Monica I kept working on it. I felt free writing with no plan, no deadline. Six months later that story became the novel I’ll Be There, which was published in 2011 by Little Brown.

KRS: All of your novels are told through multiple points of view – and not major characters, but dozens of different characters, some of whom only appear briefly. Can you explain why you’ve chosen to use this literary device?

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Author & SCBWI Volunteer Marilyn Cram Donahue on Community, Publishing, & Giving Back

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Marilyn Cram Donahue, SCBWI community, SCBWI members

By Marilyn Cram Donahue, Schmooze Coordinator for the Inland Empire

Once a month, I lead a group called The Saturday Morning Schmoozers in Redlands, for the SCBWI SoCal Region. Members share their manuscripts and we offer opinions and encouragement. I also volunteer as a career advisor for Pomona College, which connects me with aspiring young writers. And I work with a community group interested in memoir writing. A highlight of volunteering for SBWI was hosting a workshop on screenwriting techniques with Michael Mahin. I love this busy schedule! Writing can be a solitary job, and these volunteer activities keep me in touch with people who love pen and paper as much as I do.

When people ask me how I started writing,

SCBWI Summer Conference 2017 Wrap Up: Attending the Pro Track for the First Time

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Helena Ku Rhee, Joy Preble, Laurie Halse Anderson, Linda Sue Park, Miranda Paul, Rubin Pfeffer, SCBWI Annual Summer Conference

By Helena Ku Rhee, Kite Tales Contributor

Lin Oliver, left, and Judy Blume chatting it up during the Golden Kite Luncheon & Awards Presentation.

As in years prior, SCBWI’s annual summer conference was spectacular. We laughed, we cried, and at the end, we were inspired to rush home to create good art. A highlight for me was attending the pro track for the first time. With my debut book coming out in 2018, I knew I could benefit from sessions such as Rubin Pfeffer’s “Be Empowered, Publishing is Your Business” and Linda Sue Park’s marketing overview.

I was amazed to be sitting in the pro sessions with industry veterans. Hello, Laurie Halse Anderson! My first thought was: After publishing 20+ books, don’t these veterans already know everything? And my second thought was: If such luminaries are here, maybe I don’t belong! But later on, I discovered that artists in all phases of their careers were in attendance – from the pre-published to the many-times-published. I have to admit, before I got my first book deal, I didn’t think I was allowed in the pro track so I never even thought to attend. But I admired the forward thinking of the aspirants in the audience.

Author/Illustrator & Nickelodeon Story Artist Ashlyn Anstee on Pitching an Agent & Leveling Up Your Illustrator Skills

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agents, Ashlyn Anstee, authors, illustrators, picture books

 Ashlyn Anstee is a story artist at Nickelodeon on Harvey Beaks as well as the author/illustrator of Are We There, Yeti? and No, No, Gnome! (Simon & Schuster, 2015 & 2016), a comic artist, film maker, and devourer of cookies. She talks with us about finding her agent through SCBWI, how professional relationships are just like any other relationship, and how she keeps her skills sharp.

Sarah Parker-Lee: You’re an illustrator, author, and storyboard artist for animation. Which came first and how do you find time for both?!

Ashlyn Anstee: It helps that all of them are a little different, so it’s actually been fun to jump between them, thank goodness. I started out first as a reader–I was a voracious reader as a kid (and my mom’s a teacher-librarian). I didn’t really start to draw until my teens. I fell in love with animation, and it wasn’t until I graduated from college that I started to rediscover illustration and kids’ books. I find writing the hardest, so I’ve been focusing on that, lately!

SPL: For those unfamiliar, can you tell us a little about being a story artist? How does it compare to illustrating a book?

Agent, Editor, & Author Kari Sutherland On First Lines, Revisions, & Representation

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Author Tips, Kari Sutherland, publishing, SCBWI events

 

Agent and author Kari Sutherland joins this year’s LA SCBWI Working Writer’s Retreat faculty. She was a Senior Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books before joining the Bradford Literary Agency in 2017 and she co-writes the middle grade Menagerie series with her sister, Tui Sutherland. She’s worked with bestselling and critically acclaimed authors on projects such as the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and the #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. Needless to say, she knows a thing or ten or about writing, editing, and publishing books, and she’s here to share some of that knowledge with us!

Sarah Parker-Lee: You graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in English and Psychology. Why do you consider this the perfect combination for working with authors on character and plot development?

Kari Sutherland: I’d say both fields help me pinpoint when a character is behaving in a way that isn’t authentic or in a way that may produce a reaction in readers that the author is not intending. Having studied the way minds work, it gives me insight into personality and character growth. With my English studies, I know how to catch and keep a reader’s attention through voice, sentence structure, and plotting. Psychology classes also prepared me to be an excellent listener and to help coax out what a person really wants to say – in this case, through their manuscripts.

SPL: Your Bradford Lit bio says you’re passionate about helping to polish each manuscript and equip your clients for success. What does that entail?

Marla Frazee: From Picture Book to Big Screen

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Alec Baldwin, Boss Baby, Marla Frazee

The Boss Baby, a 32-page picture book written and illustrated by Marla Frazee was published in 2010 (S&S, Beach Lane). Since the book’s publication, more than 200,000 copies have been sold and, in 2016, Frazee followed up with a sequel, The Bossier Baby, introducing the Boss Baby’s infant sister. On March 31, 2017, the animated DreamWorks film was released with Alec Baldwin voicing the main character. Frazee’s book depicts the newborn as a tiny suit-wearing boss who dictates the household. Simon Spotlight released several movie tie-in editions—two board books, a junior novelization, and a leveled reader—and the original picture books have been labeled as the inspiration for the movie.

Christine Van Zandt: Has being part of SCBWI contributed to your career?

MARLA FRAZEE: I have a career because of SCBWI. I attended my first conference in the early 1980s; Jane Yolen was working the main desk and Trina Schart Hyman gave a keynote. I think there were 80 people in attendance. After that, I went to the national conference as often as I could afford to and I attended local Southern California conferences, too. I tried to introduce myself to the speakers, which was super hard because I felt so shy about doing it and I didn’t have much to say. But I forced myself. During those years I was also sending illustration samples to art directors and picture book projects to editors, so I would occasionally meet someone who I’d sent something to. A few of them recognized my name and told me they liked my work. Those exchanges truly kept me going. I met Linda Zuckerman, who at the time was an editor at HarperCollins, at a local conference, and she eventually became my first editor. And 25 years ago, after meeting at Illustrators Day, I became part of a critique group—which is still going strong.

Author Catherine Linka on Community for Introverts, Critique Tips, What Sells, & Balancing Romance with Wonder Woman

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A Girl Called Fearless, A Girl Undone, Author Tips, Catherine Linka, community, romance, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Wonder Woman, writing tips, YA

Catherine Linka, author of the A Girl Called Fearless series, joins this year’s LA SCBWI Working Writer’s Retreat faculty. She is a world traveler, former buyer for an independent book store, and was almost thrown out of boarding school for being “too verbal.” She spoke with me about her work, your work, Wonder Woman, and the kid lit community’s place in the world.

Linka first became involved in SCBWI “forever ago.” It was the first time she’d found people interested in the same kid lit things as her. Later, she added her Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA community and then the debut author community. “Everyone was so generous and warm and inclusive.” That’s why she believes it’s so important to give back. “It costs me nothing but time to help someone else out, really, so why not?”

True to that ideal, Linka is a huge supporter of SCBWI and an active SCBWI mentor and member. She knows every writer needs a supportive community. “It can take years to develop your craft, and you need people to cheer you on, point out opportunities, open doors, celebrate successes and mourn defeats. We really can’t do this alone, and it is so much more fun and satisfying to do it together.”

Linka acknowledges that writers who are often introverted, herself included, may feel overwhelmed in social situations, even when taking advantage of SCBWI’s group activities and professional development opportunities. This can also make it harder when we eventually have to do our own marketing. Her biggest advice:

Helena Ku Rhee: Debut Author’s Perspective

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agents, authors, Bill Contardi, Colleen Kong-Savage, contracts, Helena Ku Rhee, illustrators, picture books, publishers, publishing, The Turtle Ship

Jessica Echeverria (editor, Lee & Low), Helena, and Colleen Kong-Savage (illustrator)

Helena Ku Rhee is the author of The Turtle Ship, a forthcoming picture book by Lee & Low (Fall 2018). Helena, trained as a lawyer, followed an uncommon path by negotiating her own book deal. She tells Kite Tales about her debut and navigating publishing without an agent.

Lisa Cron: Story Coach’s Perspective, Writer’s & Illustrator’s Day Faculty

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Lisa Cron, Story Genius, Wired for Story

Author and story coach Lisa Cron writes books for writers, but she doesn’t teach writing.

In her books Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence and its follow up Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere), Cron maintains that it’s not beautiful prose that captures readers, but the emotions driven by story.

“If beautiful writing is what we really crave, would 50 Shades of Grey have sold 100 million copies?” she asked during her keynote speech at Writers & Illustrators Day on Feb. 25.

Throughout her speech, she gave attendees a snapshot into the science behind storytelling that will help craft a work of fiction that is more than “a perfectly-penned ‘who cares?’”

“Writing is the handmaiden of story,” she said.

And what exactly is story?

Brian Won: Author/Illustrator Perspective, Writers & Illustrators Day Faculty

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author, Brian Won, illustrator, illustrator tips, Illustrators Day, picture books

Author/illustrator Brian Won was one of SCBWI’s 2016 Crystal Kite Award recipients and faculty for this year’s Los Angeles Writers & Illustrators Day, where he was a judge for the illustration contests and critiqued illustrator portfolios. He wore many hats–busboy, shoe salesman, library shelver, art director, and designer before making the leap to children’s books. Brian graduated from California’s Art Center College of Design with an honorary ninth term before co-founding National Television, a design and animation company. Read on for his insights and advice to author/illustrators and thoughts on illustrating for others as well as news about his current and upcoming projects!