Writer Mentorship Lessons #4-5

Have I mentioned how honored I am to be mentored by Trisha Speed Shaskan? Seriously, I have to pinch myself. She’s witty and entertaining, with funny snort-laughs that make your heart happy. She’s accessible and sincere. In her you’ll meet an advocate and friend. And she’s humble, not intimidating,  generously giving of her time to nurture the success of others. She’s all of this, despite her rock star accomplishments as a children’s author of over 40 books. What I’ve learned from her through observation in the past two months is how a true professional views and handles success.

Lesson #4: The formulas of success

Creativity given = success

Through Trisha I’m reminded how much our creativity is a gift to ourselves and others.Trisha is just as excited about the ideas in her head as the stories already published. She knows that each word is the beginning of something bigger and that success doesn’t begin or end at publication.  As long as you are able to create, whether you’ve written one paragraph or 40 books, no magic number should make you want to retire to a beach (unless you’re bringing your laptop or notepad).

 Creativity given = creativity >

A couple of weeks ago teacher Regina Santiago and the students in 1/2 B at Saint Paul Academy surprised Trisha with the ultimate compliment. They created a play, From the Mixed Up Files of Trisha Speed Shaskan, based on six of her picture books.

SERIOUSLY, CINDERELLA IS SO ANNOYING!HONESTLY, LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD WAS ROTTENTRULY WE BOTH LOVED BEAUTY DEARLY 

IF YOU WERE A COMPOUND WORDIF YOU WERE A CONTRACTION61fFXCBYgnL__UX160_THEMIXEDUPFILES 

MiniTrisha

 

 

Trisha and her husband Stephen received VIP treatment during the performance, complete with programs. The actors proved they’d done their research. The mimi-Trisha narrator donned Trisha-style glasses, clothing, and hairstyle. She also incorporated Trisha’s mannerisms and words like “ridic” and “peeps.” Shaskan’s cat, Eartha, and  dog, Bea, even received “mini-me” representation.

TRULYWEBOTHLOVEDBEAUTYDEARLY

The good and bad fairies.

The young thespians created and performed stories . . .

The wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters.

sang songs . . . (masterminded by Stephanie Huss).

THEMIXEDUPFILES

Singing about Sleeping Beauty.

OnomatopeoiaMachineand shared the sounds of their onomatopoeia machine invention.

THEMIXEDUPFILESOFTRISHASPEEDSHASKANCast

The playwright, directors, and cast

Creativity given = giving >

I don’t think I’ll get over it. I’m floating! It’s just pure joy!  ~ Trisha Speed Shaskan, after viewing THE MIXED UP FILES OF TRISHA SPEED SHASKAN

Through Trisha I’m learning that creativity shared can reach far beyond the confines of a book or story. The ripple effect of imagination can reach beyond our wildest dreams.

Lesson #5 How to handle success:

  • With humor.
  • With sincerity.
  • With humility.
  • With delight and gratitude in the unexpected.
  • With open arms.
  • With more creativity.
  • Remembering every celebration is just the beginning.

A Picture Book Without Pictures

A picture book without pictures is like the Pips without Gladys Knight:

Click the image to see the YouTube video

For the life of me, I can’t remember whose writer/illustrator blog featured this clever insight — but I concur.  I’m so thankful to have Elise Hylden, writer and illustrator, in our writers’ group.  She continually challenges me to say more with less.  At the 2011 MN SCBWI Conference, Illustrator Dan Santat noted the brilliance of children’s book author, Mac Barnett.

During a break, to uncover the secret of brilliant writing, I purchased Barnett and Santat’s collaboration, Oh No!  Was I surprised to find that the number of words in
Oh No! equals the number of times I use the bathroom in a day.  Yet the book was, as Santat promised, brilliant.

The illustrations that poured out of Barnett’s initial idea make the book.  Obviously, Dan Santat is one of the most brilliant illustrators Mac Barnett has ever met. The book is what it is because Barnett trusted.  He had faith in his illustrator to transform his thoughts into an out-of-this-world adventure.

I don’t have his trust — yet.  Sometimes I leave words, intending that they can be cut later, clutching to them as if to a life vest that holds my vision.  Barnett is more secure.

Barnett doesn’t need a critique group, but I wonder how Oh No! would fare under the scrutiny of the status quo.  I can see the margin scribbles on his manuscript:

       This makes absolutely no sense.

       You might need to explain this for blind kids.

       A giant frog seems a highly illogical choice to solve your protagonist’s dilemma.

       You don’t even tell your protagonist’s name for — wait!  You don’t ever tell your
protagonist’s name! Where is your character development?  Will she capture an audience if we don’t even know her name?

(My daydream has more words than the book.)

Just when I’m wrapping my head around Oh No!, Brian Snelznick comes out with
The Invention of Hugo Cabrat and Wonderstruck — thick, honkin’ books of silence.

Interestingly, these books that speak softly and carry big sticks are by men. My husband would be thrilled by this audibly “quiet”, visually “loud” trend — if he knew about it. Are these works possible for us word-abundant females?

Maybe I need more silence to see and hear clearly.