By Gloria G. Adams
If you’ve been in the writing world for very long at all, you will have heard the admonition to “show, don’t tell.” The best way to do that is to bring all five of your senses into play. It makes everything more real and relatable to your reader. But how do you do that?
Prolific author Dandi Mackall suggests making a chart of the senses and going through your manuscript to see how often you’ve used each sense: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. You may find that you’ve missed one or two of them altogether!
One effective strategy is to go to an actual place. Maybe it’s a beach, a restaurant, a lake, etc. Soak in everything around you. Then write down several things you experience from each of the five senses. Do the same for the scenes in your story.
What can you touch with your hands or feet? Sand and surf? Rough concrete sidewalks, mud between your toes, silk fabric? What touches you? The wind? The brush of someone’s hand against yours? Or-eww!- is that a spider crawling on your leg?
Smells can set a mood; a kitchen can smell like freshly-sizzled bacon or rotting garbage. Compare the feeling you get in a room full of clean baby fragrances to a long-empty room that’s clogged with dust and dirt or moldy walls.
Sight is probably the most often used sense; amp up your adjectives to give your reader a feeling as well as a picture. Use “scabrous” or “brambly” instead of “rough,” “gelatinous” or “feathery” instead of “soft,” “silvery” or “dingy” instead of “grey.”
Sounds can make your character cringe, tingle, jump, scream, or cry. Sounds can remind them of a childhood memory or warn them that disaster is about to strike. Use them to add drama to your scenes. Think of the sudden roar of flames, a loud horn, cheery bird calls or raucous rooster crows, a child’s frightened scream or happy giggle.
Taste gets overlooked frequently. But it is something that everyone experiences and can pull your reader right into your scene. Who hasn’t accidentally burned his or her tongue on hot coffee or cocoa? What dessert has been either sensual in the extreme or as dry as cardboard? Next time you eat something, think about how you would describe it in your book and use it to make your characters more interesting.
Bring one of your characters into each of the settings below and describe how he or she experiences all five senses in each one.
1. A hair salon
2. A butcher shop
3. A hospital
4. An urban alleyway
5. A farm
By Laurie L. Knowlton
I
have had the privilege of being a speaker at many writer's conferences
across the United States, and yet the questions are universal. I'd like
to share the answers with you.
1. "What can I do to get published?"
The
answer to this is: Do your homework. You need to read, read, read.
Read all the HOW-TO books you can get your hands on. A few suggestions:
Ann Whitford Paul's Writing Picture Books, Barbara Sueling's How to Write a Children's Book and Get it Published, Harold D. Underdown's The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books, or Lee Wyndham's Writing for Children and Teenagers.
Along
with the HOW-TO books, you need to read books in the genre that you
would like to write. Study the character development. Identify the
tension used to build the plot. What did the author do to get the reader
into the setting?
Attend conferences and workshops. Check your
local Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' group. They
usually offer conferences, workshops and critique groups in area.
National SCBWI also offers two conferences every year. One is held in
California in August, and a second conference is offered in New York in
January. You can locate them on the web: www.SCBWI.org.
2. "Do I need an agent?"
I
do not believe you need an agent. You can research possible publishers
through the CHILDREN'S WRITERS MARKET. First look to see if the
publishing house is accepting unsolicited manuscripts. This means that
they are open to un-agented manuscripts.
But don't stop there.
After finding a publishing house that looks like it might work for your
genre and theme of your story, then look the publishing house up on the
Internet. Research the editors. Check to see if they have a blog. This
will help you find out: What else HAVE THEY published? What is their
passion? What type of book is on their wish list.
Make a list of
possible publishers and begin sending your manuscript out. Some
publishers require that you submit only to them. This is called an
exclusive submission. Other publishers will allow simultaneous
submissions. Always make sure you keep a record of where you have
submitted your manuscript and the date you submitted the manuscript and
if it is returned. If you are lucky enough to get a personal note from
an editor, send a thank you note. If they made a suggestion, get to
work!
3. "How do I submit?"
After
finishing your manuscript, it is important to have it critiqued by your
peers or a professional. There are many authors and editors that offer
critique services. Check your local SCBWI to see if there are members
who have critique groups or offer critiquing.
Make sure your
manuscript is perfect. Check grammar, spelling, and punctuation. When
your manuscript is ready, you will need to write a cover letter.
Use a regular business letter setup. Your letter should be short:
Dear Editor's Name,
I
have enclosed my 450-word picture book: NAME OF BOOK. Then add some
information about your writing history: I am a former librarian and a
member of the SCBWI Ohio chapter. I have been published in the local
newspaper. Then thank them for their time and consideration.
Make
sure your manuscript is in proper manuscript format. Type your name and
information in the top left-hand corner. Put the word count on the
right hand side, opposite your personal information. Halfway down the
page, centered, put the title of your manuscript. Put your name below
the title. Then begin your manuscript. It needs to be indented for every
new paragraph. Your manuscript should be double-spaced. You will need a
header starting on the second page. Your header should include your
name, the name of your manuscript on the left side and the page number
on the right side. Every succeeding page should have the header on the
top.
Many publishers request a SASE (Self-addressed stamped
envelope) so they can return your manuscript. Others say they will
recycle the manuscripts, so you do not need to send a SASE.
4. "Do I need an illustrator?"
The
answer is, no. Publishers have a stable of illustrators that they
prefer to use. They know their illustrators are professionals whose work
is consistent and produced on time. Let the publisher worry about the
look of the book while you do everything you can
to produce a quality manuscript.
I'm hoping these answers help you to get your work ready for publication!
If you’ve been in the writing world for very long at all, you will have heard the admonition to “show, don’t tell.” The best way to do that is to bring all five of your senses into play. It makes everything more real and relatable to your reader. But how do you do that?
