An Illustrator's Bucket List by Hazel Mitchell

Last night I thought, 'Oh lummee! It's my turn to blog tomorrow.  And I hadn't a clue what I was going to write about. And then, happily, two illustrator friends messaged me on much the same subject: AGENTS.

Alright, that's a misnomer, I am NOT going to yak on about agents. (Important though they are.)

What those conversations did get me thinking about was my 'ILLUSTRATION BUCKET LIST'.

This began just about as soon as I started to think seriously about my 'career'. (Or lack of one.)

IN THE BEGINNING the list was pretty short:

• Have the nads to spend more than 10 minutes in a children's book store without feeling overwhelmed/excited/suicidal.
• Get published and be fabulously famous. And rich.

I missed a hell of a lot of interim steps out! Like the whole illustration process for one (and two, three, four and five). Luckily I got me to a workshop.

MY BUCKET LIST GREW

• Learn more about kid's books. 
• Go to a conference. Meet some people.
• Get published and be fabulously famous. (And rich).

I reacquainted myself with the children's library and recalled books I loved as a kid plus reading a **** load of new books.
I went to an SCBWI conference.

NEW BUCKET LIST

• I know nothing. (Do something about it.)
• Create a portfolio. One that I would dare show to people.
• Create a website.
• Get a platform.
• Get an agent.
• Get published and be fabulously famous. (And rich).

I DID do something. I read, I listened, I networked, I went to more conferences.I began to draw like I hadn't in years. I started working on dummies. I submitted. I got rejected. I got rejected. I got rejected.

WORKING ON A NEW LIST

• I know nothing. (Do more about it.)
• Create a portfolio. With better work in it.
• GET A STYLE. (What is style??)
• Change website (again).
• Mail out postcards.
• Work on platform. And Blog. And Facebook. And Twitter. And ...
• GET an agent.
• Create more time to work on CRAFT. (gulp. This will mean analyzing my life and work)
• Get published and be fabulously famous. (And rich).

I continued to immerse myself in gaining as much knowledge as I could. I worked on my illustration. I submitted and mailed out. I got rejected. AGAIN. and AGAIN.

BACK TO LIST

• I know nothing. (Do more about it.)
• Work on portfolio.
• Try not to worry about style.
• Simplify website.
•  Mail out postcards. Work on contact list.
•  Work on platform. And Blog. And Facebook. And Twitter.  Don't spend too much time online.
• Get an agent.
• Work on CRAFT. 
• Get published and be fabulously famous. (And rich).

So a few years passed. I found I could now spend a lot of time in bookstores without breaking out in a sweat and feeling totally inadequate.
I was beginning to recognize a glimmer in my work that looked like SOMETHING and not the hodge podge of regurgitated learning from my past life as a fine artist/graphic designer/other. It was - voice.
The time and effort in giving myself a fast education in the children's book industry (via conferences, workshops, internet, books) was paying off.

I got my first real book to illustrate.

PRESENT LIST

• Work on CRAFT. Seek out places to learn more. Be a sponge. Be INSPIRED!
• Create.
• Enjoy.
• Promote.
• Wait for the right agent.
• Hope to work with great art directors and editors.
• Find the balance between work, supporting everyday life, living, and letting the stories out.

All I want to say, (really), is that everyone's list is different, and rightly so. I am amazed at the paths of my fellow artists and writers. There's NO right or wrong way, there is only YOUR way. Our wants and needs change. For me it was from a 'tick list' that gave me a lot of stress, all of those things I thought would lead me on the path to 'success'. Not that we don't find those things helpful along the way! And I needed them to get me motivated. But the 'along the way' is where we are, not where we are going. The most important thing to me now, is to do work that inspires the reader and inspires me. That's where satisfaction lies.

So far I wouldn't change a thing.

Toodles!
Hazel
http://hazelmitchell.com

My newest book is out March 1st '1,2,3 by the Sea',
written by Dianne Moritz and published by Kane Miller.

In the coming months I will be presenting workshops at 'Europolitan 2013' Paris, France and NESCBWI 2013 Springfield, MA.

[Insert Perfect Name Here]: Character Naming Resources for Writers.

by Kristen Crowley Held

I am really, really, really good at obsessing over character names. So good, in fact, that I've assembled quite a collection of books and websites that I use to seek out the PERFECT name. The name has to sound right both out loud and inside my head, has to fit the character without being too obvious and, if I'm really on my game, should have an extra layer of meaning known only to me (and readers well versed in name origins).

Occasionally, if it's not my protagonist who remains nameless, I can get away with writing things like [insert perfect name here] but usually I spend hours/days/weeks searching through my favorite character naming resources before I can move on.

Since I'm big on hidden meanings, one of my favorite resources is a book called Baby Names Made Easy: The Complete Reverse Dictionary of Baby Names by Amanda Elizabeth Barden. 

"Baby Names Made Easy offers selections organized into categories of meaning, making it easier than ever to choose a name that is significant to you."

Some sample categories: Animals & Insects, Hardworking, Magic, and Protector. Have a character trait in mind? Pick a category and you'll find a list of associated names.

Does your character have siblings? The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg includes potential names for sisters and brothers with each listing. The Baby Name Wizard also has an awesome website that lets you track the popularity of a name over time and figure out in which part of the country your name is most often used. For a small fee you can also sign up for the Baby Name Wizard Expert Edition which uses Flash tools like the Name MatchMaker to find a name based on "your unique tastes and style."

Writing a Fantasy? Check out The New Book of Magical Names by Phoenix McFarland.

 

Need a surname?

The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon has names and surnames from more than 45 countries.

Some of my favorite online character naming resources include:

Nameberry.com which lists names by every conceivable category. Looking for a Hipster name? Or maybe an Old Lady name? They've got you covered.

ParentsConnect.com allows you to search for names by meaning. Enter a word and they'll provide a list of names.

Nymbler.com helps you find the perfect name by having you choose names you like, but that aren't quite right, and extrapolates from there.

            

Looking for a cool nickname? Check out:

http://www.moonzstuff.com/articles/nicknames.html

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pacumber/nick.htm

Or maybe you just want a randomly generated name?

If you use Scrivener you've got a name generator built right in. 

If not, here are a couple of online name generators to check out:

http://www.kleimo.com/random/name.cfm

http://www.behindthename.com/random/

That ought to keep you busy for a few hours/days/weeks!

And now that I've shown you some places to look for them, how do YOU choose the perfect name for your character?

Keeping the Balls in the Air

Hello.  My name is Amy and I’m a YES-aholic. 

If you’re looking for someone to care for your llamas while you’re away, build cardboard pagodas for the school food carnival, or teach thirty first-graders to sing and dance like monkeys…then YES, I’m your girl!  I’ve served on boards, coordinated critique groups, established organizations and launched everything from books to water balloons. 

I also run my own architecture firm, captain a couple sports teams, part-time single-mom my kid, president the PTO and turn nouns into verbs.  I have seven siblings, a host of lovely friends, and stacks of unread books for which I never have enough time.  And in the cracks between all those things to which I say YES, I write. 

I’m guessing this sounds familiar. 

Courage, Strength Welcome Here

Greetings, monkeys—turbo and otherwise! Marilyn here. One of my favorite sayings is, “Be strong and courageous.” Whenever I feel discouraged, that message picks me up, gives me a cold drink, and nudges me forward. Writers and artists need strength and courage from time to time. When you're low, here are a few ways to find them.

Be strong in listening to your muse. I don’t mean to wait for the muse in order to create, because you know as well as I that if we did, very little would get done. What I mean is that we all get our inspiration from somewhere, and it’s up to us to find where it lives. It might be a type of music, or gorgeous writing or painting at a level you want to be creating. Perhaps meditation, candlelight, a particular scent, being in nature, or yoga is your muse. Your children, your romantic relationship, or your faith might open the channel to your creative self. When it does, spend some time with it. The muse is always speaking, but do we always listen?

Be strong in saying No, and courageous in saying Yes. When we know what we do and don't want, it’s easier to say No kindly and without apology. Clearing your schedule, your assignment list, and your life of tasks that aren’t a good fit allows two things: (1) others who are better-suited and -abled get the opportunity to say Yes to them, and (2) you have the space to say Yes to those things that are the best fit.