“I was on my way down through the orchard carrying a pail of slops to my pig. I had made up my mind to write a children’s book about animals, and I needed a way to save a pig’s life, and I had been watching a large spider in the backhouse … and the idea came to me.”
-- E.B. White describing his moment
of inspiration for writing “Charlotte’s Web”
How many times has an idea for a story captured your imagination? You decide to write a picture book, thinking a picture book is short, and easy enough to finish quickly. Not exactly, says Smithsonian Notable Book award-winning author Clare Hodgson Meeker. The truth is that creating a story from idea to finished book is a journey that few complete. What does it take to bring a picture book idea to life? How can you sustain enthusiasm for the story and not only survive but enjoy the writing process?
Spend with a weekend immersing yourself in writing, discussing, analyzing and polishing your story. Learn about structure, tension, voice, and plot, and how to add literary punch with the right amount of detail and description. Discover themes in your work that will deepen your story for broader appeal. Through one-on-one editing, Clare will troubleshoot what is not working with your manuscript or process and propose creative solutions. Find out how to write a cover letter and submit your manuscript to a publisher.
Clare Hodgson Meeker, author of seven books for children, has won the Smithsonian Notable Book award for “Lootas Little Wave Eater” and Bank Street Book of the Year for “Who Wakes Rooster?” Her newest book about raising a service dog for a wheelchair-bound person will be published in June of 2006. She also has published biographies, folk tales, and stories for the National Wildlife Federation’s children’s magazine, Your Big Backyard. Clare teaches writing workshops in the schools and for adults at the Richard Hugo House in Seattle. This March, she will present at the Whidbey Island Writers Conference.
Fee: $310 includes accommodations and five meals.
Optional retreat: Stay Monday and Tuesday after the workshop to work on your own project; $175 includes six meals; two-person limit.
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