There were two panels on Sunday…one on picture books and one on novels. These are just some random things I wrote down:
1) Paul Rodeen has never sold a serious picture book.
2) Paul judges a picture book similarly to how he judges an adult short story (is it quick to the point, does it have a character the reader can invest in)
3) HarperCollins wants characters they can franchize. They also have “categories” that they look for picture books to fill (for instance something they can put on promotion for Borders or Barnes & Noble)…and it’s rare that they take something that doesn’t fit a particular category.
4) Good dialogue is like when you overhear gossip (from King’s book On Writing)
5) “A strong villain is your best friend” – Sid Fleischman
6) External conflict will trigger internal conflict if you’re lucky…
7) Motion pictures are action-reaction. Reaction reveals character – Sid Fleischman
8) Ends of scenes are important…they’re like the “curtain” in theatre – Sid Fleischman
9) Give major characters an entrance – Sid Fleischman
10) Give weather a role
I have two more sessions to write up — Bruce Coville’s talk on school visits and Lisa Yee’s final keynote. These were the best sessions of the entire weekend. I’m off to visit my dad today and tomorrow, though, so it’ll have to wait until I get back.