Ten-Minute Blog Break - 14th April

I've had a couple of bloggers approach me directly this week, asking if I'd consider their posts. Both were cautious, in case this was in some way "against protocol." It isn't, and I can't be everywhere, so if you're a SCBWI-BI member who's posted something you're proud of (especially on a non-SCBWI group blog) let me know!

Before I start on the completely new blog posts, I wanted to flag up Candy Gourlay's Q&A on writing dual narratives. I mentioned Candy's pre-discussion post last week, but if you missed the subsequent chat on Twitter, you can find a transcript at Notes from the Slushpile.

Larisa Villar Hauser has a fantastic interview with SCBWI Star Fighter Benjamin Scott, who goes into terrific detail about marketing and publicity strategies for authors. It's a must-read for anyone who is trying to get themselves out there via school visits and other events.

Christina Banach offers a heartfelt thank you, one year on from the publication of her debut novel, Minty. And what a gloriously positive post it is!

For illustrators, there are a couple of nifty posts about art techniques. On Big Little Tales, Heather Kilgour presents four versions of the same work-in-progress, making patterns with foxes! And Claire O'Brien has begun a monthly feature looking at striking picture book spreads. In the first Spread Of Wonder, she analyses the scraperboard technique used in the beautiful House in the Night.

Elen Caldecott is doing a very similar analysis on writing in her post for Middle Grade Strikes Back. Using the opening passage of one of her (and my) favourite books - Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce - Elen deconstructs the language, point-of-view and emotional impact of the material, and shows why it gets the story off to such an effective start.

Finally, if you need evidence that being a SCBWI member makes things happen, look no further than Nicola Morgan's blog post about commissioning an illustrator to create artwork for her presentations. Nicola put out a call on the SCBWI Facebook page and Katherine Lynas got the gig! You can see the artwork she created on Nicola's blog.

Nick.

---

A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is a children's writer, Undiscovered Voices winner, occasional blogger, ex-zombie and part-time superhero for two hours every Wednesday evening (but only after putting the bins out).

He also writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine.