One of the things I miss most about being a full-time teacher is observing how some days, a class gels in the most perfect way. But that was exactly the feeling I had today at the Quebec Writers' Federation headquarters in Montreal, where I did a workshop called "Solving the Picture Book Puzzle." There were twelve of us in all and not only did we gel -- we definitely solved the picture book puzzle!
We spent our day analyzing picture books together, doing writing exercises and listening to some picture books-in-the works. I don't think I've ever had a day that passed so quickly -- and so happily.
I must say we were a very interesting group! It included two translators, two lawyers, two teachers, several published writers -- including a poet, a screenwriter/video game writer and a soon-to-be-published pic book author, a journalist, and at least two Ph.D. candidates! Amongst these was a mom of twins, a daughter who was one of ten kids, and people who had grown up in or lived in other countries including Brazil, Croatia abd Japan. So, as you can imagine, we heard a lot of interesting stories!
So, if you're looking to solve the pic book puzzle, here's a little summary of what we figured out together: every word in a pic book needs to count; what can be told through illustrations shouldn't be included in the text; the child needs to solve the problem; and there needs to be growth. And repetition with variation often finds its way into pic books.
We also talked about our favourite pic books -- I took notes because I learned about several pic books that I hadn't read, but which I'm planning to read ASAP.
If you know me, you'll know I'm obsessed with MEMORIES, and that I believe they are STORIES WANTING TO BE TOLD! In one exercise, participants recalled a memory of being five years old. When we went around the table, exchanging memories, we heard some remarkable, moving stories. Amongst them: Beverley's memory of misbehaving in kindergarten after her grandmother died and her dad left town to attend the funeral; and Camerin's memory of throwing away a puppet because she loved it too much. (Even just writing that breaks my heart -- but in a beautiful way.)
Some of the participants brought their pic books-in-progress and read them to us. This was, for me, another highlight of the day. That's because the group was so supportive and people had such amazing insights. I must say I felt by then that I was hardly needed! (I've always believed that was the sign of a successful class!!) Natalia impressed us with her humour and word play. We loved Branka's story about two sisters with very different artistic styles, and I jotted down some of my favourite lines in Branka's story, such as "The paper wasn't big enough for her imagination" and "the house didn't look like the house in her head." And Mélanie WOWED us with her funny, powerful story about fighting trolls -- a story, designed like the very best picture books, to appeal to both kids and adults.
I had warned the participants that after a day in my company, MOST PEOPLE ARE VERY TIRED!! So I'm afraid I may have exhausted the group. But I think it's safe to say we had a blast, we all learned from each other, we heard some fantastic stories, and we're looking forward to reading each other's stories.
As for me, I feel like the luckiest teacher in the world. Thanks to the QWF for letting me offer today's workshop and to the participants for being the perfect class!