Hello all,
Welcome to the 45th edition of Women Writing! How are your writing goals going? I have a goal of writing between 10-12 pages per week, mostly because I have a bi-weekly deadline of up to 25 pages per submission due to my book coach. Having that deadline has been integral to reaching my goals. The summer months are a little more relaxed for me. I have a few regular 1:1 clients I work with and a small group of Summer Writing Campers, but other work commitments have dropped away for the time being. That means, I can really focus on my own writing, and it’s been both refreshing and reinvigorating. I’d forgotten how important regular writing is on my sense of well being.
Reaching writing goals can be a cause for celebration, but not meeting them should not lead to disappointment. It’s easy to feel discouraged when you don’t meet your daily word or page count. This weekend, I packed up my laptop and notes, along with my camp clothes and bathing suit, for our first weekend at camp (not a cottage, mind you) with plans to chip away at my draft. Instead, I enjoyed the sunshine, sauna, and swimming on Saturday, and became absorbed in a book while the rain pounded on the camp roof on Sunday. The laptop stayed tucked away the whole time and I have no guilt about it. In fact, I’m anxious to unleash the next pages over the coming week and already looking forward to going back to camp next weekend. I’ll bring my laptop, but we’ll see if it makes it out of it’s case.
This week, I’m so pleased to feature my friend and fellow author, Laurie Elmquist. Enjoy!
About the author…
Laurie Elmquist lives in Victoria, BC on the traditional, unceded (never surrendered) territories of the Lkwungen (Songhees) peoples with her partner Clay and eccentric dog, Nugget. She writes for kids. Her book for young readers, Ruckus, made the Best Books for Kids and Teens List, 2020. She has four board books for babies, most recently Country Baby and a picture book, Dr. Lila Frankenstein, pending publication with Orca Book Publishers (2026). She has an MA from the University of Windsor and taught English for over twenty-five years. She is recently obsessed with all things picture book. You can find her at laurieelmquist.ca.
“As a kid, I cared deeply about fairness, friends, art, school grades, family, and nature. When I write a story, I go to these places deep in my heart and my psyche.”
On a writing routine …
I started my picture book plunge in 2015, and my routine is to write one new picture book manuscript every month. I write in the morning, or late on a Sunday night, or while I’m walking the dog. It’s not really about the time or the place; it’s about meeting my monthly writing deadline, and my monthly critique deadline. These two things keep me in the game like nobody’s business. I don’t want to go to my critique group with empty hands (what a waste that would be of a WHOLE month), and I don’t want to let myself down when it comes to putting one more manuscript in my file folder. I’m serious about getting better at my craft, and the only way I know how to do it is to keep writing stories.
On writing spaces …
I’ve written in my car, in a café, in a campervan, and in my head while I was walking. I am fortunate to live in a very beautiful neighbourhood so I am never too far from the ocean or a streetscape that is leafy and green. I’m not saying that these things are necessary, but I like to feel my heart lift up when I write for kids. I like to write stories that take the reader somewhere specific such as a camping trip, or a beach to build sand castles, or a classroom where kids are making Valentines.
On writing communities …
My online critique group has members from Texas, Washington, Minnesota, and British Columbia. We meet once a week to make art and talk about all things that have to do with picture books, such as our new book covers, how to write query letters, and what good books we’ve read recently. Although I am not a professional illustrator, I love to draw, but mostly I love our conversations. We have become friends so we talk about other things, but we always circle back to the creation of picture books. It’s important to have a group that can celebrate the wins, as well as fill in the gaps in terms of experience and knowledge. We also have a monthly critique date. We work hard to get through each story (sometimes illustrations too), giving encouragement and suggestions to make the story stronger. A shout-out to all the groups that work hard behind the scenes. It takes a lot of people to make a picture book. I also belong to several organizations for children’s writers including SCBWI, CWILL BC, and 12 x 12: Twelve picture books in twelve months.
On challenges …
One of the biggest challenges is getting a picture book published. Because I don’t have an agent, I send out lots of queries: cover letters with a full manuscript attached. It doesn’t cost anything, but it takes a lot of time, and a bit of know-how. Publishing houses are increasingly tightening their windows for submission. Some publishers open the window in the month of November and close it for the rest of the year. Each publishing house has a different schedule, so I’ve started to keep track on a calendar. Some of my favourite Canadian publishers that publish picture books are Orca Book Publishers, Groundwood Books, Nimbus Publishing, Annick Press, Kids Can Press, Red Deer Press, and Pajama Press. I would love to have an agent to represent my picture books, so while I am sending manuscripts to publishers, I’m also sending my work to agents. Agents can get a manuscript into the hands of editors at the bigger publishing houses such as Scholastic, Harper Collins, Macmillan Publishing, and Random House.
On the best writing advice …
A picture book mentor once told me to think about the things that I liked to do as a kid, and write from that place. As a kid, I cared deeply about fairness, friends, art, school grades, family, and nature. When I write a story, I go to these places deep in my heart and my psyche. Oh, and humour. As a kid, I loved to laugh at comics, practical jokes, and little dogs.
On the worst writing advice …
Someone once told me that picture books were the hardest kind of books to publish, making it sound like an impossibility. I kept my toe out of the water for a long time, focusing on other kinds of writing, but I loved words and illustrations and the way they went together. I fell in love with board books for babies because I liked the poetry and the pictures. Board books led me inevitably to picture books and a whole world opened to me, not the least was an incredible community of people who liked the things I liked. Picture books cover such a wide variety of topics from science-y things, to quiet bedtime routines, to energetic adventures in the woods. Publishing picture books is a challenge, but I hope to publish more picture books in the upcoming years.
On advice from personal experiences …
When I started, I didn’t understand the picture book audience. I wrote a picture book about a frog and a newt who get stuck working in a food truck making fries, and the frog falls for a sexy country singer. The manuscript was politely declined. There are three age levels for picture books: 3-5, 3-7, and 4-8. When formatting a manuscript, it is standard to include the age level but even before this point, it is worth thinking about what age you are writing for and what would be interesting to that age. I know age is a tricky thing, but it is a consideration when making books for kids.
On a recent publication …
I’ve been fortunate to write a series of board books, including Country Baby (Orca Book Publishers, 2024). It’s a book about sheep and chickens, but wait . . . there’s more. When I looked at other books about farms, I discovered that the main character was often an adult or an animal. The one thing I couldn’t find was a toddler. I asked myself, what exactly can a toddler do on a farm? It’s not like they can drive a tractor or pitch a hay bale. So I did some research. I asked my hygienist, “You live in the country. You have a toddler. What are some of the things you do?” I also hung out with my grandkids and experienced the country through their eyes, fingertips, and noses. I found lots of things for my main character to do, and I am really happy with the way the book turned out. I also love the tender relationship between mother and child that Ellen Rooney created with her illustrations.
Laurie’s online spaces …
Mini Memoir Retreat
We’re just about a month away from our first Mini Memoir Retreat. Join Dinah Laprairie and me at Fielding Memorial Park in Sudbury, Ontario on Wednesday, August 14 from 9:30-4:00 PM. We’re excited to offer this full day writing workshop with a focus on memoir.
Participate in writing prompts designed to uncover your story, craft discussions related to memoir, and focussed writing time. Bring a laptop or notebook and pen, and your lunch. We’ll provide coffee, tea, and snacks.
👉Register at https://bit.ly/4cuRKRn.
Stay tuned for details about Rekindle Creativity Women’s Writing Retreat for Fall 2024.
If you have any questions, please contact us at rekindlecreativity@gmail.com.
Happy writing!
Women Writing is a weekly newsletter featuring women who are doing the difficult work of writing. If you enjoyed reading the newsletter, please share it with a fellow writer. Let’s inspire each other!
Liisa Kovala is an Author Accelerator certified book coach. She is the author of Sisu’s Winter War (Latitude 46, 2022) and Surviving Stutthof: My Father’s Memories Behind the Death Gate (Latitude 46, 2017). Her short stories and creative non-fiction have been published in a variety of anthologies and literary magazines. Liisa is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, Canadian Authors Association, and past-president of Sudbury Writers’ Guild. Visit liisakovala.com.
Well, this is an interesting window into a the picture book market! Thanks for sharing!