SCBWI Montana Chapter Newsletter | |
| What would you like to see from the Montana region that you aren't currently seeing? | | | |
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A Tale of Two Jennifers
After a year of serving as our social media manager, Jennifer Prinzing has decided to step down from the position. Jennifer Ard will now be taking over our region's Facebook and Instagram accounts.
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Jennifer Prinzing (aka Nacho) is an illustrator, author, designer, and pie-in-the-face enthusiast obsessed with children’s books and cartoons. She believes life is better when we all stay six. If you don't want to miss Jenn's bubbly personality coming through your feed, you can follow her on Instagram @nachofied (You'll have to ask her the story behind her alternate moniker). Also be sure to check out her website to see all her fun art and pick up your very own "Stay Six" sticker. www.lovenacho.com. | Image by Jennifer Prinzing | |
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Jennifer and Jennifer are working together to ensure there is a smooth transition during the changing of the guard and to come up with more ways for you to engage with our online community of creators. If you're not already hanging out with us online (and want to), you can use these links to follow the Montana SCBWI Facebook page, and the Instagram page @SCBWIMontana. On these pages, you'll see news about upcoming events, member book news and celebrations, and more. Remember to let us know of your book-related news (book signings, awards, launch date, etc ...), so we can feature it on our page. Don't be shy! Let us cheer you on! | |
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Jennifer Ard is a Montana-based author and illustrator. She has illustrated two books. Nest, written by former Montana RA Precious McKenzie and published in February of 2024, and Into the Blue by Amy Foos Kapoorwhich is scheduled to come out in the fall of 2024. Both books are published by BeaLu Books.
She also holds a Fish and Wildlife degree from MSU Bozeman and is a 5th generation Montanan who loves the outdoors.
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You may remember Joann Howeth's member interview with Jennifer a couple summers ago. Here's a link to it in case you missed it.
You can find out more about Jennifer (and see her adorable illustrations) on Instagram @Jenniferardart and at her website www.jenniferard.com.
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Illustration by Jennifer Ard | |
More News and Announcements | |
Be a Guest Contributor
A HUGE thank-you to Marci Whitehurst and Jennifer Ard for contributing articles for this issue.
We know there are a lot of resident experts out there across our great state of Montana, and we'd love to hear from you. Have you discovered some tips that could help your fellow kid-lit creators? Have you read a great craft book or discovered some other resource you want to tell us about? Would you like to share a behind-the-scenes piece about how you created your last book? We would love to include more guest articles from our members in upcoming newsletters.
We ask that articles be no more than 800 words and be written with the goal of helping or inspiring our writers and/or illustrators. Guest contributors will receive space for a short bio and a link to their website and social media. If you have something you'd like to share, please email the article (or a proposal) to mtscbwisocial@gmail.com.
Note: Submissions are not guaranteed publication.
Awards and Grants
Opportunities for illustrators are currently available. Get the details at www.scbwi.org:
- Featured Illustrator
- Draw This! monthly contest
- Narrative Art Award (open through September 31)
SCBWI on AI
There’s been a lot of talk about AI in recent months. Its use in creative endeavors is mostly shunned and banned in communities like SCBWI. As such, SCBWI’s board of advisors crafted a policy we need to adhere to. Here’s what they wrote:
“For over 50 years, SCBWI has encouraged and celebrated the creativity, dedication, and lived experiences of our members. This is a bedrock principle of our organization. Therefore, we are opposed to any use of text-prompted generative AI in writing, illustrating, or other aspects of creating children’s books until fair policies and regulations are established to protect the work of all human creators. Currently, generative AI developers train their systems on human-made work, unethically using and copying this work without regard for copyright, credit, or compensation.”
You can read the entire policy statement here. The use of any materials created using AI is prohibited when submitting for any awards or scholarships and entrants will need to sign an affidavit attesting to that.
Also, it is important to note we cannot guarantee that materials posted on our region’s website or social media accounts won’t be scraped for AI training. Without getting deep into the weeds about this, know that several media organizations are fighting against these practices through lawsuits and other means. But for now, this is how it stands. If you have any questions about any of SCBWI’s policies and procedures, please feel free to contact Montana Regional Advisor Jodi Hausen.
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Virtual Hobnobs
Our statewide virtual hobnobs have been very rewarding. At the end of this newsletter you can see some of the tips and resources that have been shared during the tip potlucks.
We plan to meet on the first Thursday of each month. Our next one will be held via Zoom on October 3, 7-9 p.m.
If you would like to be interviewed for the Member Spotlight segment of a future hobnob or present a lecture on something related to the craft of kid-lit, please send an email to mtscbwisocial@gmail.com.
BookStop is Back!
It’s that glorious time of year … SCBWI’s BookStop is back! Whether your book is traditionally published or self-published, BookStop is a chance to promote your work and get your book in front of thousands of potential buyers. Build a customized promotional book page that will be featured in the showcase on SCBWI’s website from October 15 through December 4.
Only books that have been (or will be) published from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2024, are eligible. There is a $25 fee to create a page, which you can do at any time during the promotional period. However, it’s best to have it up by October 15 to take advantage of SCBWI’s marketing at launch and throughout the promotional period. In addition to social media, SCBWI will use paid media to target the general public.
BookStop is a great way to get more eyes on your newly published book.
Volunteers Needed
Your MT-SCBWI regional team is currently looking for two volunteers to fill important roles for our region. We are in need of someone to serve as a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Coordinator as well as someone to serve as the Virtual Hobnob Coordinator. In addition to the perks of networking and helping your peers, these volunteers will receive free membership to SCBWI. If you'd like to know more about what's involved in these roles, please email Jodi Hausen at montana-ra@scbwi.org.
Upcoming Webinar Series
Your regional team has been busy cooking up events for 2025, and we are excited to announce a series of monthly webinars titled “The Creative Mindset: Find your voice, plan for success, and banish perfectionism and that inner critic (who’s so dang loud).”
The first in the series will take place at 1 p.m. MST on Saturday, January 25 and will feature our former Montana member, now resident Hawaiian, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent. Dorothy will guide us through some exercises to help us negotiate with our internal critics and set aside our anxieties so we can create freely.
Read more about the series and Dorothy below.
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Awakening your Creative Mindset
You’re sitting in front of your computer or an open notebook with pencil, pen, or paintbrush in hand. Now what? How do you get yourself into a creative mindset so you can actually create?
Whether you’re a writer, artist, or both, it’s the same problem. And the same techniques to break through that block can work for both. In this webinar, long-time author of nonfiction science and nature books for young readers Dorothy Hinshaw Patent provides useful techniques to get past creative blocks. She’ll show you how to negotiate with your internal critic and how to set aside your anxieties about your abilities so you can create freely.
Author Dorothy Hinshaw Patent decided to use her knowledge and Ph.D. in zoology from University of California, Berkeley to write nonfiction science and nature books for young readers.
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Over the years Dorothy has written 140 books at age levels from new reader to adult and received many awards including the Eva Gordon Award from the American Nature Study Society and the Washington Post/Children¹s Book Guild Nonfiction Award. Her books appear on many “best books” lists including the Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the year and the NAST-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12.
Dorothy has taught writing classes for the University of Montana's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (MOLLI), Yellowstone National Park's summer education program, and at a variety of retreats.
Dorothy and her husband Greg lived in Missoula for 50 years, raising their sons David and Jason there. In 2021, they sold their home and moved to Kaua’i, Hawai'i, but Dorothy considers herself a Montanan at heart.
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This year's SPARKS sessions will be wrapping up soon!
On Saturday, October 19 (one week later than usual) we will have our final SPARKS meeting where we will gather to celebrate our commitments to working on our craft together through these sessions. We will talk about our wins, what we loved, and what we want to see going into the next SPARKS series starting next year (date TBD). If you have any suggestions about what you would like the next SPARKS series to be, this is the meeting to attend to let us know.
From February 3 through 27, we will be exhibiting our work at the Billings Public Library. In addition to a physical exhibition, we will also have a virtual exhibition (date TBD) to celebrate our work. You are invited to submit up to three pieces of your writing or illustrations for the show. If physical space does not allow for every single entry, Illustrator Coordinator Jeanne Bowman and SPARKS Coordinator Megan Emmot will jury the show.
If you couldn't attend any of the sessions, you can STILL participate in the show.
You have until January 5, 2025, to send digital files of your work to Jeanne Bowman, Illustrator Coordinator, at montana-ic@scbwi.org. Illustrations should be formatted as a .png file at 300 dpi. Written pieces should be in Microsoft Word. Written documents will be formatted to fit the look of the show, so don't worry about the formatting. Please name your file SPARKS2024_firstname_lastname (ex: SPARKS2024_jeanne_bowman).
Jeanne Bowman will be printing pieces on velvet fine art paper at 8-1/2 inches x 11 inches. If you want this print returned to you, write to Jeanne Bowman to arrange for shipping. If not, the prints will be shredded after the show (unless someone asks to buy the piece).
You do not have to reside in Montana to participate.
Include your name on your pieces, as well as any links to websites or places you would like people to learn more about you. Also include what state you reside in. For the physical show, preference will be given to Montana participants in regards to space.
We will only accept work that was created with one or more of the following prompts.
The prompts were:
- There's something spooky living under the stairs
- An Alligator goes stargazing
- A Memory of Ice Skating
- New
- It's not easy being small
- Dancing in the rain
- Full of feathers
- It all started in the mountains
- The space where I belong
- An unexpected friend
- A memory of swimming
- Through the door of possibilities
We hope to see you at our final SPARKS session on Oct. 19! Keep an eye on your email for the zoom link.
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Where in the World are our Montana Members? | |
See what some of our members have been up to. | |
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It's always good to get your book in the news. Montana member Michelle Weltz was featured in Bigfork Eagle. You can read the article about her and her new book here.
We celebrated Michelle and her book in our last issue, but in case you missed it, you can visit her website michelleweltz.com.
| Brook Merrow is one of five authors to be showcased at the Bozeman independent bookstore Country Bookshelf on Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. If you're not familiar with Brook's book Trapped, you can read about it on her website www.brookmerrow.com. | Have you presented at a kid-lit event recently? Do you have something coming up soon? We'd love to know what you're up to and how and where we can support you whether it's a book launch, author signing, interview, talk, vendor event or something else. As long as it's kid-lit-related, bring us along. Please don't be shy. Send information and pictures to mtscbwisocial@gmail.com | | |
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Our Illustrator Coordinator Jeanne Bowman presented at the South Dakota Festival of the Book September 20-22. The festival celebrates literature in South Dakota and beyond by connecting the very best regional and national writers with the state's readers for conversations, presentations, panel discussions, book signings, and special events.
You can read more about Jeanne's latest book below in our Celebration Corner.
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Thursday, September 5 was a wonderful Virtual Hobnob featuring our Spotlight Member: Bruce Smith.
Bruce is a writer and wildlife biologist who lives in southwest Montana. He is the author of multiple nonfiction books focusing on natural history and science. Recently, he has made the foray into writing middle grade fiction about environmental themes in his newly completed trilogy, The Legend Keepers. Check it out at https://www.www.brucesmithwildlife.co.
During the hobnob, Bruce walked us through this switch from nonfiction to fiction, his purpose for writing an adventure story set on the roof of the world, and all of the wonderful things he has learned from the kids who have read his books.
We had a wonderful discussion about book promotion where he shared many tips from his experiences. He also gave us insight into how to juggle multiple complicated plot points with engaging characters to make a powerful story with heart. He talked about embodying his characters and writing from a place of empathy.
We hope you will attend an upcoming member spotlight. Our next guest will be the marvelous Marci Whitehurst.
If you would like to be one of our Spotlight Members where you can promote your work, talk about a topic you are passionate about, or highlight something of importance in the kid-lit community, please write to
montana-ra@scbwi.org, montana-ara@scbwi.org or montana-ic@scbwi.org.
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Classes, Webinars, and Critique Groups, Oh MY!!
Learning to utilize — and let go of — writing
and illustrating opportunities
by Marci Whitehurst, guest contributor
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Recently, I pulled out a calendar and marked the dates of possible writing classes, webinars, critique group meetings, etc.
It made for a very full calendar. I could’ve committed to a writing class or something-or-other every day if I’d wanted. But that wasn’t feasible.
When I first started writing, it was pre-COVID and we cherished every conference held in Montana. We still have these events from time to time, but the world changed after COVID, opening online worlds of connection.
While I would never wish to go through COVID again, I am grateful for the variety of classes, webinars, and connection groups that became available online. That summer the SCBWI conference was open to online registrants, making it possible for me to attend. I remember eagerly waiting for the registration to open. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one because the site crashed within the first 5 minutes. Ultimately, I did get registered and sat in the comfort of my home, attending the conference from my kitchen table.
That year, I devoured classes, thinking these opportunities were short-lived and I needed to take everything I could while it lasted. And I did. 2020 was a busy year in my writing life and I let it carry on into 2021 and then some into 2022…
But I couldn’t hold the momentum. I was writing and learning to write in three genres: picture book, middle grade, and poetry (which included novels in verse). Attending every opportunity made me run out of steam. However, I had a fear of missing out (FOMO), so I kept going.
I wouldn’t trade the classes, webinars, and critique groups I connected with and continue to connect with; they’ve been truly helpful in my writing journey.
Yet, I realized there’s always going to be something I will miss out on.
It might be a class, a critique session, or a community event. This realization led me to ask the question:
"What do I need in my writing journey right now?"
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As writers and illustrators, we are all committed to lifelong learning. But taking every class available feels like going to multiple colleges at once. So how do we know what groups, classes, and opportunities to take advantage of in our writing and illustrating careers?
In trying to decide, I consider these three things:
- Does it fit my schedule in a healthy way?
- Do I have the resources (be it financial, mental, or other) to participate?
- Does it align with my current goals?
Pulling out my calendar showed me something: I needed to have weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals, especially since I was writing in different genres. It wasn’t realistic with my life schedule to expect myself to finish my middle grade novel and a picture book at the same time in a matter of weeks.
My weekly goals are solid: I put in critique meetings, project plans (whether it is revisions or word counts for new material), and any classes I may choose to attend, and schedule them around my other job. I write the day of the week on a piece of paper, with goals for each day. Usually, I don’t get everything done and I must shift something to the next day, but that’s okay. My Mondays usually look heavy, with each day in the week having a slightly shorter to-do list. That way, I’m not as upset with setbacks or slow days. (Notice I said not as upset. I’m type A and have to deal with myself. Ha, ha!)
My monthly goals are a little fluid, but still have structure. When I have pop-ups one week (which invariably happens), then I can shift some weekly goals to the next week. Yet each week has a theme or project focus.
Quarterly goals are specific, but flexible. I usually name projects I’m working on and leave time for new writing. I also have a list that could go anywhere on my weekly list during the quarter—like writing a poem or drafting an article. I also like to pinpoint magazines I’d like to submit to and see what might fit their wishlist for articles and when submissions are due.
I’ve been using this framework for a while now and I can’t promise I’ll use it forever, but it has been helping me to organize opportunities and prioritize my goals—allowing me to let go of some things.
If you’re not sure how to find the plethora of classes, webinars, and podcasts, start by checking out the SCBWI website. You can take classes in any region. Also, check out podcasts—you’ll find info. on the website, but also on all podcast apps. Just look for SCBWI.
Finally, stay connected with our local Montana region through Facebook, Instagram, and hobnobs, and take advantage of opportunities with local creators. We have a lot of talent in Montana!
Mostly, we must do what works best for our creative journeys and our particular season in life.
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Marci Whitehurst is a former educator, theater and speech coach, a children's author, rancher's wife, and mother of three. Her passion is to share light, life, heart, and humor, through stories, poems, and blog posts. She blogs about connecting with the kid inside all of us at www.marciwhitehurst.substack.com. She can also be reached through her website at www.marciwhitehurst.com. Find her on X (Twitter) at @marciwhitehurst and on Instagram @marci_whitehurst. | |
Social Media Drawing Challenges:
Why they don’t work for me, and what I found that did
by Jennifer Ard, guest contributor
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Illustration by Jennifer Ard | |
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Failure to Learn
Have you ever tried to undertake a writing or drawing challenge and failed? Me too. I have failed so many. I have yet to complete one of those silly social media challenges. In the past, I saw the lack of finishing the challenge as a failure.
But drawing challenges just don’t work for me. They cause too much stress. I knew that I needed to draw faster and gain confidence in my mark making. I needed to be able to draw people and that the practice had to mean something to me. I knew that I needed to do something, but I felt lost.
Starting a daily drawing challenge would accomplish these goals but I could not find one that would meet all my predetermined criteria and, more importantly, one that I wouldn’t quit.
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I mentioned my frustrations to a friend of mine (that dear talented Jeanne Bowman), and she recommended a book that has helped her get out of funks in the past. That book is Lynda Barry’s Making Comics. It’s full of art assignments. I started working through the book with my daughters, and I started to get out of my funk.
But I still needed a daily practice. Then we got to page 72 which is a daily diary assignment. I thought that this was an interesting idea and might be just the thing I needed, so I bought a notebook and decided to try it for 30 days.
There are detailed instructions in Lynda's book, but essentially it’s a daily two-page spread in a journal. It sounds like a lot but if you follow her instructions, it’s only about twenty minutes of your day. There is also a writing component. So, if you are an author, you could use this same daily practice to improve your writing.
I altered the assignment to fit my life and my goals. I don’t put a time limit on mine. I write in it throughout the day and draw in it in the evening or sometimes the next day. I often get behind on the drawings, but I eventually catch up. I have found that as long as I write in it everyday I can find a moment to catch up on the drawings.
I have been focusing on improving my drawing skills but intend to work on my writing skills as well. I am on my seventh journal and haven’t missed a day in fourteen months.
Materials:
I started with a cheap notebook, but when I knew I was going to stick with it, I upgraded. It is important to draw in ink. It makes you think about each line.
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What I gained
I can now draw faster with more confidence. I can also draw people. Which was not a skill I had in the past. I have illustrated two books and the second one was completed much quicker than the first. I have a keepsake for my family. I also always use the last page for reflection. I list the things that went well and those things that still need improvement or what I want to work on in the next one. I included two spreads from my journals so that you can visibly see my progress. The first is from two weeks into my journal journey and the second is thirteen-ish months into my daily practice. They are similar subjects but two very different skill levels.
What Have I Learned?
I was honestly shocked that I stuck with it. It may have helped that I have already been journaling for my kids since the day they were born but now I journal and draw for them. I am capturing moments that I do not have pictures of.
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Honestly, I wish I would have started this practice 14 years ago. After I recognized my success, I reflected on the reasons that I stuck with this practice and realized that in order for me to complete a drawing challenge, the challenge had to have meaning. I had to value the time spent. My memories with my family are meaningful. I also think that because this practice is just for me, and I don’t feel pressured to share it on social media, I let go of the need for perfection. I can experiment and no one is going to judge me. My dog can slob the page and smear the ink and it’s no big deal. My family is going to cherish them regardless of my skills and that means more to me than a stranger’s opinion.
| Illustration by Jennifer Ard | |
Jennifer Ard is a Montana illustrator. Read more about her in the article above. Also be sure to pop over to her website to learn more about her and her work. You can also check out her Instagram page to see her works-in-progress. | | |
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Celebration Corner
We're excited to share book news
of our Montana members
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The Mystery of Mystic Mountain
by Janet Fox
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release date: October 22, 2024
A girl tackles a summer filled with mystery, treasure, and learning to be her true self in this middle grade adventure that’s a modern-day Holes set on a dusty dude ranch in Montana.
Becca Soloway’s perfect summer goes up in smoke when her mom flees a looming divorce by dragging Becca to a Montana resort. To make matters worse, her mom’s hasty booking lands them not at a spa, but an aging dude ranch called Far Away.
Becca is miserable until she meets the wrangler’s son, Jon, who shows her what might be the first clue to a century-old mystery: the lost treasure of a Robin Hood–like outlaw known as Pearlhandle Pete.
As they slowly uncover the true history of Pete, venture into the mountains, search haunted ghost towns, and are threatened by a treasure-hunter-social-media star, Becca discovers that treasure is in the eye of the beholder and the important things in life are always worth fighting for.
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Janet Fox is an award-winning author with a deep passion for the magic of storytelling. Her writing journey began at age 8 with a poem published in the town newspaper, setting the stage for a career dedicated to writing captivating tales for young readers.
As a writer, she strives to create books that can help grow young hearts and minds.
Janet is also a book coach. You can learn more at www.janetsfox.com.
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Cricket's Choice
by Sheila Ruble
Publisher: Barking Dog Press
Release date: August 07, 2024
Ever since outrunning last year’s wildfire, Cricket O’Conner has been in trouble. Moody, anxious, plagued by nightmares and flashbacks, Cricket‘s whole world is coming apart and she has no idea what to do about it. Furthermore, she can’t shake an uncomfortable feeling that Gonna Be, the troublesome blue roan she had ridden through the fire and then sold, was in trouble, too. Unwilling to share her feelings with anyone, Cricket starts the summer frustrated by not finding the perfect horse to buy and flummoxed by a
surprise gift from her grandmother.
Persuaded to attend a horse auction, she’s not only surprised again but also confronted now with a life-changing choice to make. Cricket’s Choice is a sequel to Fire Pony, a 2020 Women Writing the West young adult book finalist for the Willa Award for Literary Excellence.
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Sheila Ruble lives with her husband, Bob, and a delinquent cattle dog on a quarter section of sagebrush and cheatgrass northwest of Billings.
When not procrastinating her way through various writing projects, she can be found competing in canine scent work and rally obedience trials, caring for her two elderly horses, or visiting places with her borrowed Pet Partner therapy dog. Sheila also tries to spend as much time as possible at her beloved cabin in the West Boulder valley, where she takes an absurd number of photos of moths and bumblebees.
You can learn more about Sheila and her other books at www.sheilaruble.com.
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Georgia Jipp Blizzard Pilot
by Laura Beth Dean
Illustrated by Jeanne Bowman
Publisher: South Dakota Historical Society Press
Release Date: August 13, 2024
Georgia Jipp might be small, but she was brave, flying 150 mercy missions for the American Red Cross during the winter of 1949. Georgia Hoyt Jipp (1926–1987) spent her childhood in and around small airplanes in western South Dakota. She loved flying. Despite her petite size, she earned her pilot's license at age nineteen.
In 1948, at age twenty-two, she married Richard Jipp. Their wedding took place in an airplane circling above Philip, South Dakota, while wedding guests listened in on the radio.
A blizzard struck on January 2, 1949, ushering in three months of snowstorms that ranked as the worst in the state's history. Georgia answered the desperate pleas of ranchers, parents of sick children, and the American Red Cross, flying over 150 rescue missions during those three long months of snowstorms—more than anyone else in the state! She was a blizzard pilot hero.
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Jeanne Bowman is the illustrator of The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde; Charlie Russell and the Gnomes of Bull Head Lodge by Emily Crawford Wilson, which won the WWA 2022 Spur award; Bob Marshall: Defender of the Wilderness by Linda Elovitz Marshall and Georgia Jipp: Blizzard Pilot by Laura Beth Dean. She works both in traditional watercolor and digital mediums. She lives in Sidney, Montana.
You can learn more and connect with Jeanne at www.jeannebowmanillustrates.com.
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If you are a current member of the Montana region of SCBWI and have news to share about your book, we'd love to celebrate with you. Email us at mtscbwisocial@gmail.com with publication or award info. Please include an image or two of the book. We can't wait to see your book babies!
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Dog Talk
by LuAnn M. Rod
Publisher: Chicken Scratch Books
Release Date: August 01, 2024
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All GT wants is to make friends in his new town, but when a skateboarding dare goes wrong, his hopes are as dented as the school principal’s car.
His punishment? Taking his mom’s bratty poodle Fifi to her doggie summer camp.
Normal life is over!
When GT and Fifi are accidentally zapped by a faulty phone app, the voices they hear are each other’s, and they can talk back. Fifi is the bane of his existence, and now their lives are entangled in a way GT never dreamed.
Trouble isn’t stopping there.
Changes are happening to GT — he wants to howl at the moon, growl at his sister, and chase every squirrel. It won’t be long until he finds himself among the city’s stray dogs.
To stop this magical transformation, GT must form a new pack built on friendship, acceptance, loyalty, and love — the things dogs do best. But he quickly learns there’s more to the situation than he realizes.
Dangerously more.
Saving himself might be the only way to save the whole town, dogs included.
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A graduate of Montana State University with a B.A. in English, LuAnn Rod has worked as a newspaper editor, writer, and freelance copy editor and proofreader. Prior to that she was a veterinary technician and is a lifelong animal lover. Her first novel, Maddie McDowell and the Rodeo Robbery was a finalist for the Western Writers Of America Spur Award for Children’s books. She lives in Montana with her husband, two Arabian horses, a Maine coon cat, and three crazy Pyrenean shepherd dogs.
You can learn more and connect with LuAnn at www.luannmrod.com.
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Tips and Resources
FROM Members FOR Members
Tip Potluck Recap
by Jeanne Bowman
Montana Illustrator Coordinator
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Our region’s Virtual Hobnobs have been a great success from member interviews to tip potlucks. Here are a few resources that were shared at the July Tip Potluck. This is in no way a comprehensive list, just a sampling from memory and from the saved chat.
Nicole Cunningham (located in Pennsylvania)
Nicole suggests you have a toolbox (a database) where you keep all your knowledge (sources). She also keeps a “basement file” where she stores everything she has written, all the work she has made. Don’t discard, just store. You might want snippets later!
Josh Harper (Missoula)
Josh recommended The Anatomy of Story by John Truby. His other tip was that you will learn and re-learn the same thing from different authors. Washing your brain in the same information but from different sources helps it stick better.
Liz Almann (Billings)
Liz says using audiobooks helps you to read stories the way kids would read, at a slower pace. Using the Libby App will help you find great books to practice this with. She also recommends taking a Masterclass with R. L Stine.
Michelle Weltz (Bigfork)
Michelle says to get help when you need it! She wanted to share this article about her book as well.
Trine Grillo (Idaho)
Trine suggests we let go of form. Sometimes your story can live in a different body than the one you originally intended. She just had a piece of flash fiction published that had started as something completely different!
Sheila Ruble (Billings)
Sheila reminded us to be open to different subjects. Everyone has a different view of things. Be flexible and open to trying things to see what happens. Also, hire someone to do your editing. Self-editing is no fun.
Jodi Hausen (Bozeman)
Jodi encouraged us to join the Writers' Hours and London Writers Salon!
Jeanne Bowman (Sidney)
Jeanne recommended a great drawing course at marshallart.com, which is only $12! The same teacher has remade this course for modern times (the original was made in the 90s), and it will be starting in October. If you are an artist who struggles with drawing in perspective, sign up here: https://www.proko.com/course/the-perspective-course/overview. Also, this instructor used to be part of a great artist podcast called The Draftsman. Jeanne also recommended this book: Writing as a Way of Healing by Louise DeSalvo.
Come join us for our next Virtual Hobnob tip potluck on October 3 at 7 p.m. Don’t forget to bring a tip or resource of your own to share. See you there!
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