This month's COSCBWI meetings were full of great advice for writers and illustrators!
The Illustrator Meeting was a critique meeting for artists participating in the 2nd Annual Member Exhibition. Members brought in their work-in-process pieces for a group critique. It's been wonderful to see each illustrator's art process, from sketch to color to finished illustration. Illustrator Coordinator, Stella Hickman, offered a lot of great illustration tips including:
The Illustrator Meeting was a critique meeting for artists participating in the 2nd Annual Member Exhibition. Members brought in their work-in-process pieces for a group critique. It's been wonderful to see each illustrator's art process, from sketch to color to finished illustration. Illustrator Coordinator, Stella Hickman, offered a lot of great illustration tips including:
-When
designing a two-page spread, be mindful of the gutter. (The space in
the middle where a book creases.) You don't want any important elements
of your illustration to fall in the gutter--like your main character's
face!
-Think about the movement and action in your piece.
An illustration full of stiff figures isn't as interesting
as one with active, engaging characters.
-Be careful with
details. It's important to add meaningful details that add to the
unwritten story. But don't go overboard, or your illustration can
become cluttered. Try to strike a nice balance between the two.
The
Writer Meeting featured a presentation by YA author Susan "S. X."
Bradley. Bradley was the former Regional Advisor for COSCBWI and is
the author of Unraveled and Uncovered. She talked to the
group about "GMC: Goal, Motivation, & Conflict." Goal, motivation,
and conflict are three very important elements of storytelling. They
involve:
Goal: What does your character want or need?
Motivation: What drives your character to achieve his or her goal?
Conflict: Who or what is standing in the way of them achieving their goal?
A
story that lacks GMC usually feels flat and hollow, and makes readers think, "What was the point of that book?" after they turn the last page. A well-rounded story
needs to have a plot (goal), a force that drives the main character
(motivation), and challenges they need to overcome (conflict) in order
to get what they want and ultimately grow over the course of the story.
Bradley recommended using a "GMC Grid" to consider these elements in
your own story, and how you can make them stronger. She used Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as an example:
Harry's Goal: He wants to defeat Voldemort (external goal) and feel accepted (internal goal)
Harry's Motivation: Voldemort killed his parents and he was brought up in an abusive family
Harry's
Conflict: All the challenges he faces at school and in the wizarding world that lead to his big showdown with Professor Quirrell/Voldemort
Bradley
pointed out that Harry's GMC rings true to the entire series, with each
story expanding on these elements as Harry grows. If you're having trouble applying this technique to your own manuscript, she suggested trying
the grid exercise with other published books so you can study how the pros use GMC to craft satisfying stories.
A big thanks to Bradley for sharing this technique with us! She highly recommends checking out author Debra Dixon's website (www.debradixon.com) for more information on GMC and other writing tips. Be sure to check out Bradley's website, too, at www.sxbradley.com.
If
you want to learn more about COSCBWI, please visit ohiocensouth.scbwi.org or "like" the
group on Facebook. I hope to see you at the October meetings!
