CMA Blog

July 19, 2011

An Evening with Brian Floca

Even after all these events, WiCM is still providing a new experience every week. For instance…

FOR INSTANCE…

This week’s event was in an entirely different room than the usual one at NYU. You see, we faithful event-goers have come to depend on good old Suite 1121. It’s the WiCM room, home away from home. I don’t even check event location details, I’ve grown so accustomed to the space. But this week’s change of plan left me hunting for my WiCM fix. Already late, I searched frantically from door to door for a familiar face. Instead, I WALKED INTO A ROOM FULL OF NAKED PEOPLE.

It was like this, but there was no horse.

I would never kid you, readers. I entered a room full of completely, utterly, nakedly nude strangers. Imagine the trauma of not only finding Suite 1121 empty, but then stumbling into a circle of birthday-suited meditation practitioners. In just under two seconds I glimpsed a lifetime’s worth of skin. Did this disturb me? No. I was a bit surprised, but I’m fine. Consider it handled. I just wish to raise the issue that room consistency is important, that’s all. Really, really important.

Ok, on to more genteel matters…

Brian Floca

This week, WiCM members enjoyed an evening with celebrated author and illustrator Brian Floca. Brian welcomed us along an informal tour of the lessons guiding his career in children’s books.

For those of you who want to copy Brian’s every step, you should study at Brown, where you should let your interest in story and narration lead you to write a comic strip. At the same time, take classes down the street at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) under David Macaulay, the famed author/illustrator of Castle and Cathedral. This class will develop your adult interest in kids’ books.

If all goes to plan, you’ll end up somewhere in the artistic stratosphere as Brian Floca. Brian’s books are loaded with incredibly detailed drawings with plentiful labeling for curious readers. Think of a hand-drawn book about how things work, or just check out the big hits: Dinosaurs at the End of the Earth, The Racecar Alphabet, Lightship, Five Trucks, Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, and Ballet for Martha.

Brian’s Process

A look inside Brian’s process helped us understand why his books strike the reader as something much more than beautifully illustrated technical manuals about dinosaurs, cars, lightships or space shuttles.

Research

The development of Brian’s books is an incredibly long affair, in no small part due to his extensive research. For his new project about trains, he actually drove the transcontinental railroad route for research. Many people tell aspiring writers to write what they know. Brian writes what he wants to know. Writing a book allows him to learn so much, satisfying his curiosity and keeping him involved with his project. But even when the research is done—more accurately, when he forces himself to believe the research is done—there’s still plenty of work ahead.

Storyboards and Dummies

First Brian storyboards his books. Each image must work with its neighbors. Perhaps this is the advantage of being both a writer and an illustrator, but it’s also a function of taking full advantage of the medium.

Brian takes these storyboarded plans and turns text and art into book dummies. He builds several dummies for each book. Then, drafts upon drafts line the way to the beautiful final product.

Narrative

Attention to story accompanies the visual detail. Brian spoke frequently about his focus on narrative in these picture books. This approach, along with his attention to the size, subject, and placement of illustrations, carefully builds and resolves tension.

Time

While this lengthy process can certainly intimidate, Brian explained how time is an ally. Moonshot, for instance, FOR INSTANCE, sat after an initial draft for over a year before he returned to it. After the passage of this time, he knew what parts deserved to stay and what parts needed to face the blade. And it worked. The results of conscientious storytelling, book planning, and time are apparent in Moonshot, where visual and narrative tension culminate in a glorious space shuttle launch reveal.

Wrap-Up

This event was just what I needed. I really craved a visual experience—even after I saw the NAKED PEOPLE in the other room—and his books are wonderful. While the picture book genre faces new challenges, Brian Floca is showing us what a beautiful art form the picture book can be. It’s hard to see the medium slipping into obscurity when products like this are still being created. I’m really looking forward to when his newest work hits the shelves.

Until the next one,

Lucas

July 14, 2011

WiCM’s Tour of American Girl Place

I was just the right age for the Cabbage Patch Rush of the mid-Eighties. Every kid had one at my elementary school. Although I thought these little guys looked more like half-baked bread than people, I wasn’t immune to frenzy.

Tis the season for disappointment.

So I asked my parents for a dough-faced best friend for Christmas (to the chagrin of Ronnie Morgan, my actual dough-faced best friend). But something went awry. In the mad holiday panic, the only Cabbage Patch Kid up for adoption was a girl.

I didn’t want a girl. This was to be my first humanoid doll experience–stuffed animals residing down a whole other rabbit hole–and I wanted to start with the familiar. Also, I was five. To be clear, my parents were not imposing a progressive will on their child. I’m sure they looked hard for a boy doll, but “Sarah” was what the market offered. Honestly, given the stories I’ve heard about Christmas Eve Cabbage Patch insanity, I don’t even want to know what my parents had to do to acquire her.

So on Christmas morning, my folks watched apprehensively as I opened my gift, making it clear that Santa brought this one. I stared at that chubby, vinyl face for a several long seconds. My brother’s dumbfounded expression at seeing the dress and pigtails said it all. This was tantrum territory, but the reaction didn’t come. I quietly thanked my parents, then took my new companion to my room and attempted to play with her. I really did, but I just wasn’t feeling it. The fun of doll play escaped me.

What's got two thumbs and isn't allowed to visit doll stores?

This was my baggage heading into American Girl Place for this week’s WiCM’s event. I just don’t get dolls. It’s a large part of so many childhoods that I just don’t understand. But maybe this event, a trip to today’s epicenter of cosmic doll energy, would help.

**

American Girl Place was awe-inspiring. An entire world can be found in the store, which occupies several floors in Midtown. Here are the highlights:

• Café – where dolls, sitting in tiny chairs, can dine with their owners (and if you don’t have a doll, you may borrow one for mealtime company)
• Doll Hair Salon – featuring prices that are honestly competitive with my crappy barber
• Girl of the Year – these are the dolls that made American Girl famous, each tied to a specific point in history
• My American Girl. – there are countless combinations of attributes to select your own perfect doll
• American Girl magazine – along with Maxim, GQ, and Sports Illustrated, one of the most popular magazines in my brother’s fraternity.

Here’s what I learned:

The American Girl brand offers a wealth of play possibilities. If you’ve ever seen the catalog, you’re aware of how many accessories are available for these dolls. The store brought this notion into focus. American Girl is a rich, immersive world.

The brand is careful to present life as seen by a young girl. Although aspirational play is a theme we’ve encountered in other WiCM events, American Girl doesn’t offer scenarios where their dolls act like adults. There are no wedding sets or scaled convertibles. The dolls’ worldview is faithfully frozen at eight-and-a-half.

Can't get a sitter for WiCM night? Bring the kid along!

Once again, storytelling is a huge factor in a successful toy property. Actual printed stories are associated with each Girl of the Year, and numerous accessories enhance the vividness and play potential of these narratives. Interestingly, these dolls come loaded with more lore behind them than most toys. I would love to know how easily kids make up their own stories with this kind of pre-written background. I wonder if there is a major difference in play between the Girls of the Year and the My American Girl dolls, which come with a blank slate. Either way, American Girl is clearly on to something.

**

Seeing this store helped me relate this blockbuster brand’s success to the rest of the lessons we’ve learned this year. I actually understand dolls a little better now. I still think Cabbage Patch Kids are unappealing—and that I probably just alienated 80% of the blog’s readership—but I now grasp the appeal of today’s premier dolls.

Thanks to Rebecca Ostrich, WiCM’s secret mole infiltrating the store, and every other WiCM member who made this personal growth possible.

Until next time,

Lucas

June 21, 2011

Writers’ Group with Cheryl Klein

The Elements of Plot

Double post week!!!! Yes, dear readers, you’re getting TWO entries this week, and they’re each exactly HALF as good as a normal one. Woohoo!

**

One of the best things about WiCM events is the diversity of interest of WiCM members. On any given night I’m likely to encounter perspectives stemming from a variety of roles in media. But there’s some value to an event with a consolidated focus. This is where the WiCM Writers’ Group comes in. Once a month the call goes out for a group of writers—accomplished and aspiring—to assemble to learn something about the craft.

This week we went to plot school with Cheryl Klein. Cheryl is a senior editor at Arthur A. Levine Books (an imprint of Scholastic). She’s also the author of Second Sight: An Editor’s Talks on Writing, Revising, and Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults.

Summoning her expertise, Cheryl presented an exhaustive lesson on plot construction. She started with the very basic question of why we bother to plot, why we bother to create art at all. Cheryl explained that we tell stories to create emotion. Then she told us how it’s done.

This book is about a boy who discovers he’s a wizard – spoiler alert!!

Cheryl broke story down into small units and used famous plots to drive the information home. I appreciated the examples, though I missed plenty while covering my ears when she cited Harry Potter (I’m reading the series now and desperately avoiding my plot-spoiling nine-year-old nephew).

This event was jam-packed with information. But above the details, an author should always focus on the three overarching points:

1. The emotional point: the key emotional transformation of your protagonist. What internal changes will your protagonist experience?

2. The thematic point: the larger truth that’s new to the reader. What questions is your book asking? Or you might have a point to convey.

3. The experiential point – what kind of overall emotional experience do you want your reader to have by reading your book?

Along the way, Cheryl gave us plenty of useful tips. She spoke about how readers judge characters in relation to other characters. She asserted that a good writer doesn’t protect her protagonist but rather throws all sorts of awful circumstances at her to refine her character. She also demonstrated how a character’s motivation could change from acting for herself to acting for a larger community.

Cheryl broke plot down into tiny, learnable pieces. It was a lot to take in, and writing with all of these lessons in mind struck me as a very scientific, almost mechanical process. But fortunately, Cheryl assured us, most writers have long internalized many of these lessons and follow many of these guidelines naturally.

Simply put, this was a very useful, informative evening. Cheryl really knew her stuff, and I think we all gained from the advice of such an experienced editor. For those of you who want to delve deeper, check out Cheryl’s book.

Until next time,

Lucas

June 14, 2011

Improv Workshop with Holly Mandel

WiCM members converged for a different sort of experience this week. Improv coach Holly Mandel gave us an

Did you know that it’s called “Improv” because the original wall didn’t have enough space for all the letters? Yeup.

introduction to her craft with an improv workshop. Holly runs the improv school Improvolution and lends her skills in consulting form via Imergence, a corporate coaching service (…and a very effective cold-busting drink powder–haha, just kidding Holly. I was just IMPROVISING!!).

I was nervous about attending this event. You see, I have what the medical community calls “stage fright.” I don’t like to give speeches, and I don’t really like to perform. And while I don’t think I’m alone in this respect, I definitely had a moment when I thought tonight would be a good night to accidentally forget how to find an address in Manhattan’s geometrically laid, numbered grid. But thankfully, my competitive instincts kicked in when I realized that I still had the lead for most WiCM events attended in 2011.

I want.

My title.

It turns out that this battle of personal will was an ideal primer for tonight’s workshop. Holly explained that there is a very simple decision that we all repeatedly face. When presented with uncertainty, we choose Yes or we choose No. Yes loves new possibilities and seeks joy in the process. Yes cares more about creating something than about how we look doing it. And thankfully, Yes can be trained, practiced, and nourished.

Lime or cherry? Go with lime. I know, I know…but trust me, just this once.

No is concerned with propriety, with what we should be thinking or doing. No is ridden by a desire to be correct and a fear of making a mistake. No impedes our creative potential.

Holly explained that improv helps us to choose Yes. Improv is more than just fun and more than performance; it has the potential to help us express a more productive, positive self.

And the benefits range further than individual liberation. Improv builds communication skills, teamwork, and confidence in others. From the studio to the boardroom, improv enables group work to be a more collaborative process.

This caption was going to be something like “The Dangers of Improv,” but then I read up on Sinbad. He’s actually quite interesting…and legitimately funny. Huh.

With this explanation, Holly relayed that the goal of the evening was to choose Yes after feeling the pull of No. It took a few warmup exercises, but people began to shed those inhibitory Nos. As we soon learned, part of choosing Yes was confronting a familiar character in all of us, the perfectionist. While this figure has served us well at many points in our lives, he (my perfectionist is a male; you can tell by his awful, awful mustache) can been a real jackass too. Tonight, our perfectionists did not want to release the reigns. But the more we could dismiss their influence, the more we were able to work together. It was pretty cool to see people drop their guards in visible stages and really start to communicate.

One short evening with Holly and a dozen intrepid WiCM members has altered my understanding of the choices we all make. While decisions takes countless forms, the basic choice between Yes and No is present in all of our lives. I’m not going to pretend that my life was forever changed by a 90 minute introduction to improv, but I won’t diminish the power I saw in these exercises either. The ideas were really solid, and their practice, with time, did offer life-changing potential. A simple introduction showed me how important Yes training could be. So no, you probably don’t have to be an improv student to be successful in this way. I’m guessing that improv is a gateway activity to standup comedy and the dangers of more advanced zaniness. But I do think taking a moment, at the very least, to recognize this frequent decision we make is a moment well spent. And if you’re hearing what I’m screaming, why not go for it and sign up for an improv class? Here’s a hint: say YES.

Until the next round,

Lucas