Twirl and Swirl--Adding Rhythm to Prose

My goal in adding rhythm to prose is to dance words across the page. Another name for this is voice. I never reach my goal on the first draft, and often not by the tenth. Little by little, as I revise the manuscript, the words begin to swing and sway, rollick and roll. Picture book text relies on a rhythm, whether it’s prose or rhyme.

Think of rhythm in terms of music. Listening to the upbeat sound of the Rolling Stones makes me shimmy and shake. An Elton John ballad brings on the swing and sway. The beat. The cadence. The rhythm. They affect us in the same way as we read. Short phrases speed up the action as in this scene in BARRELING OVER NIAGARA FALLS: Annie jostled inside the small, dark barrel, bobbing through the rapids, slamming into rocks. The barrel pitched and rolled—forward and back, left and right, up and down—in the rough, tough bucking-bronco ride. The sentences are long but the phrasing is short with emphasis is on the short phrase.       

Longer sentences, without short phrases, slow the action. I used this method as the beginning scene in HIRAM’S GIFT: Many winters ago Hiram walked to school from deep in a holler, snuggled tight between two mountains. A lemon pie moon dangled like a giant’s lantern and lit the path. 

When you read picture books, notice the rhythm of the words. When you find a passage that you particularly like, read it aloud. Does it swing and sway? Boogie and scoot? Tap and snap?

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Amazing Kids! Magazine. Our award-winning, kid-created monthly online magazine is dedicated to providing kids with a fun and educational experience, a place to share their creative works, through their writing, art, and photography. Our Amazing Kids! of the Month stories feature real life kids doing some pretty amazing things! Amazing Kids! believes by reading about other kids' accomplishments, or reading their creative works, it can help inspire more kids to explore their own amazing gifts and use them to make a difference in the world.

Submission guidelines at http://amazing-kids.org/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

U.S. Kids Magazines (Humpty Dumpty and Jack and Jill), providing fun, entertaining reading material is our priority. We accept humorous, playful, and witty stories that kids would love to read—not stories that grownups think kids should read.

As part of the Children’s Better Health Institute, we are always in need of high-quality stories, articles, and activities with a broad health and fitness focus. Please keep in mind that we would rather show kids living a healthy lifestyle than dictate a healthy lifestyle to our readers. In other words, health topics should be incorporated into the story or article, not be the focus of it.

Submission guidelines at http://www.uskidsmags.com/writers-guidelines/

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 48 children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK.

Leave a message or check out my blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

Illustration Notes in Picture Book Manuscripts, part I/Calls for Submissions

This one is for you, Rosi, and others who have questions about illustration notes.

A picture book story is told with 50% text and 50% illustration. The illustrations reflect the text but carry the story beyond.

Many editors and illustrators do not want illustration notes that specify art direction, and they especially don’t want it for every page. Illustrators prefer the opportunity to read the text without notes, regardless of how spare the text might be. However, if there is a surprise in the action that isn’t conveyed in the text, an occasional note is acceptable. Example: A character is playing in the yard and a monster is sneaking around, with no mention of a monster in the text. The writer is depending on the illustration to tell that part of the story. A short, bracketed note in italics is all that is needed [monster in background].

Illustration notes are NOT needed for descriptions of setting or characters, such as green tree, blue dress, red hair, etc.

Next week, I’ll continue with part II.

Call for submissions for adult writers:

The Tapestry of Bronze is sponsoring a series of international poetry contests to celebrate Greek and Roman mythology and the Olympian gods. The subject of the current contest is Hephaestus (also known as Vulcan), the God of the Forge. The deadline is April 30, 2013.

All poems remain the property of the authors. However, the Tapestry of Bronze reserves the right to post winning poems and those receiving Honorable Mention on the Tapestry of Bronze website.

Deadline: April 30, 2013

Submission guidelines: E-mail your poem (no more than 30 lines) to the following address: tapestryofbronze@yahoo.com

Call for submissions for young writers:

The Apprentice Writer. Categories for submissions are:

Fiction/Poetry/Essay/Photography.
We send copies of The Apprentice Writer to accepted contributors and their teachers.
Submit individually or have your teacher send to:
Gary Fincke, Writers Institute Director, Susquehanna University, 610 University Ave.
Selinsgrove, PA 17870-1164
Deadline: March 15, 2013
Submission guidelines at http://www.susqu.edu/academics/10602.asp

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/