ONE WORD, ONE HUNDRED WAYS

by Michelle Robinson

I was busy minding my own business when I found myself copied in on a (non-publishing) person’s question to an illustrator: “Do you think we could just make books without writers now?” The illustrator was just as astonished as me.

Talk about putting the twit in Twitter. Zero marks for knowing your audience, minus ten for understanding picture book chemistry, straight to hell for underestimating the art of the author. That's right, ART. 

A few snippets from my notebooks.

Just because the writing process doesn't lend itself so readily to showboating, doesn't mean we're not crafting away like billy-o. A snapshot of a scribbly, crosshatched notebook may not be as visually pleasing as a sketchbook, neither is it as simple to interpret, but us writers have some serious skills. It's harder to prove it, but then we shouldn't have to.

We create heroes - and not just on the page. Read our words aloud and you become a joy conjurer, memory maker, child whisperer. We weave the words whispered into waiting ears. "We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams." Perhaps the Twitter twit could do without the likes of O'Shaughnessy, but I'd rather not.

So anyway, I thought I'd lay myself bare to ridicule and failure and attempt to showboat.

Finding a story is a bit like finding a gem. In order to dig one out, you must first dig your way through a lot crappy rock. But us writers can't find that gem, can't weave the magic words, without first creating the crappy rock. All of it. From scratch. So here I am, starting from scratch, brainstorming 100 different ways with just one word: ROCK. 

ONE HUNDRED WAYS WITH ROCK

1. Rock on (Tommy).
2. Rock 'n' roll. Rollin' rock. Gathers pace and just can't stop.
3. Rock music.
4. Rock around the clock.
5. Rockabilly.
6. Rockabetty.
7. Rockabenny, too. I like a rockabilly band, how about you?
8. Rockabilly goats gruff.
9. Rockabye baby, on the treetop. Call social services, this must stop.
10. Rocks in your socks.
11. Stick of rock. Stuck of rock. Stack of rock. Rock stock.
12. Crocodile rock.
13. Rockodile.
14. Get your rocks off. (What an odd phrase, honey. Write it down now, need a hundred, wow.)
15. Rocks in your head, heavy as lead. Rocks on your head instead? SPLAT. You're dead.
16. Rock hard.
17. Rock solid.
18. Rock steady crew.
19. Rock teddy in your beddy, god bless you.
20. On the rocks. Off the rocks. Over the rocks and far away.
21. Rock buns. Mmm.
22. Sit down, you’re rocking the boat.
23. Rocking horse.
24. Rocking chair.
25. Rocking stocking.
26. Rocky road.
27. Precious rock.
28. Rock layer.
29. Solid rock.
30. Tick, tock, get ready to rock.
31. Rick.
32. Rock, paper, scissors.
33. Rockstar.
34. Rock hammer.
35. Rock climber.
36. Dashed upon the rocks.
37. Rock pool.
38. With rocks on her fingers and rocks on her toes, she shall have blisters wherever she goes.
39. Rock of ages and ages and ages. And ages.
40. Rocky Mountain High.
41. Rocky Horror Show.
42. A rock and a hard place.
43. Glam rock.
44. Rock bottom.
45. Rocky Balboa.
46. Jailhouse rock.
47. You’re my rock.
48. 100 ways with one word? I must be off my rocker.
49. Rocking, rolling, riding, out along the bay, all bound for morning town, many miles away.
50. Hard Rock Cafe.
51. Roxanne.
52. Rocky Raccoon.
53. It's hard, being a rock.
54. The Rock stars in "Another Bad Movie".
55. Rock up.
56. Rock god.
57. Rock me, Amadeus.
58. How much rock would Woodstock stock if Woodstock could stock rock?
59. A flock of rocks.
60. Rock, stone, pebble, grit, gravel, sand.
61. Bedrock.
62. Shamrock.
63. Mary Mary, quite contrary, how is your garden rockery? With silver bells and cockle shells and a splendid set of crockery.
64. Did stone age women wear f-rocks?
65. Do rockhopper penguins wear clodhopper shoes? 
66. Get your rocks off, get your rocks off, honey. 20% off rocks today.
67. Rocket.
68. Rocketeer… rocket there. Ride a rocket, everywhere.
69. Rock slide.
70. You call that rock? What a crock. 
71. Why did you set yourself this challenge? It’s almost impossible. But you can do this. You’re an author. You set yourself difficult word challenges every day, and you rise to them with tricks like added alliteration and internal rhyme all the time, so come on. Keep going. Don’t forget to think catchy. Think commercial. Think great to read aloud, like rolling a sweet around your mouth. You can do this. You rock.
72. Rockin’ Robin.
73. Is this even how you spell ‘rock’? It’s starting to look weird and between you and me I’m beginning to doubt my own existence. Rok? Rokk? Wrock? 
74. Throw a rock upon the ground. Hit a number, hop around. What am I…? Hopscotch.
75. If you hide a rock in that snowball, I’ll hide my fist in your face.
76. What rock did you crawl out from under?
77. Ayer’s Rock, actually, sport.
78. I am a rock, I am an island.
79. Rock dweller.
80. Number 80? What rock have you been hiding under?
81. School of hard rocks.
82. Chock-a-block, full of rocks: a giant’s hole-y walking socks.
83. River bed rocks, so slimy and wet. Off with your socks, paddle in, go get.
84. Michelle, meet enormous house spider. Enormous house spider, meet heavy rock. True story.
85. ‘Hey, big human - that’s my home. Leave my rock, go find your own.’
86. Rough rock. Tough rock. Made of stronger stuff rock.
87. Rock carving.
88. Does a statue have a heart of stone? (Okay, that didn’t contain ‘rock’ but I love it so I’ll go to 101).
89. Curl up your fingers. What have you got? A fist that’s hard and round as a rock.
90. I named my dog Rock. He won’t shift. I should’ve called him Rover.
91. Moon rock. Space rock. Space ROCKS.
92. Saw this sign at a car boot sale: ‘RARE ROCK, FIFTY QUID’. Thought, ‘Can’t fail.’ Traded rare rock for my cow. Hope to grow a beanstalk now.
93. 'Who threw that rock? Was it you?' 'No, I threw a kangaroo.'
94. Holding a rock is like holding a piece of history. A really boring, grey piece when nothing much happened.
95. If mum won’t let you keep a pet, keep a rock, the best pet yet. Rocks are quiet, rocks are cheap. Rocks spend all their time asleep.
96. They puts rocks in boats, but dem boats still floats.
97. What’s big, red and eats rocks? The big, red rock eater.
98. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but rocks will really squish me.
99. Race you to the rock and back. Which rock? The big grey one. They’re all big and grey. GO!
100. Take a rock and draw on eyes. Instantly the rock looks wise.
101. Bonus rock! Free rock with every 100 nonsensical rock word plays created! Enjoy your free rock.

This is just stage one, where stories and books start, all thanks to some story chasing, idea hunting, thesaurus loving buffoon who just cannot help mucking about with words, glorious words. Go ahead, try making all books without writers. Meanwhile, I think I'll just carry on digging.

★★ Michelle Robinson's latest book, 'Goodnight Spaceman', illustrated by Nick East and published by Puffin, will be read from space by ESA astronaut, Tim Peake on CBeebies at 6.50pm, Monday 30th June ★★

Find out more about Michelle and her books at http://michellerobinson.co.uk/

Are Picture Books Value For Money?

Not too long ago, I was in the picture book section of my local book shop, when I overheard a conversation where two people were discussing the cost of picture books. One lady was saying that she didn’t buy picture books anymore, because they were too expensive. She then went on to compare the price of a hardback picture book at £9.99 to an adult novel she was buying, at £7.99. 

And perhaps at first glance it can look like you’re getting a rough deal. After all, an adult novel can easily be over 100,000 words. It feels thick and chunky in your hand, something to really get your teeth into. On the other hand, some picture books don’t even get their word count into the hundreds.  Some don’t have any words at all. And yet the price points of adult and children’s books are often very similar.

But they are value for money. They really are. And here’s why. 

Often, you’re getting the combined talents of two people, a writer and an illustrator. Yes, of course, there are very talented people who can do both (such as James Mayhew, who wrote and illustrated one of the current favourite books in our house, Boy), many others, myself included, who can’t (my picture book, below, is illustrated by Dubravka Kolanovic). When people ask me if I illustrate my books, or ever think about illustrating my books, I generally snort with laughter, before replying; ‘No. Because I want people to buy them!’ I know where my talents lie. I can draw passable shapes, but nothing nearly as impressive as professional illustrators can, who make the books look so wonderfully appealing and bring the words I’ve written to life. Writers often need illustrators, and vice-versa – their talents combining together to make wonderful picture books. Therefore, there are two people who need paying for their work. And, quite frankly, it’s unrealistic to expect to get that for next to nothing. 

 

Then, there is the printing issue. Full colour, beautiful picture books, cost money to produce, whereas novels are generally just black and white print which is cheaper.  

The other argument is the time issue. People argue that picture books take a matter of minutes to read, while novels engage a reader for hours and therefore are much better value for money. But how often do you read a novel more than once? Of course, some people go back and re-read favourites, but generally not back to back, like children do with favourite picture books. In our house, the same book can be requested three or four times a day. A beloved picture book will get read and enjoyed over, and over again, sometimes on a daily basis, for years and years.  

Plus picture books are excellent teaching devices, a way for children to learn without knowing they’re learning. There’s so much to gain from talking about the pictures and the words, and important lessons to learn from them. Picture books form the foundation upon which a love of reading, and books, will grow.  

And all that, to me, is excellent value for money. 

Visit me online at www.karensaunders.co.uk

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Pick A Book, Any Book! by Pippa Gooodhart

The figures have just been published on library book borrowings for the year 2010-2011. Adult borrowing is down, but children's book borrowing is up. The total number of borrowings of children's books for that year was a staggering 96.8 million ... and that's in a country with a total population of about 60 million! That is surely encouraging. And the detail of the books and authors borrowed is, I think, equally surprising and positive. People borrow books very differently from the way that they buy books. Take a look at the list of the top four hundred most borrowed authors in that year - http://www.plr.uk.com/mediaCentre/mostBorrowedAuthors/top250Authors/2010-2011Top400Authors.pdf

Of the top fifty most borrowed authors for both adults and children, I reckon that eleven of them are primarily picture book authors. Our wonderful children's Laureate and creator of the classic and much-loved Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson, comes at no surprise as number 7 on the list, but to find Eric Hill (number 28) of Spot the Dog fame so far ahead of Stephen King (100), Jeffrey Archer (101), J K Rowling (102) or Stephanie Meyer (121) surely gladens the picture book enthusiast's heart!

Why do picture books get borrowed so much? Because, I think, they are sometimes seen as 'not many words for all that money', and perceived as the kind of books that children will grow out of. Parents and children may be unsure which will be those books which will absolutely hit the spot with an individual child; which will be those magical ones which get asked for again and again and again. Ideal, then, to borrow lots of books for free, and then perhaps buy the ones which prove themselves to be those key childhood books which should stay with us, both internally and externally, forever.

The very best thing about borrowing picture books from libraries is that it puts the power of choice into the hands of very young children. There is no cost to borrowing generous numbers of books which will only have to be housed temporarily, so parents let their children borrow books freely, letting them choose books which those adults might not be inclined to buy ... because "That one is too old/too young for you", "There's nothing to that one, so it's not worth the money", or (I saw this a lot when I worked in a children's bookshop) even, "You've already got that one at home!" Libraries give children the freedom to learn how to choose, practising that vital art of selection on collections of thousands of pounds worth of wonderful books. And if they make 'mistakes', those mistakes don't matter. Lucky children! Isn't it all rather wonderful?!

Julia Donaldson is going to guest blog on this site next month, but I'm proud to say that two of us regular Picture Book Den bloggers also appear along with Julia in that top 400 list. Malachy Doyle and I both make it to positions in the three hundreds, rather pleasingly above such names as Philip Pullman, Jane Austen, Rev Awdry, Jamie Oliver and Katy Price (now there's an interesting party to be had!). High five, Malachy!