| 4RV ~ April - May 2008 Newsletter Page 3 |
| Monster con't Despite stern looks, a raised eyebrow, and ominous threats of punishment, I woke my father three times to come turn on the light and check. He didn't paddle me, recognizing that my fear of the monsters was far greater than my fear of any punishment he might mete out for disturbing his sleep for the third time. I sighed. Well, if my son was determined to lay awake with the light on, he could at least be practicing his newfound reading skills. Writing experts always say, "Write what you know." If we stuck rigidly to such rules, fantasy wouldn't exist. I suggest that fiction writers write from what they know, with liberal embellishments from their active imaginations. I went into my home office and fired up the word processor. Trockle was inspired by the immediate need for a bedtime story—preferably one that could render the monster under the bed harmless. I started by writing about a little boy who was afraid of the monster under his bed. We all know how important it is for readers to relate to the protagonist, so Stephen's story mirrored William's. I made lots of arguments for a monster under the bed, and Stephen's mother countered them all with cheerful grace. But then an unexpected, unplanned little voice piped up and demanded equal time. He refused to sleep until I told his side of the story. His mother, too, was trying to comfort him and reassure him. I heard her call him "Trockle." Trockle's mother had very real fears about things like Monster Repellant and that great big woman who was determined to rid her son's room of under-the- bed monsters, but she confidently calmed her son's night- time terrors by pointing out all the things he and that big, icky, sticky boy over the bed had in common. I added their story to Stephen's, printed it, and delivered it to my son. He was still laying there under the comforter, wide- eyed and nowhere near sleep. "Read me a bedtime story," I told him. And he did. I deliberately kept the sentence structure simple, but didn't shy away from stretching my son's vocabulary a little. Unfamiliar words were clear in context. I listened to see if there were any "trouble spots," or areas where he stumbled over the words while reading aloud. I made a mental note to smooth a few tiny rough edges, but overall, the story sounded good to me as a listener. It would work as a bedtime story, read aloud by parents, or as a story to be read independently by early readers. "Well? What do you think?" I asked, when William had finished reading. "It was good. I like it." "Anything you think I should change?" I asked. After making the minor changes he suggested, I showed the story to a few friends online. "Oh, this is wonderful," they said. "You have to publish this." But being notoriously bad when it comes to sticking a stamp on the envelope and submitting a manuscript to a publisher, I promptly saved a backup of the file on CD and laid a printed copy on my son's book shelf. A few years later, one of those first, enthusiastic readers, Vivian Gilbert Zabel, started a publishing company. "Did you ever get your children's story published?" she asked. "Of course not. I was just waiting for you." Everything happens for a reason, I believe. Finding the perfect illustrator for the story was a challenge, but Jordan M. Vinyard brought the characters and the story to life with her art. I remember seeing the illustrations for the first time and thinking, "Yes! This is exactly it – she's a mind- reader!" Trockle, the book, is available now through 4RV Publishing LLC. |
| Illustrations con't In addition to understanding the characters, I have to be able to create a setting that aids the viewer in understanding each scene. If the character were sad or lonely, I would create a setting that is darker and attends to the downtrodden demeanor of his or her internal experience. If, on the other hand, characters were happy or excited, the setting would involve a degree of brightness and liveliness. Though this may seem like an obvious attribute, I also have to begin to realize the more abstract feelings of a human. I have to calculate a visual experience for some of the least tangible ideals, such as anxiety, hopelessness, love, and thoughtfulness. Part of my involvement is to make several revisions until I begin to see a specific sense revealed. Both the features of the character and the setting have to work together to attain a cohesive composition. Along with interpreting the characters in accordance to the words of the author, I have to attain fluidity with my media. Each media has to be deeply understood in a technical sense. I have to know its possibilities as well as its limits. I have to know how easily controlled it is, as well as the amount of detail I am going to be able to demand. In addition, I have to take in to consideration the audience, the genre of the book, and the author’s concerns about the final images. Each form of media is a tool and has to be utilized in a proper way so that the artist can gain the most benefit from it. Overall, illustration requires a great deal of interpersonal involvement with the work itself. I have to take a variety of facets into consideration before I even begin to put pencil or brush to the page. I am aligned with the great task of interpretation, as well as pretend. I have to understand the author and relate it to the viewer. I have to become the characters and give them a life. |
| Jordan and Holly |
| Vivian, Jordan, Jacque, Mike Hinkle, CJ Lyons |