Work in Progress

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Work in Progress Presentation Guide

About Rukhsana Khan

Rukhsana has been writing for over fifteen years with seven books published, several of which have been nominated and/or won various awards. Along the way she also became a storyteller and has performed at numerous festivals.

Rukhsana was born in Lahore, Pakistan and immigrated to Canada, with her family, at the age of three. She began by writing for community magazines and went on to write songs and stories for the Adam's World children's videos. She currently has seven books published and others under contract. Rukhsana is a member of SCBWI, The Writers Union of Canada, CANSCAIP, Storytellers of Canada, and the Storytelling School of Toronto. She lives in Toronto with her husband and family. Rukhsana has four children, three girls and a boy.

Work In Progress

Being a writer means being a constant work in progress. This is a dynamic and spontaneous presentation that looks at the creative process behind publishing a book. From concept, to first draft, to submission and acceptance, through galleys and proofs to the final finished book, Rukhsana shares the trials and tribulations she is currently going through on the road to producing her next ‘work in progress’.

Themes in the Performance

The importance of editing and revision
Fostering creativity, thinking ‘outside the box’
Recognizing story ideas in everyday life
Getting the words right--using language to convey mood and plot
What to do when a story isn’t working
The importance of perseverance
Handling rejection
How to choose a publisher
How to submit a manuscript
The steps of book production
Galleys and proofs
Reviews—dealing with the positive and negative

Pre-Performance Discussion Topics and Activities

As a class, look at a variety of picture books from such authors as: Rukhsana Khan, Ezra Jack Keats, Eric Carle, Kevin Henkes (Chrysanthemum) , Phoebe Gilman, Chris Van Allsberg, Dr. Seuss, Robert Munsch (Paper Bag Princess, Stephanie’s Ponytail) and others. Discuss what features make the stories work. Compare and contrast the variety of age levels, stories tones and styles.

Brainstorm the attributes of an effective picture book.

Examine the language used in the text of effective picture books. List how the author used words to evoke mood and tone. How did the artist evoke mood? What colours did they use? What angle for the illustrations? How effective was their choice?

Examine the artwork. See how it complements the text, adding details that would not be apparent from the text alone.

Have the students make a creative writing journal. For one month they should write down one thought per day.

Post Performance Discussion Topics and Activities

Through discussion and brainstorming, generate ideas for writing a picture book. It could be fantasy or based on a personal story about an aspect of your cultural background; practices, religion, food, music etc

Draw up a writing plan (ie. outline, diagram, story map)

Write an initial draft.

Discuss and revise the initial draft in order to clarify ideas and improve organization

Edit initial draft to improve writing style and correct errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation

Look at some picture books to see how the story is laid out, cover pages, copyright page, title page.

Create a dummy. A picture book story has to fit onto 32 pages (including copyright material and title pages). Fold a sheet of paper four times then cut along the folds. You know have 32 pages (both sides of the paper) on which to fit your story. Space out the story trying to maximize drama with page turns.

Using your dummy as a guide, create an illustrated story.

Resource Material

The Business of Writing for Children: An Award-Winning Author's Tips on Writing and Publishing Children's Books, or How to Write, Publish, and Promote a Book for Kids by Aaron Shepard ISBN 0938497111

Writing Children's Books for Dummies (Paperback) by Lisa Rojany Buccieri, Peter Economy ISBN 0764537288

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books, Second Edition
by Harold D. Underdown

Illustrating Children's Books : Creating Pictures for Publication by Martin Salisbury ISBN 0764127179

Pictures & Words Together : Children Illustrating and Writing Their Own Books
by Paul Johnson ISBN 0435088831

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg ISBN 0395353939 An excellent resource for encouraging students to write stories.

Websites:

The Purple Crayon www.underdown.org An excellent resource on writing, publishing and illustrating children’s books

http://www.rukhsanakhan.com/articles.htm Contains a number of useful writing related articles.