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Posts Tagged ‘What Do Authors Do?’

What Do Authors Do? by Eileen Christelow

Posted by: on: September 24, 2011




One of my favorite lessons to teach during our writing launch at school is based on a mentor text called What Do Authors Do? by Eileen Christelow. Told through a combination of short sentences and comic-illustrations, What Do Authors Do? is surprisingly thorough in its coverage of the writing process for primary grades. The bright and bold artwork also makes it a fun read. When I heard Eileen Christelow was one of the guest authors at our local Plum Creek Literacy Festival this year, I decided it was time to buy my own hardcover copy. Hopefully, this Saturday, I’ll hear her speak and get my book autographed.

What Do Authors Do? covers all the basics. Authors get ideas, write, revise, share, submit, persist, and publish. It even touches on finer details. For example, authors get ideas in strange places such as by watching one’s dog chase the neighbor’s cat. Authors also (believe it or not) struggle to find the right words and get stuck in their plots. Then authors can make lists, take notes, write outlines, or just plain take a break. You see, authors don’t give up when writing gets hard, but instead they persist with their work. When authors are ready to share, family and friends and even writers’ groups can offer feedback. Later on, so might editors. Eventually, authors will submit their book to an editor, who will either accept or reject it. Christelow covers the whole process, even to the point of taking readers full-circle back to starting a story with an idea. Ah-ha! Writing is a cyclic process!

Because I use it as a fun and realistic introduction to the writing process, I have three quibbles to What Do Authors Do? Christelow notes more than once that authors get stuck. I’d like even more suggestions for how writers can move forward without actually taking a full-fledged break. For example, what about reading similar books, creating character sketches, rewriting in poetic form…? Christelow also notes that at some point authors will submit their book. What about recognition of our short story writers? I know: These are minor points! They also probably aren’t needed in a book for primary readers, but this writing teacher thinks that they could enhance an otherwise awesome mentor text. My last quibble is more substantial. This picture book is supposed to be about what authors do, right? Okay, so how come almost half of it is about the publishing process?

Those complaints aside, I really enjoy this picture book. As I said, one of my favorite lessons to teach is based on it. In a light-hearted and fast-paced way, Christelow shows how writers work. She also offers gentle encouragement to every student who has protested: “but writing is hard!” Even famous authors get stuck, but every author perseveres. In the end, authors have written a story that they can share with family and friends. They might even get published. No matter what, the most important things authors can do is look for ideas and write, write, write. It’s a message I try to teach my struggling writers every day.

My rating? Bag it: Carry it with you. Make it a top priority to read it.

How would you rate this book?

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Authors Weekend Ahead!

Posted by: on: September 23, 2011

Christelow is an author and an artist. For a peek at how she does her artwork, check out How Do You Do The Illustrations? To found out more about these jobs, check out the What Do Authors and Illustrators Do? page on her website. Do you like to write or draw? Do you have a preference?

I haven’t read Christelow’s book yet about illustrators, but tomorrow I’ll post my review of her book about authors. On Sunday, I also hope to post notes and photos about the Plum Creek Literacy Festival, where Eileen Christelow and other authors will present.

Daily Teasers Archives

One of my favorite lessons to teach during our writing launch at school is based on a mentor text called What Do Authors Do? by Eileen Christelow. As I read parts of this book, I show samples of my own work. I bring in idea notebooks, along with old outlines, drafts, revisions, and even samples of rejection and acceptance letters. It’s fun to talk about the writing process and then to answer questions from writing students.

When I heard that Eileen Christelow was among the featured authors this year at Plum Creek Literacy Festival, I knew that it was time to purchase my own copy of What Do Authors Do? Hopefully, this Saturday, I can hear her speak and get my book autographed.

In the meantime, below is some background info about Eileen Christelow’s start as a writer and illustrator. Check back this weekend for a review of her picture book What Do Authors Do? I also hope to post notes and photos about the festival itself. Save the dates: September 24-25!

Her Start as a Writer: As with many authors, books were a part of life in Eileen Christelow’s family. Her parents read bedtime stories every night to Christelow and her brother. Her parents gave them books on special occasions. And her parents were readers themselves. Her father dipped into books from all topics, along with mysteries, and even comics. He bought the latter as soon as they hit the newsstand, lending them to Christelow and her brother only after he had finished.

Thanks to the the influence of a couple notable English teachers in the upper grades, Christelow wrote stories for her high school magazine and made plans to major in English in college. Unfortunately, freshman English was so tedious that she lost enthusiasm for that idea and instead enrolled in pre-architecture.

Everything changed again in her senior college year when Christelow discovered photography. Come back tomorrow to find out what happened next!

Her Start as an Artist: After college, Christelow began photographing buildings for architects and creating photo essays for small magazines on urban life: skid row, Chinatown, inner city schools, political demonstrations. Despite her interest in photograph, she apparently never lost her interest in writing. She began looking at children’s picture books in bookstores and at the library. She even read picture books to neighborhood children. Eventually, she started experimenting with her own stories, illustrating them with photographs or drawings.

Deciding that she wanted to try writing and illustrating picture books, she visited the library once or twice a week and borrowed piles of books to read. She started with an alphabet book, thinking it’d take a few weeks. Two years later, she reached Z! How did she first become published? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Her First Publication: While Christelow earned a living as a photographer and graphic designer, she continued to experiment with picture books. One job required her to design and illustrate a poster about animal camouflage for a science museum. The poster gave her the idea for her first published book: Henry and the Red Stripes.

As a side note, through her father, Christelow developed an interest in television shows with slapstick humor such as Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, the Marx brothers, and Jackie Gleason. In her online All About, Christelow notes that these shows probably influenced her picture books.

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