Writing and Illustrating Children's Books

Today I chat to award winning children's writer and illustrator, Sylva Fae about writing amd marketing children's books.

Find out more about Sylva

Amazon author.to/SylvaFae
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SylvaFae
Tiktok @sylvafae54
Instagram @sylvafae

Transcript

Wendy Jones: 0:02

Hi, and welcome to the writing and marketing show brought to you by author Wendy H. Jones. This show does exactly what it says on the tin. it's jam packed with interviews, advice, hints, tips and news to help you with the business of writing. It's all wrapped up in one lively podcast. So it's time to get on with the show. And welcome to episode 126 of the writing and Marketing Show with author entrepreneur Wendy H. Jones is lovely to have you join me yet again for the 120/6 episode. And great fun I'm having and I hope you are too. Today I'm going to be talking to the lovely silver fair. And we're going to be talking about writing and illustrating children's picture books because she does her own. But more of that in a moment. Before we start. What's new in the news this week? Well, this week, it was a blow to the publishing and writing industry because cost of coffee have announced that they are no longer running at the cost of price for fiction. And that's after 50 years. Sorry, that's all the competition is not just for fiction, it's for all the different age groups, and they've just dropped the cost of prices completely. There's been no idea yet as to why, speculation is that it's probably due to cost. But I don't know. They haven't told anybody but it is a sad blow to the industry. And I'm hoping that someone will pick it up. In other exciting news, another price has opened up the Society of authors have opened up a prize to disabled authors onto books with disabled characters as the main character. So that's a really important step forward. And I think it's great. And part of that is it's not only open to not only open to traditionally published authors, but also to independently published authors. So this is an amazing, amazing step forward for the industry. So one price goes, another one comes and perhaps it's just part of the ebb and flow of life. Who knows what's been happening in my life? Well, I'm still storming along on tick tock, I'm enjoying doing that. I'm busy writing. I'm busy interviewing people for the podcast. And I'm busy getting ready for my trip to the stage, which, when this comes up, we'll be five and a half weeks away, it's coming around so quickly. Although I am praying rather hard that my flight does go ahead, because everybody seems to be cancelling flights. But so far, I don't seem to have been affected by that. And I'm hoping that continues. I do feel sorry for those whose flights have been impacted, especially those who are going to conferences and things. I think looking at the 20 books Vegas conference, I maybe won't be able to go this year, for various reasons, I'll have been abroad twice already. And I need to stay at home and do some work as well. But I'm going to look at it for next year if they do 20 books Vegas next year, which I'm sure they will. So I'm already thinking of next year's conferences. Talking of next year, I've already been booked up for my first speaking engagement next year, which is amazing. That's for February, I'm going to be talking to Edinburgh writers. And I'm going to be talking about the alliance of independent authors as their Scottish representative in this case. So I'm very excited about that. And if anybody does want me to do speaking engagements, speak at conferences. I'm already been booked for a conference next April as well. But I don't know if they've announced that yet. So I won't see anything yet until until near the time, so that they get a chance to announce it first. So if anybody would like me to speak at conferences, or do any speaking engagements, I am available, you can contact me through my website on Wednesday. I'm sorry, on Wednesday, H John's dot com. And there's a contact form, just fill it in. And we can chat about me coming along and speaking at your conference or speaking to your group. So I love doing this every week, I do so willingly. And I do it for your sake. However it does take time out of my writing. If you would like to support that time, you can do so by going to patreon.com forward slash Wendy H Jones. And you can support me for just $3 a month, which is the price of a tea or coffee per month. And I would be very grateful that you have done so because as I say it does take time out. And it would mean to me that you liked the show and you want me to continue with it and I do want to do so. So what have silver self affair as a married mom of three from Lancashire, England she grew up in a rambling old farmhouse with a madcap creative family and an adopted bunch of equally mowed calf animals. She spent 20 plus years teaching literacy to adults with learning difficulties and abilities, but no lives in Cheshire juggling being a mum writing children's stories and keeping up with the crazy antics of their naughty rabbits. Naughty rabbits. That sounds like a picture book in itself. Her earliest memories are of Bedtime Stories snuggled up close to mum to see the pictures. It was a magical time. Those last special moments before dozing off to sleep with feet dreams of faraway lands and mystical beings. She now wants to share that love of stories and inspire children to create their own magical adventure, self and her family on a small woodland and escape their every possible opportunity. Adventures in their own enchanted woodland hunting for fairies and stomping in puddles originally inspired Silva to write stories for her girls. Whether it's sat at the campfire in her own words or pottering around the beautiful Cheshire countryside, Silvano finds her story inspiration being out in nature. Silva published her first children's book rainbow monsters in 2017. She has since published 16 other children's picture books for chapter books and has several short stories published in anthologies. Three of her books have won Best in category for children's books at the Chanticleer International Book Awards, and five of one Readers Choice Awards. In addition to writing her own Silver has ghostwritten several books. And as an editor and writer for mom's favourite reads magazines, and a fabulous magazine, it is too because I'm also a commissioning editor for that. So let's before without further ado, let's get on with the show and meet silver. And we have silver with us. Welcome silver.

Sylva Fae: 6:34

Hi.

Wendy Jones: 6:35

Hey, it's an absolute pleasure to have you with us. Are you sitting comfortably? Are you ready for the podcast?

Sylva Fae: 6:40

I am, I am. This is my very first ever podcast,

Wendy Jones: 6:44

is it? Oh, my goodness. Well, welcome to the writing and Marketing Show. And we will look after you will be gentle, I promise we won't interrogate you, I will be nice. So, we won't chat for too long, because it's your first one, you're probably nervous. But I'm looking forward to hearing from you. So let's get on with the questions so that you're not sweating for too long. So when it comes to writing and illustrating children's books, there are many different ages you can write for. What for you is that attraction of writing for children?

Sylva Fae: 7:17

Well, it didn't start out as writing to be honest, it started out as just storytelling to my own children. Just a way of entertaining them on long car journeys. Or if we went out on a walk somewhere, I'd make up a story to make it into more of an adventure than just a walk. And then a bit later on, I thought it'd be quite nice to write those stories down so that my own children had a record of, of their stories from their childhood that maybe they could tell their own children when they grew up. So that's kind of how it started, really. And it's just grown as my children have grown really.

Wendy Jones: 7:56

Excellent. Wow. That's a great way of doing it starting with telling stories to your own children. And a lot of us did start out with storytelling. So, you know, is a good way of doing it. And I'm sure a lot of other people do that as well. And they've never thought about, oh, well, I could actually write this down and make it into a book. So inspirational indeed. So we all cut our teeth on reading children's books. What were your favourites when you were growing up?

Sylva Fae: 8:24

Now, where do I start? And Enid Blyton was absolutely fabulous. My mom read to us. Yeah. Every night I love the way tree and all of that magical world. And then later when I was reading myself, I used to love her adventure series. I loved the mischievous antics of Pippi Longstocking, the worst witch? How many? I've got so many. I've still got all my old books. I've saved them for my children to read.

Wendy Jones: 9:00

Fantastic. Yeah, I grew up on some of them as well. Enid Blyton a perennial favourite I know she's a little bit out of favour at the moment. But to be honest, as a child I never saw any of that I just enjoyed the books. The faraway tree are my favourites by a long chalk. So those magical lands at the top of a tree how fabulous is that? And you can tell she's a good writer because I still remember now I haven't read them since I was a child a small child. I still remember Mr. Pots and Pans man and Mrs. Wash a lot. And you know, yeah.

Sylva Fae: 9:37

I read them again a few years ago to my children as bedtime stories. We did like a chapter a night. And it was just really lovely to revisit it but reading it as a parent and seeing their reactions.

Wendy Jones: 9:50

Yeah, it is different but they're so good because they're magical. Which takes us into the next question quite nicely, really, because writing characters appeal to children is completely different to doing it for adults. And I mean, for me to remember those characters like 55 years later is phenomenal, really, what makes a good character in a children's book?

Sylva Fae: 10:16

Well, I base my characters on my own children. If children can relate to the characteristics, then they're going to enjoy the character. And basically, children are mischievous. So mischievous characters work well. Children love adventure. They love pushing boundaries. So anything like that, that children can relate to. A lot of my books are pitch books. And so you don't have a lot of pages to develop a character, you've got to go straight in. And a lot of your character is shown within the illustrations as well as the words. And so that does make it very difficult to to build a memorable character within the two pages. It really it really is quite a challenge. But children love repetition. So giving a character a little catchphrase, something they can join in with. I've got a book called B and B. And in that book, The bee flies in a wibbly wobbly fashion and repeated throughout the book of the word zikr de sabaidee wibbly wobbly plop and the children join in with their fingers and when we do it because it is it wibbly wobbly. And when I read it to the children, they all join in and they love the repetition and the join in and having a physical thing that they can join in with. And it's little things like that, that I think make a character fun for children to to get involved with really.

Wendy Jones: 11:54

Yeah, it's true. I mean, in my bed at the buffalo books I've got I mean again, it's 32 pages and he's a water Scottish water buffalo suspend, suspend your imagine is suspend belief there and use your imagination. But he always repeated throughout it is but Bertie kept on running really, really fast. Yeah. And I mean really, really fast was a phrase. It wasn't quite that but yeah, it was a phrase that my friend son said when he was little. And to be honest, it was from in the night garden. Whatever you believe about in the night garden, he loved it. Okay, I'm not going to get into whether it was a favourite in our house. Yeah,

Sylva Fae: 12:34

I can still sing you the theme tune.

Wendy Jones: 12:36

I didn't understand it. But I was down there for a fortnight. And he kept saying to me, it's called a ninky Nonk because it goes really, really fast. I still don;t know what a ninky nonk is

Unknown: 12:46

oh, I do. I'm well schooled in ninky nonks and pinky ponks

Wendy Jones: 12:50

Ninky Nonks go really, really fast, apparently, and so does Bertie the buffalo. But that's the sort of things that kids pick up on. Because they they remember it. And you're right. You know, it's

Sylva Fae: 13:02

I bet you they repeat it along with you after they've heard you a couple of times. Oh,

Wendy Jones: 13:08

Absolutely. Even by that point, I'm fed up of it. You know, I'm not I'm never fed up or read my books. It's great point. I shouldn't say that. I've heard people say that they've had to read it in 19 times in one day, I'd be like, I'd be losing the will to live i and it's my book. Parents, but that's good, because it does engross children. And that's what it's about. That's what writing for children is about? Yes. I'm curious because although I I didn't know the current trends in children's books and a little bit as a children's nurse, I'm a little bit out of the loop. So what would you say are the current trends and children's books? Are there any CDs that you think are enduring?

Sylva Fae: 13:48

Well, when my children were little, they loved the Gruffalo older Julia Donaldson books. Her rhyming stories were just absolutely amazing. They were so beautiful to read as a parent. And the pictures that went along with them were absolutely stunning as well, really memorable. So for younger children, I would say the Julia Donaldson books, whatever book it is not particularly a series. But now my children have grown up a bit. And they're 1112 and 14. And my eldest in particular, has always struggled with focusing on reading any length of novel. She has ADHD and she really does struggle to focus on keeping her attention. And she's recently discovered the heartstopper books by Ali Salzman. Have you seen those? I have. I have some here. Hang on a second. We have. Can you see that?

Wendy Jones: 14:52

Yep. Oh, yeah. I have to say I'm going to describe the cover because this is a podcast as well as going on YouTube. So, okay, so it's to what looks like but a young boys, a Boy Meets Boy. And then they're not facing there's the back to it's a stunning cover. And it's by who Alice?

Unknown: 15:13

Alice Oseman in particular and I'm sorry, this doesn't work well for podcasts but in particular the reason why I've picked these books to tell you about Yeah, is because they engage my daughter because they are graphic novels,

Wendy Jones: 15:31

graphic novels. Yes. I mean, people will be able to picture graphic novels anyway.

Sylva Fae: 15:37

It has been a real game changer. My daughter heard about it. And and she heard about it on Tik Tok, actually. And she said, Mom, can we go into Waterstones and buy a book. And that, for me was unheard of my eldest asking to go and buy a book. I was straight in there with her. So she got a book. And I got a panicked message from her. Mom, can we order the next one next day delivery because there's a series and I've nearly finished this one. And what if I finish it before I go to bed and, and I've got nothing else to read. And it was that absolute elation and panic of needing the next book to read. That was just, it was just so amazing to come from my daughter. I mean, I experienced that all the time, because I'm an avid reader. But to hear it coming from her, was just wonderful. So we ordered the full set, and all of the side books and the backstories and everything. And that has kept her reading ever since she discovered this series. So for me discovering, there are graphic novels that are aimed at teenagers that have got teenager level language, teenage level scenarios and things are actually dealing with in real life. For me that that's something to look at. Now. I'm not sure whether my artistic skills will lend themselves to doing graphic novels. But it's something that I would strongly consider getting into, if I could find a way to do it. Now that's great. I think it's the way forward I really do.

Wendy Jones: 17:17

Graphic Novels are good because they're good in a number of things, because people's attention spans are getting shorter. It's not top generation, unfortunately, isn't it clock the most you can get three minutes at a time. I mean, I'm I'm an avid chick talker. So I like tick tock, but it's helping people to discover books. It's helping young people to discover books. But I think you're right about the graphic novels that people are reading graphic novels. I mean, to be honest, my nieces, they would read graphic novels, and we were down in London, and you'd buy a graphic novel for them. And three hours later, they finished it and have another one and you're like, This is costing me a fortune. But they were reading.

Sylva Fae: 17:54

yeah and if it's getting children reading, and it's bringing the joy of reading back to them. And that was the key thing for me with my daughter had gone from reading being an absolute chore, something she had to do for school to her, desperately, desperately needing to have the next book in the series that that joy of reading, come back to her.

Wendy Jones: 18:17

And that's brilliant. Well done to the author.

Sylva Fae: 18:21

Definitely.

Wendy Jones: 18:22

So you illustrate your own books, what comes first the words of the images and why.

Sylva Fae: 18:28

Both simultaneously in my head. I know that sounds strange. But my, the first book I ever wrote, started off with a challenge from my daughter, my middle daughter. She is a toddler she would talk nonstop throughout the day. She just wouldn't take a breath. She'd just go on and on and on and on and on and on and on. And then as I put her to bed, her little monologue would continue until she literally fell asleep mid sentence. And she'd always want a mommy story before bed as well. And then she'd end on Mommy, can you write me a story before breakfast, and it's got to include a rainbow and an ice cream and a monster. And she gave me like three or four different things it had got to include and I would then have to go ahead and try and write a story to fit that. And I wrote my rainbow monsters bulk which was my very first one. And as I was writing it, I had the pictures and images in my head. So the pictures were in my head as I was doing it. I knew how it had to look. And then I spent a couple of years wondering how I was going to illustrate it because in my head I'm not an illustrator. You know, I'm a writer, I doodle I'm a happy dude live well, I'm not an illustrator. And I looked at different illustrators couldn't afford the ones I liked, didn't like the ones that could afford. And so I was in that dilemma of a desperately wants to publish a book. And then bizarrely, it was playing with an app on my phone with my littlest daughter and making pictures. And she said, Mommy, can we make the monsters from your book? And we did. And I thought, You know what? I could actually use this to illustrate a book. And that's how it started. But yeah, you asked about what comes first pictures are the writing? Well, the words and pictures kind of go together. In my head, I almost see see it as a movie running in my head. And often, for picture books, obviously, that's true. But for the chapter books, they're quite often formed as I'm walking on long journeys, when I walked down to do the school run. I have all the characters talking in my head, and must look completely loose. But, you know, I actually run through whole chapters in my head on on a walk down to school and back. But yeah, I suppose a lot of writers have similar similar traits.

Wendy Jones: 21:27

Yeah, absolutely. Except mine are not quite so pleasant issues, because I like crime books. So we'll leave it there. We'll just leave it there, shall we say? You're

Unknown: 21:35

planning murders over the evening meal?

Wendy Jones: 21:40

What is it is important to know when illustrating a children's book,

Sylva Fae: 21:45

children like bright and vibrant colours, when there has to be some consistency throughout something that they can relate to something that's expected on each page. And so with the books I got, obviously rainbow monsters, it follows the pattern of the rainbow. So there's a learning aspect in that one. I noticed with your own birdie books that you've got that pale blue colour throughout, that's kind of ties it all together. Yeah, having having a key colour, I think that ties the book together really works well. And also, it gives it kind of a seasonal feel, when I'm doing book readings, depending on the time of year, and I've got alphabet, which for me is like my spring book. It's all greens and fresh and lively. And then I've got my yoga Fox book, which is all like autumn colours. And it isn't specifically an autumn book, but the colour themes that are throughout it, I think really do help to. To add to the story, really?

Wendy Jones: 23:03

Yeah, no, that's good. And I agree that they do like bright, vibrant colours, they like things that, you know, immediately establish themselves. And again, repetition of the characters helps as well. But saying that I know nothing about your street and children's books, but thankfully my Illustrator does. So if it was left to me to illustrate, there would never be out because I can't draw straight line with a ruler, as they say. So. So if someone was interested in writing a children's book, where would they start?

Sylva Fae: 23:36

Find a child. And now I think, chatting to children, seeing how their mind works, listening to what they chatter about what they're enjoy doing, and reading all the other children's books that are out there. I must have read a million children's books over the years that my children were little. I mean, I still got all my own from when I was little. And we used to go to the library every week as one of our little outings. And as you go out the library, there was a small room with all the old books for sale, and sell for 10 P a book, the children could come home with an arm full of new books that they didn't have to take back to the library. And for them, that was really exciting. So we always had a house full of children's books, and not all were great. And I'd look at some and some had go back to the charity shop and others we've still got on treasure. And so for me my own opinions on what I like to the children's book, what I didn't like is really helped me shape the way I want to do children's books but I think Writing for a child does help writing with a child in mind really, really helps. And having children as your beta readers off the brutal, absolutely brutal. I mean, there were some stories that I used to read some at bedtime. My littlest if she was bored, she'd turn off and go to sleep. Or my eldest would get up and walk out. And I'd think yeah, okay, perhaps we'll come that one, right. And being like tips of Mommy, that child she needs to be wearing red wellies if she's going to stomp in puddles, she needs to have red wellies. And it gave me the little details that I hadn't thought of what mattered to children. So having children as you your beta readers is absolutely fantastic. Excellent.

Wendy Jones: 25:59

So I love everything you've told us today, what would be your top three tips for writing and illustrating a children's book?

Sylva Fae: 26:08

Oh, let's start. Number one, I guess. Observe children read children's books, just surround yourself with children's literature at the level that you want to write up. And then just have a go. Just just put pen to paper. And don't worry about whether it's any good or not just have a go. And then thirdly, develop your stories. Really, really develop them, listen to criticism, become very thick skinned because you need to be and listen to criticism and just keep keep working on it and developing it until you're happy with it. But also the children you're reading to say, yeah, that's not bad for you, mom, because that's great praise coming from your child.

Wendy Jones: 27:05

Great tips. Now I know you've got a lot of books out. So you may want to summarise this one slightly, but tell us about your own books.

Sylva Fae: 27:13

Right? Well, as I mentioned at the beginning, I started writing for my children when they were little. So I've got a number of books for aged three to six year olds, which are pitch books, full colour picture books. I've got a couple of books which are first chapter books. So very simplistic, so either something that a good first reader could read alone, or could be red light, like the Wishing Tree and all of the Blyton ones like that could be read as a chapter a night as a bedtime story. And also, I have quite a few adult stories in different anthologies as well. It's quite nice to push that boundary once in a while, even though it's out of my comfort zone. So it is quite nice to have a go writing grown up writing.

Wendy Jones: 28:14

Excellent. Well, what a versatile writer. So my final question is, where can my readers find out more about you and your books?

Sylva Fae: 28:23

Well, I'm on Facebook under the name of silver Fe and I've run a group on there so they're welcome to come and join that. I have Tiktok Instagram and merch you can buy my books from Amazon. Just search for silver Faye on Amazon. I'm pretty sure with me.

Wendy Jones: 28:44

We can also find you in mom's favourite reads magazines.

Unknown: 28:47

Yes, that's very true.

Wendy Jones: 28:51

Because you're an editor for them aren'tyou.

Unknown: 28:54

I am I am. I work with a fantastic group of people.

Wendy Jones: 28:59

The people that run Mom's Favorite Reads are awesome. I have to say. Thank you very much for your time , Sylva. It's been a pleasure chatting to you and I've learned so much. Thank you.

Sylva Fae: 29:12

Thank you very much for inviting me and thank you for making my first podcast an easy one.

Wendy Jones: 29:18

Hey, we're very gentle here on the writing and marketing show no interrogation. No authors are harmed in the producing of this podcast. Enjoy the rest of your day. Bye.

Sylva Fae: 29:31

Thank you very much. Bye bye.

Wendy Jones: 29:34

That brings us to the end of another show. It was really good to have you on the show with me today. I'm Wendy H Jones and you can find me at Wendy H jones.com. You can also find me on Patreon where you can support me for as little as $3 a month which is less than the price of a tea or coffee. You go to patreon.com forward slash Wendy Jones. I'm also went H Jones on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Thank you for joining me today and I hope you found it both useful and interesting. Join me next week when I will have another cracking guest for you. Until then, have a good week and keep writing. keep reading and keep learning