Aspiring writers and illustrators workshop ideas

SALISBURY — Around a table in the Wardell Room at Scoville Memorial Library, an assortment of characters and stories began to take shape Wednesday, July 29, as six aspiring children’s book writers and illustrators gathered for a third and final workshop session.

Titled, “Lights! Camera! Action! A Theatrical Approach to Writing and Revising Picture Books,” the three-part workshop was led by award-winning author Caroline Nastro.

The participants’ discussion revealed just how many decisions go into each page, and each author and illustrator had the opportunity to reflect on the many different steps involved in making a children’s book.

Topics included how to keep an illustrated character’s appearance consistent, how research can strengthen a story and how familiar subjects can be approached from an unexpected angle.

The final session focused on sharing work, offering feedback and developing ideas in a supportive environment. Participants arrived at different points in the creative process. Some had begun matching their words with images, while others had created sketches or were still deciding how to bring their ideas to life.

As the group offered feedback on Winsted artist Cheryl Ann Bartley’s work, she responded lightheartedly.

“I’m an artist; nothing hurts me,” she said.

Throughout the workshop, participants were encouraged to borrow techniques from theater and film to better understand their stories. During the first session, writers created a “toolbox” of ideas and techniques that could guide their work. The second session invited them to imagine their stories as film sequences, considering what readers would see on each page alongside the written text.

During the final meeting, participants listened to each other’s stories and tried to consider them from a child’s perspective. Rather than concentrating on whether a story made sense to an adult, the group considered what might capture a young reader’s attention, what emotions the story could evoke and where its characters could be developed more fully.

Nastro’s own work combines her experience in literature and theater. She studied at Stanford University, the Yale School of Drama and the Université de Paris-Sorbonne. Her debut picture book, “The Bear Who Couldn’t Sleep,” was named a Bank Street Best Picture Book of the Year. One of her later books, “Outside Amelia’s Window,” received the same recognition in 2023.

By the end of Wednesday’s session, no two participants had reached precisely the same point in their process. Yet each left with new questions, suggestions and possibilities.