Perk UP!

February 2, 2020Leave a comment

Hello there fellow writers! January has been an amazingly productive month for me. I’ve written three — count ’em 3! — new drafts of books, and revised 4 others! Phew! I’m pooped.

But this isn’t about patting myself on the back.

Nope. I wanted to share some of the reasons and resources that have helped to make it such a productive month.

First, work has been slow. I’ll admit, that’s not a great thing (um, hello tax man. I’ll get you that check soon…) but it has allowed me to actually get my BIC and Focus. Butt in Chair time is critical, yes, but what also works for me is Deadlines.

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
Douglas Adams

I wrote one of those 3 (have I mentioned THREE) manuscripts in two days for an editor who wanted to take it to a Creative meeting. Boy did THAT news light a fire under my bum.

But there are also a few other things that helped.

Having a critique group. These guys keep me level-headed and accountable. If it’s my turn to post, I post. There’s no point in having wonderful writers ready and willing to give you their honest feedback if you don’t have anything to send to them. So I keep writing!
Storystorm. If you haven’t joined, and you want to know anything about the picture book industry. Take a look at Tara Lazar’s free resource: Storystorm.
12×12. Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Picture Book Challenge asks its members to write one new draft each month of the year. Plus it provides webinars and activities to keep you motivated.
Other resources that I use to stay inspired:

http://www.kidlit411.com

http://resourcesforchildrenswriters.com

https://www.nffest.com

https://www.scbwi.org

https://literaticat.tumblr.com

https://mswishlist.com

5. Plus a bunch of writer blogs including:

https://susannahill.com/blog/

https://viviankirkfield.com

6. There’s also CONTESTS as well (like #PBPitch if you’re on Twitter) that can lead you to agents and editors.

7. And finally, Some of the best lessons I ever learned came from classes. Especially https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/history-culture-and-writing/writing/children-s-writing

I’ll keep adding to this. Because I get asked A LOT “I’ve written a book, what do I do next?”

My biggest piece of advice:
Don’t write in a vacuum.
It’s dark and lonely in there.
(ok, here’s the real quote…)
Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.
Groucho Marx

Until next time…

Welcome 2020

January 8, 2020Leave a comment

Why hello there! It’s a new year and I have many gloriously ambitious hopes for the year ahead. (Don’t we all? It’s January!) But sometimes those dreams fizzle out by June (I’m looking at you, screenplay).

So instead of resolutions this year, I’m inciting revolutions.

Wait, scratch that.

Renovations?

Relegations?

(Sorry, had to add an English football reference for my Arsenal fans.)

Revelations?

(Ahh, Dr. Who. This is how I feel most of the time)

Heck, I’m just going to try to make it to February.

No, seriously, I will be Renovating both my house and my old picture book manuscripts, searching for the diamonds in the (very very) rough (drafts).

I will be Relegating my inner critic to the Back Seat (of my mind) and pursuing grand new adventurous topics with abandon, even if I don’t have any expertise in them and don’t know what kind of rabbit holes they might send me down.

And I will hopefully be able to act on some Revelations that I’ve had recently about how much I enjoy writing nonfiction, about what it will take to get more of my writing out there and in the hands of you wonderful readers, and that one Eureka moment I had about dunking a Snickers bar, churro-like, in some Spanish Hot Chocolate (you know you want to try it now).

So I hope you’ll join me in looking forward to all that 2020 has to offer. I promise I won’t be this perky all the time, just when the caffeine kicks in.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A New Book!!

September 13, 2019Leave a comment

Great News! I have had a new book accepted by a great publisher. But I can tell you absolutely ZERO about it until the contracts are signed on the dotted line.

So for now, mum’s the word!

p.s. it has something to do with…

Shhhhh!

Silly Questions for Serious Writers

March 18, 2019March 18, 2019Leave a comment

Silly Questions
for Serious Writers

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs lately in which authors who are on blog tours are asked a lot of serious questions about their craft, their process, their writing preferences.

Granted all these solemn questions are important to understand the hard work and dedication that it takes to be a writer, and others can learn a lot from the answers, but holy hell some of the questions make me want to snooze!

Yes, yes, there are no stupid questions, yatta yatta.

But everyone knows that the sillier the question, the more the reader catches a glimpse into the actual personality of the writer.

James Lipton was on to something when he added Proust’s (really Pivot’s) questionnaire to the end of Actor’s Studio:

What is your favorite word?
What is your least favorite word?
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
What turns you off?
What is your favorite curse word?
What sound or noise do you love?
What sound or noise do you hate?
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
What profession would you not like to do?
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

(There is a great article about these questions if you’re interested in the backstory, here.)

So, I’ve come up with a list of questions to ask writers (or anyone really), to get to know them better. (I’ll fill it in myself for my next post.)

What book or movie has made you pull your hair out, scream at the screen, jump up and down and generally obsess over for weeks on end until you start to see people rolling their eyes when you bring it up for the hundredth time?
Speaking of obsession, what’s one thing you are or have been completely obsessed with?
Name one thing you hoard or collect (come on, you know there’s something. Besides rejection letters, that is. 😉 )
If your writing style were an animal, which would it be? (Are plotters elephants? Are pantsers meerkats?)
On days when you want to say “Sod it all! I give up!” A) what would you rather be doing, and B) what helps you get back in the writing groove?
My favorite way to procrastinate is…?
Singing in the shower. Your thoughts?
How would your children describe you?
Food that you absolutely couldn’t live without and would fight tooth and claw to consume, even if that meant stockpiling it before Brexit, or hiding it from your significant other in a top secret desk drawer and not feeling an ounce of shame about lying about it when asked point blank whether you have any.
Oh yeah, and tell us about your new book.

What questions do YOU want to be asked while on blog tour?

#50preciouswords

March 2, 2019March 2, 2019Leave a comment

I love entering contests, and I like all things short, so this competition is right up my alley. Author Vivian Kirkfield has challenged writers to use just 50 words to write a story.

It’s the old Green Eggs and Ham challenge but using ONLY 50 words rather than 50 distinct words to make up the book.

I’d been mulling over whether to write a book called Brave Chicken for a week or so now. (That’s what my daughter calls our cat. He really is one courageous scaredy cat.) I love the title but it’s already being used by Scholastic for an educational program that they run, so I figured rather than a picture book, I’ll use it here. Enjoy.

(And check out Vivian’s site on https://viviankirkfield.com/2019/03/02/the-50preciouswords-writing-contest-is-open/)

Brave Chicken

Brave Chicken can do anything.

“I am invincible!”

He saves little duckling from the Wrath of Terrible Tractor.

Rescues piglet from the Mayhem of Muddy Puddles.

But the Stables of Stink can foil even the most fearless of fowls.

Brave Chicken holds his beak,

musters his courage,

and RIDES!

Yeehaw!