Narration Is About Gesture*

"You really can accomplish a lot if you are willing to get up out of your chair, change your environment, and act out scenes in your book."
—Will Terry**

The Dance Teacher, bookplate by Elita Viliama
Via Pinterest

*also a quote from Will.
**Via Tara Lazar

Generating Story Ideas

“Wherever I go, I’m watching...Even on vacation, when I’m in an airport or a railroad station, I look around, snap pictures, and find out how people do things.”
—Richard Scarry*



German bookplate by Mathilde Ade

*Via Mathilde Ade on Sterling Publishing

Messy Writers

 "I am quite convinced you only started writing books as an explanation for your ‘creative environment.'"*

Bookplate by Josef Sattler
Courtesy Pratt Institute Libraries

*Via Juliet Clare Bell on Writing For Kids While Raising Them

Still Waiting

"...writing picture books seems to be about waiting. A bit of planting and watering, but mostly waiting."
— Penny Morrison*

KidsStamps Frog and Toad bookplate y Arnold Lobel
Courtesy Tera Peak

*Via Tara Lazar's Writing For Kids While Raising Them

On Rejection

There may be a gift accompanying the rejection at best, insight into how to improve your manuscript or query, and maximize your chances of nailing the next submission; and at least, the opportunity to strengthen your commitment and resolve. (An old acting teacher of mine used to say, “Never mind the talent, do you have the tenacity?” This is just as relevant for writers.)

—Emma Walton Hamilton*

Dog  with boats bookplate by David H. Souter

*Via Writing For Kids (While Raising Them)

The Idea Puzzle

"But just like in your manuscript drafts, your first idea isn’t necessarily your best idea, and it definitely doesn’t need to be your last idea. If you allow yourself the freedom to separate your idea into its entities, you might end up with something better. . . Allowing these partial ideas to have value takes a lot of pressure off you as a writer and creator. It is very hard to have a good idea every day! But just because something isn’t the perfect idea doesn’t mean you can’t make it work for you."
-Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen*

Sea plane bookplate by Frank Martin
Courtesy Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie

 *Via Writing For Kids (While Raising Them)

Topic, Theme, Hook

"Every picture book typically has a topic and a theme. A topic is what your book is about on its surface--a ballerina, a dump truck, an alien, a duck, an airplane. The theme is the underlying emotional truth, like friendship, fitting in, the importance of family, being true to oneself, etc. The hook is those two things together."
— Tara Lazar*

Saint George and the Dragon bookplate
from the collection of Gustaf Sandstrom



*Via Picture Book Writing With Tara Lazar

PiBoIdMo is now Storystorm

Followers of this blog will have noticed the absence of Picture Book Idea Month back in November. Founder Tara Lazar announced big changes, and those changes are here.

Storystorm is the new incarnation of PiBoIdMo. Instead of focusing on picture book ideas, Storystorm aims to inspire writers of all genres. Daily posts and oodles of prizes are the motivators for aspiring and published writers to spend the next thirty days brainstorming story ideas.



Storystorm, still striving for 30 ideas in 30 days
Logo courtesy S. Britt

There's still time to chase the idea storm.

• Grab a notebook.
• Register on Tara's blog before January 7.
• Read this month's posts from Deb Lund and Tara herself.
• Comment on each post to be entered in the drawings.

That's it! Remember to register and comment JUST ONCE per day to be eligible for the prizes. Honestly, I can't remember ever winning anything, but as a participant since 2012, I've collected hundreds of ideas and now I don't need a challenge to generate ideas. My brain is constantly on the lookout for story tidbits and I habitually fill my notebooks with story seeds.

Now I just need February to be Writingstorm so I can turn each of these shiny ideas into a manuscript.

Are you participating? Which challenges are you using to move your writing forward?

PiBoIdMo...Not

Normally I would announce it's almost time for Tara Lazar's Picture Book Idea Month. I would give advice on meeting your goal, how to get out of your comfort zone, or even how not to starve during the thirty days of idea-generating mania. But . . .

Subscribe here to keep up to date on the latest.

So we'll have to find something else to do with our writing time.

Let me know how you'll be spending your November in the comments below.

Picture Book Gateway

"Simply, what format is better than the first one that takes children by the hand and turns them into book-lovers?"
—Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency*




Bookplate of Mary and little lamb
 by  Sarah Jane Wright of Sarah Jane Studios

*Via Writing For Kids While Raising Them

Picture Books Contain Power

"We know each reader brings to a book their own personal experiences, but I don’t think we can ever fully predict how they will react to a story. Therein lies the power [of picture books]."

-Margie Myers-Culver

Portrait of Georgina Gaskin by Arthur Gaskin,
The Yellow Book, Vol. 9

*via Writing for Kids While Raising Them

Twas the night before PiBoIdMo

Got your badge? Got your notebook? Ready to go?

November 5th is the last day to sign up!

Last year I planned a month of meals for my family to give me more time to write, How Not To Starve During PiBoIdMo. If you are interested in dusting off your slow cooker and joining me again this year, you'll find a downloadable menu here. If you just need some quickie dinner ideas, many of the recipes can be found on my Eat Write Pinterest board. For the full treatment, recipes and instructions begin with this post.


What tricks will you be using to carve out a bit more writing time?

PiBoIdMo registration and calendar for 2015

It's that time of year  . . . Time for 

Picture Book Idea Month!

Don't miss pre-PiBo prep posts on Tara's blog.

Don't know about  PiBoIdMo?

Grab your badge, decorate your journal, sign up for enticing prizes, but most of all, get in the mindset to brainstorm 30  picture book ideas in 30 days.

Participating? I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Belated Birthday, Roald Dahl

"A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom."*
-Roald Dahl

*From Boy. Thanks to Jessica Warman and Tara Lazar.

Picture Book Audience

"Picture books transcend their intended audience."
-Margie Myers-Culver

Bookplate by Harry Townsend
Courtesy University of Illinois Library

*via Writing for Kids While Raising Them

I Can Show You the World

"Picture books are an entire world you can hold in your hands."

-Margie Myers-Culver

From Cavallini & Company via BetterWorldBooks

*via Writing for Kids While Raising Them

Simple Writing is Powerful

". . . good writing doesn’t have to be fancy. Simple is powerful when the timing is right."

-Tara Lazar*

Bookplate by Adrian Feint courtesy The Linosaurus

*via As The Eraser Burns

Write and Don't Give Up

"Write and keep writing. Lots of people want to be an author; many people talk about it. The serious ones write and don't give up."

-Tara Lazar*

bookplate art by Gladys Munoz

*via Goodreads

Writing With Invisible Ink

 . . . I don’t necessarily write every day. But I am almost always thinking of my stories, and I count thinking as "writing with invisible ink.”

-Tara Lazar*

Courtesy Miquel Bohigas Costabella

*via Polilla Writes

Remember Your Audience

". . . I think you get so caught up in chasing this dream in the beginning, that you lose sight of who you’re truly writing for. The children must come first."

-Tara Lazar*

Bookplate art by Carl S. Junge

*via Vivian Kirkfield on Picture Books Help Kids Soar