Drawing--sometimes literally--From What You Know

Drawing my son did for his A stroll down the Rale Rode Line story.

One of the biggest rewards I've found from starting this writing journey is watching my children join in. They started by "illustrating" my manuscripts and have moved to writing and illustrating their own. 

I receive thousands of papers from school--turkeys made from palm prints, etc.--most of which end up recycled. The stories my children write, however, I file away. Like this one I just received, original misspellings intact:

A stroll down the Rale Rode Line

Once aboute when I was a baby we wer on a trane going mak one. They dont call it a bullit trane for nothing. We only went throw 6 tonels Bfore my hare was sticking up like a porkypine! In about ten mins We wer at our stop at the childrins muzeume ther are toys instead of pantings and fosels. Oh no I forgot to tell you I was three! Oh it says it on the first sentenc sory. As I was saying we wer at the childrins muzeume. I went in a tonel with toy bats wen we got out we wer at the pool for the muzeum. I went Houem after the pool and said "good by" to all of the kids and drove houem. the end.

I've heard of authors who wrote stories and kept journals from the moment they could hold a pencil. I can't say that was me, nor was I a big journal keeper. I did have one, but I usually used it to write scathing entries about how my parents or siblings wounded my feelings. Then I'd leave it conspicuously open where the offending party could see it and be overcome with remorse at their unconscionable offense against my person. 

As the video below shows, however, keeping a real journal can pay off, or at least drawing, and writing, from what you know, which is one reason I'm holding on to my children's stories. They may want them some day.

Before I sign off, Literary Rambles is host in a Q&A with Stephen Barbara of InkWell Management. If you have a question, you have until tomorrow noon (June 10, not sure on the time zone) to send your answer to Casey's email listed on her site. Only five question will be selected, so get on it if you're interested. 

Have a great week.

Weekend Link: Jane Yolen, Jerdine Nolan and a Sparrow

Jane Yolen is a prolific writer--250 books worth! The following 10-minute interview is full of tidbits of wisdom worth every writer's time:

I fell in love with Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolan (the illustrator is Mark Buehner, another favorite picture book creator of mine). Ms. Nolan is a brilliant story teller. Since it is still the last day of Black History Month, I thought this 3-minute interview about her book, Eliza's Freedom Road was apropos. It's also a great way to learn how to use non-fiction elements to tell a compelling fiction story:

And the last video (4 minutes) has nothing, it may seem, to do with writing, but I'll let you be the judge after you watch it. You may need tissues--boxes of them:

Have a great weekend and happy writing.

Weekend Link: Kate DiCamillo on Writing

Kate says it well in this video interview:

P.S. And here's a Merry Christmas...

Early Weekend Links

I'm in the throes NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo. And I have a big birthday party weekend for my little guy, so I'm dishing out the weekend links a day early:

Great, and short, read on the "best writing advice ever" by Pico Iyer:
http://theamericanscholar.org/the-best-writing-advice-i-ever-received/#.UoVEI42xOBA

Just in time for NaNo doldrums, here's a quick read on how to create compelling characters:
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-make-ordinary-characters-compelling

And just so you don't lose your sense of humor, here's a seven minute video clip with Mo Willems:

(my favorite: "Don't let the pigeon be an author," teehee)

Weekend Links

Brilliantly simple advice in less than five minutes by Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline.

Maria Popova, from Brain Pickings, talks about Ray Bradbury's book, Zen in the Art of Writing. She mentions his use of lists as a method of inspiration. Here's a sample quote:

"I was beginning to see a pattern in the list, in these words that I had simply flung forth on paper, trusting my subconscious to give bread, as it were, to the birds."

And to fill your artist's bucket, an unbelievable display of chalk art:

 Happy Weekend.

You Can...

Still think you want to write for children? You can, and Tracey E. Dils has a book to get you on your way, You Can Write Children's Books Workbook. 

I ran across this writing book while looking for another one and popped it into my cart. I'm glad I did.

Here's a basic overview: 

Be a Child

I’m fortunate to be taking a 10-week picture book class from Joyce Sweeney. I’m only one lesson into it, but loving where this class is taking me. I asked Joyce if it was kosher to share some of her tips here and she very generously replied.

Here are some of the lessons I gleaned from week one:

Getting Back Into It

I know I’m supposed to write every day. That’s what famous authors say, and it’s a good idea because it keeps what I’m writing fresh in my mind, and then I get ideas while I’m cooking dinner or taking a shower. But it in my life, it just isn’t always possible. I spent the whole summer moving--finding a house, packing and unpacking. I’m still not finished unpacking. I have been so focused on this move that I worked on it from the time I got up until the time I went to bed. A few weeks ago I realized there was no way I could sit down and write or draw because I had forgotten how to sit down and relax. I had to have some time to unwind before I could get back into creating anything. And then…how do I get back into my writing? How do I start illustrating? It’s exciting and a little frightening at the same time.

Writing Magic a' la Gail Levine

It can be overwhelming for new writers to enter the fray of the writer's world. I've found the children's writing community to be especially kind, but still I do feel the inadequacies of being a newbie among more experienced and polished authors.

That's partly why I wanted to start this blog, to help myself and anyone else who may feel a little insecure about entering the world of a writer. 

One of the first books I checked out on my initial foray into serious writing was Writing Magic, by Gail Carson Levine.

I adore this book. It's written for kids, but that hasn't stopped me from loving it. I think it's fitting to use a writing book intended for a younger audience when I'm trying to write for that audience. 

Bookish Links to Get You Through the Weekend

In case your weekend plans don't include much time for writing, here's a few links to help assuage any writer's guilt:

Folio Lit Co-founder, Scott Hoffman, and NYT best selling author, Brendon Burchard, have a 50-minute video (it's worth every minute) for writers on how to develop a platform. 

They discuss working with agents, self-publishing, traditional publishing and solid tips on how to write and market yourself. See here: http://www.foliolit.com/nytimesbestseller/

If you want to make your characters more three dimensional, check out the soon-to-be released, The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The Positive Trait Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becky Puglisi:  

And just for giggles, here's a "rap" sure to tickle Jane Austen and/or Downtown Abbey fans: