Inspiration

I have much to be grateful for, and as I start a new year, I want to be more aware of the amazing miracles that happen all around me. 

To start it off, the above video includes some awesome gratitude quotes compiled by Julie Hedlund, who is hosting her 12x12 Picture Book Challenge again this year. See here for details: http://12x12challenge.com

Here's hoping you have a great year with many more miracles to come. 

Happy New Year Wishes for Writers

It's the folding of one year into another and magical just for that. May all your writing dreams take flight. I'll tie up my posts for 2014 with an inspirational quote (below) and video (above). 

"Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe that there is a loving Source - a Sower of Dreams - just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true." -- Sarah Ban Breathnach 

Happy New Year! 

Weekend Links: Inspiration All Around

My husband is a former archaeologist and he's shared information with me that you don't usually get in school. His experiences fueled my curiosity, and I developed an interest in history, science and anthropology that I, sadly, never had in college. What does this have to do with writing? A lot, I've found. 

Katherine Appelgate, the author of One and Only Ivan took her inspiration for her story from a real life event (Click here for the details.) Brian Selznik also drew inspiration for his novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret from a book he read about the history of automata. And even the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle found his stories in ones told before. 

In the following video Brian Selznik speaks of the inspiration behind The Invention of Hugo Cabret. And the link below that takes you to a short clip about the legend that inspired Doyle's popular The Hound of the Baskervilles:

The Rebirth of Sherlock Holmes Video : Castle Secrets & Legends : Travel Channel

And for all you illustrators/artists out there, inspiration can be all around us. Here's one of my favorite photo tours of artists making art from everyday things:

http://memolition.com/2013/02/02/the-best-examples-of-street-art-in-2012-48-pictures/

Have an inspirational weekend and keep your eyes and ears open. You may find your next great novel/illustration lurking in a most unlikely place.

Weekend Links: Eric Carle, Aussie Vintage Stories, and a Children's Lit Panel

As a writer, I find the life stories of other writers extremely helpful in understanding how to use my own experiences to create my own stories. The following video interview of Eric Carle is a prime example of how his writing and art was influenced by the world around him. Full of juicy tidbits of writerly wisdom, it's well worth the 8 minutes:

One of my favorite courses in college was my legends, myths and folktales class. As I've traveled, I've tried to gather folktales from each place I've visited or lived in. All of these stories unfold in my mind at some point in generating ideas. Like Tolkein who used the myths he studied to formulate his own world, a study of literature from all parts of the globe enhances our ability to tell a timeless story. The following 4-minute video discusses a collection of vintage Australian children's literature that is available online. Can I just give a cheesy Aussie Awesome! And here's the link to the online collection: http://www.austlit.edu.au/CLDR

And finally, coming it at 42 minutes but worth each one (skip to minute 1:10 to get to the introductions) is a panel on children's literature hosted by Southampton's MFA in Writing and Literature. The authors on the panel are Emma Walton Hamilton, Peggy Kern and Tricia Rayburn. They discuss different genre's from picture books to young adult. 

Part two (36 minutes) is here and goes into more depth about the construct of the books in their genre of choice:

Weekend Links: L.M. Montgomery and Patricia Polacco

Anne of Green Gables has long been a favorite of mine. I've read them as a child and an adult more times than a calculator can count, but I never really knew the story behind the author. 

L.M. Montgomery's life is tragic and magic in what she was able to create out of her imposed limitations. But her life is also a warning, one that is worth understanding. Above is a small snippet about the complex life of L.M. Montgomery.

And I couldn't leave this clip behind of Patricia Polacco speaking at an elementary school. I had no idea she started writing for children when she was 41 years old. Woohoo!

Have a great first weekend of a new year.

Weekend Link--Sandra Boynton and Flying Pigs

Doing PiBoIdMo and/or NaNoWriMo? Feeling a bit acronymous? No, it's not in the dictionary, but it should be. It seemed fitting for the feeling I'm having switching back and forth between PiBo and NaNo...or is it PiNo...or NaBo...or BoNo...AAAGH. I'm starting to feel like an Irish rock star with a government job.

Here's one more acronym for your weekend. This time its TED, as in TED Talks and this one is with Sandra Boynton. Just perfect...and its short so you can get back to your PiBo and WriMo ROS. MTFBWY!

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.

Kick the Critic to the Curb

Blech--oranges don’t taste so good after you've brushed your teeth.

On a more flavorful note, I’ve been reading The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. I’m ashamed to admit it’s taken me this long read her book, but it’s part of my assignment for the picture book class I’m taking.

Weekend Links

Jon Bard, from Children's Book Insider, talks about using non-fiction writing to break into the publishing scene. It's a short video and worth watching.

Tara Lazaar, at Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), has a list of over 500 things kids like. It's a fantastic way (Thanks, Darshana for tuning me into it) to get your creative minds going:

http://taralazar.com/2007/11/04/199-things-that-kids-like/

And here's its opposite:

http://taralazar.com/2008/02/07/55-things-kids-dont-like/

And just for fun, here's a version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar performed by the kids (and grownups) at Kay International Preschool in Bonn, Germany.

Don't worry, it's in English and it's so stinking cute! I wish I could speak German just so I could say, "Die Kleine Raupe Nimmersatt." It just sounds cool.

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:

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.