Since I was a child, I get super excited and nearly cross-eyed with Christmas anticipation.
Holiday writing, editing, winter themes and beauty (I love snow) now combine to add to my professional glee.
There is a magical sparkle in the air that seems to coat nearly everyone and everything to some extent. Granted a few Scrooges still persist, but thankfully they are few in my daily sphere.
It seems anticipation and hope are key to our human existence and especially a reflection of childlike optimism. Will I get the puzzle I want? Wagon? Pony? Gifts are a delicious mystery and can potentially contain anything before they are opened. Well, maybe not a large pony.
Next time you are looking for a new book project, think about the anticipation prior to the holidays or getting a new tooth or waiting for the cat to have kittens. Children's writers, unlike other genre writers (e.g. science fiction), have actually experienced (and been) the very audience they serve. Enjoy the fun and fingers crossed for the pony! -Q
You know how people always compare dogs and their owners? If you were a book, what would you be? Would you be a western? Science fiction? Paranormal? Fantasy? Mystery? How-to? Historical? Humor? Children's? Christian? Romance? Multicultural? Science? Or some combination of these?
Iced in over the past 4 days, I have given this some thought. I love fantasy, historical, and science fiction. Throw in some humor and occasional romance for fun and that just about describes me. But like most people, I have different personas depending on the day. I have even written in several of these genres, but I always come back to picture books, my first writing love.
How about you? At life's end, which best describes you? Are you disciplined enough to focus solely on one writing genre or do you combine one or more? Could you change? Tantalizing things to think about when digging through the freezer for something else to cook since you can't get to the store. -Q
The magic and muse visited me again in November for PiBoIdMo. I ended the month with 33 new ideas in my notebook and a nearly forgotten spare (written on an scrap of paper and shoved in my purse). It seems unbelievable that in one special month ideas flow like water when other months are dry as the Sahara. But as I commented on one of the PiBoIdMo blog posts, for me it is all about showing up. Nearly every morning in November I woke up a half hour or so before my alarm, made a cup of coffee, sharpened my pencil, grabbed my new eraser/notebook and ...waited. Within 5 to 10 minutes a glimmer of an idea or a title would come to me. I faithfully jotted it down and waited some more... fixing breakfast or making more coffee in the interim. At times the entire idea formed and was outlined, but some fragments came later in the day or even days later. All good.
Then presto chango! November is over and I have successfully completed another Picture Book Idea Month with lots of new ideas to begin 2014. Hurray! - Q
