It's nearly Picture Book Idea Month time! Wahoo!

Do you ever have so many new ideas that you think your head will explode? I don't either...usually. 

That all changed after attending a non-fiction NF4NF workshop for children's writers offered by Pat Miller in September. Now ideas are stampeding like mustangs before a storm. I just need to wrangle the herd and pick one (or three). 

How will I do it? I plan to participate again in PiBoIdMo 2015, an online writing event established by children's author Tara Lazar. (Check out her latest book, Little Red Gliding Hood to be released October 27th.) 

PiBoIdMo is pure writing magic. Every morning in November, no exceptions, I shuffle out of my bedroom in fuzzy bathrobe and slippers with my favorite pen and idea notebook. (See photo) and settle in for an hour before I have to get ready for my day job. With the creative gates open, ideas trot in from the ether. (The first year I participated I was skeptical, but now I KNOW it works.)

Anyway, for those who are stuck for new ideas or have always wanted to write children's books, this is the perfect kickoff to success. 

-Q

Creative Marinating

It's true, I've been doing a lot of creative cross-training with my photography for the past few months. Interspersed with non-fiction deadlines, real estate chaos, and family ups and downs, my children's writing ethic has been on vacation for a while.

But now that school is starting, I have a workshop to attend and an author's event coming up. Plus I owe my critique group something wonderful, which I have yet to write. 

I need to quit marinating and get ideas on paper. I have a couple of projects in mind, but I need to give myself a deadline. I never miss actual (publishing) deadlines. Perhaps before this year's November Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo), I will get at least 2 stories fleshed out and ready for critique. Then I'll have a full head of creative steam to begin the PiBoIdMo challenge! Yes! I'll do it.

How do you get motivated after days, weeks, or months of creative downtime? Want to be deadline partners? Let's stop marinating and start producing. -Q

2013 PiBoIdMo Success

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

Release the Muse

I recently sent off a couple of picture book stories to an agent who requested them (i.e., excitement/terror personified) and was thinking I didn't have anything new to work on, but then came PiBoIdMo and the ideas started flooding in.

It is only Day 2 and I already have 4 new picture book ideas outlined. AMAZING!!!  Letting the muse come out and play was all it took! 

Still looking for a holiday motivator? There is still time to sign up for PiBoIdMo 2012.
-Q