Social Media, Pinterest and Me

We all have our favorites. Favorite color - purple, favorite fruit - blueberry, favorite fish - salmon. How about favorite social media? They are many. It's a maze. 

The question I hear many authors ask is - "Which social media is best for my writing career?" No idea. There are too many variables. Do you want to reach other authors, agents, or editors? Or do you want to reach readers? Or do you want to communicate only with family or friends on social media? 

Your ultimate goal determines which social media is best for you. Personally, I can't keep up with the latest and greatest. My theory is that when a new site overtakes the social media I am now on, I will look into it. Life is too short to chase social media to the detriment of writing time. 

Okay, that said, my super visual self loves Pinterest. (don't judge.) I have a children's writing account, Picbooksrock and a science/steampunk/ 3Dprinting/non-fiction account, Sciwhisperer account. These are relaxing, stimulating, and fantastically fun places to connect! Show and Tell for adults! 

On Pinterest, I don't have to stress about which demographic is interested in an awesome illustration, "The Blue Monster" by Christa Unzne or intricate 3D art by Kevin Mack, Steampunk story starter, "Modern Steam Monobike 1896" by Stefano Marchettiv or picture book video, Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. I just pin what strikes me and like-minded folks do the same. Perfect. 

Is is a time suck? Can be. Does it help me keep track of writing resources shared by others? Absolutely. Does it spark tons of creative ideas? Every day! But the best thing about Pinterest? It's FUN! and I am exposed to tons of many different people and their favorite things. 

Pinterest. Stop by and share a favorite. I will too. - Q

To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme

Many of you have probably figured it out already, but I realized recently that perhaps the reason editors and agents discourage rhyming stories for picture books (besides the fact that it's often not well done) is that rhyming words depend largely on the culture, language, and geographical region of the reader. This became apparent to me when I realized that "gardener" could be pronounced with 2 syllables (gard-ner) or 3 (gar-den-er)  depending on where you live. 

We all know Bostonians pronounce words differently than Houstonians. Do you say "Where are you all going?" Or "Where are y'all headed?"  

I grew up in Nevada, but when I lived in Texas, I learned a lot of new pronunciations. At Thanksgiving, most native Texans say turkey and all the "fixins" not "fixings" or even "sides." My daughter pointed out that I say, the days of the week as (e.g., Monday as "Mon-dee, Tues-dee" instead of "Mon-day, Tues-day"). 

In an article on the subject, James Joyner notes, "I say “loyer,” not “law-yer,” despite the latter pronunciation dominating the places I’ve mostly lived.  Ditto “may-uh-naze” rather than “man-aze.” 

So then, if I have a rhyme about the "sea" and planned to rhyme it with "Thurs-dee" I'd have a problem. A reader in another geographical area would think the rhyme was broken or just wrong. I love to play with rhyming texts, but it is something to think about when tempted to rhyme the next picture book story.
-Q

Have you ever watched any of the Survivor series TV programs where contestants must perform endurance and physical challenges to get points for themselves and their teams while eating bugs and being bitten by millions of gnats? It's pretty intense entertainment to enjoy while sitting with the feet up and contemplating dessert options. Anyway, Picture Book Month 2012 is a bit like that without the gnats. Each day in November you must come up with a picture book idea. This is my first year to participate. Honestly  I'd rather eat bugs, but I know it will be a great exercise. I work best under deadlines! Plus, I hear there are lots of ideas exchanged, author commiseration and no one gets voted off the writing island! 
-Q