Storystorm! Jot the PB Ideas Down

Storystorm, formally PiBoIdMo is ready to start!

Click here to sign up at Tara's sight and get ready to weather the storm of ideas that are developing in your head.

I have joined. If you write picture books, I hope you do, too.

What can you lose?

You can't lose anything, but you can gain picture book ideas that may just be the one that an agent or publisher is looking for.

You can also gain (by writing down an idea every day during January) prizes which include professional consults, signed books, original art, writerly gadgets and gizmos.

Never won anything, you say. Don't ever say never. I have won prizes before and so can you. But more importantly we will win knowledge in the field of writing for children, and we all can benefit from that.

In January, Tara will have helpful posts on her blog daily by  professional authors, illustrators and experts in creativity.

 You have until January 7th to officially register on Tara's site. But don't delay, do it today.

Are you a picture book writer?
Do you want to be a picture book writer?

I would love to hear if you are going to enter or not. Let me know by commenting.

Even if you don't join StoryStorm, and you love to write for children, you can visit her site each day to read some wonderful and learning blog posts.

Happy writing in 2017!

Let the storm begin!

I Did It!

November has come to an end.
I have 30 new ideas for picture books.
How about you? How many ideas do you have?

Now that we have our ideas -  we write.

We should try to:

Pick the perfect words - the perfect character - the perfect place.
But, keep it under 500 words and don't be preachy.

Be original. Put a new twist on an old story.
Show and don't tell, please.

And, do not write in rhyme - unless you are very, very good at it.
   (I must admit that I don't always follow my own advice.)

Revise, revise and revise.


But, most of all, write the story that will have kids saying, "Read it again! Read it again!"

It is not easy. But, nobody said it was going to be. Except for those people who think anyone can write for children, because the stories are so short and the readers are so young.

But, we know better.

So, let's get to work. I know we can do it.

PiBoIdMo

It is that time of year again.

The time of year when we brainstorm and come up with a month of picture book ideas.

The time of year when we let our minds go back to being a child. It is when we sit at our writing desk and let our inner child flow onto the paper and come up with ideas! Some may be great ideas, some may be terrible ideas, but ideas they are. And we must have ideas before we can write the manuscripts. Having ideas is where it all starts.


Are you ready to take the challenge, too? If so click on the PiBoIdMo badge on my sidebar and sign up.

Becoming a successful writer for children is more than I have a memory or an idea and I want to write it down. 

It is making changes to make your ideas and memories into a story that is good enough to be published. It is being persistent and determined and dedicated.

Sometimes this means changing details that you might want to keep in the story. Sometimes this means thinking outside of the block. Sometimes this means working day and night until your story is just right, or as close to just right as you can get it.

But, it always means being dedicated to making it the best story you can write. It means getting other eyes to look at it. It means being open to suggestions. It means growing and learning each and every day of your writing life.

 But, most of all, it means not giving up. Because if you give up, it will never happen.

Writing for children is different than writing for adults. Everyone doesn't have the knack for writing for children. Writing less words, does not mean it is easier, as some people think.  But, writing fewer words means each word is very important. You must brainstorm to come up with the perfect words and the best words for your story.


Happy writing.

This November, during PiBoIdMo, I hope you come up with that one special idea that makes a great manuscript!

Picture Book Month - Illustrator's Process

What is your favorite part of a picture book - the story or the pictures?
I love them both. With picture books, you can't have one without the other.
Well, I guess you can.  There are wordless picture books. But, being an  author, I tend to like picture books with words. How about you?

Words and pictures share top billing in my opinion.

I recently found on You Tube videos made by author/illustrator, Will Hillenbrand.

I particularly liked his video on the process of illustrating the picture book, Down on the Farm. Click here to watch.

Click here for a partial reading of the finished book.

Want to see more of his You Tube videos. Click here for a listing.

I think it is helpful for us wanna be picture book writers to see the process of writing and illustrating the picture book.

Mr. Hillenbrand has a great website. You can go here to visit and look around.


Posted byJanet Smart  on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

The Start of Picture Book Month and PiBoIDMo

This is the first day of PiBoIdMo and Picture Book Month!
Since yesterday was Halloween, I decided to post about the following Picture Book:

The Bumpy Little Pumpkin

by Margery Cuyler

Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

Scholastic 2005

In a picture book the illustrations are as important as the words.
The illustrations in this book are superb!

First Lines:
Little Nell lived with BIG Mama,
BIG Sarah, and BIG LIzzie in a great,
BIG house in a great, BIG woods.

But, according to Nell, things do not have to be BIG to be loved.

With all the BIG pumpkins to pick from their garden, Nell picks a bumpy little pumpkin. With help from her friends, including Crow,Cardinal and Sparrow, it is made into a jack-o'-lantern!

I loved this picture book.

Click here for a video on YouTube of The Bumpy Little Pumpkin.


Posted by Janet Smart  on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

Whipping Your Manuscript Into Shape and Free PDF Booklet

I am getting ready for National Picture Book Month . . . and PiBoIdMo!

I am going to try (notice I said try) to post about picture books every day in November! That is a big endeavor, so I am already writing posts and saving them.

Stop by each day and read and learn a little bit about picture books.
I will try not to disappoint you.


But, until November arrives I am working on my middle grade novels.
I've got out my whip and I am whipping them into shape.

Here is a little checklist of some things I am doing.

√   If something is in there that shouldn't  be - delete it to the wastebasket - no matter how much you are attached to it.

√  Check the chapter endings - do they make us excited to go on to the next chapter? If not, change them so they do.

 √  Does the first page make us want to continue reading? If not, change it so it does.


√  Use your find button. Check for 'it'. I bet most of them can be changed to a more specific noun. Check for 'that'. I bet many of them can be taken out. Check for 'ly' words. Check for telling words, such as: saw, smelled, heard and felt.

√  Check for 'your overused' words. You know what I mean, favorite words that pop into your writing too many times. Everyone's words are different. I have a tendency to overuse old, that, of and just.

Other unnecessary words can be: about, actually, almost, like, appears, approximately, even, exactly, finally and really. Check for redundant phrases, such as: sat down, end result,  free gift, combine together, kneel down, raise up, exact same, etc. You get the idea.

√  Check your story. Does your character grow? Are your characters likeable? Do they have flaws? No one likes a perfect character. Are there unique parts in your manuscript? Is there something in your story that makes it stand out? etc.

Are you whipping a manuscript into shape? Hope my checklist helps you out a little. 

√  Check out my sidebar. If you want a free PDF of my booklet, The Handy Little A to Z Book on Writing, just email me and let me know. I'll  email one out to you. Contents include: A B Cs of Writing, Specific Words, Find Button, Tips on Writing ABC Books, Tips on Writing Articles,  Prompts, What If's, Sites for Writers, Last, But Not Least - Helpful Tidbits.

I think you'll like it!

Happy Writing and don't forget about November and Picture Book Month.

Posted by Janet Smart  on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.