Picture Book Idea Month

Picture book writer Tara Lazar runs Picture Book Idea Month every November. This year, I've read fantastic posts from picture book writers, illustrators, and agents. Reading through the posts is like taking a free class. I'd recommend it for anyone interested in writing picture books. 

Last year, I came up with twice the required 30 picture book ideas. I was SO excited to write some of those ideas during 2014, but then I put the notebook in a safe place and forgot about it. Four to six months later, I went looking for my idea notebook, but I still haven't found it. I remember some of the ideas, though, and have worked on a few of them.

PiBoIdMo is kitten approved!

This year I've approached it differently. Instead of using one of my many ordinary notebooks, I decorated a spiral bound book of notecards. I like writing poems on notecards, and I wanted the notebook to be something small and easy to recognize. Instead of trying to amass as many ideas as possible, I'm trying to visualize and flesh out some (not all) of the ideas as they come. I've even written a few manuscripts.

Parakeets prefer picture books!

I sent the best one off for critique today. :o)

Hope your week is filled with friends, family, favorite foods, and all the right words!

Treats from a Tree

So, I have a poem in the November issue of Highlights High Five, and they actually pronounced my name correctly on the audio version. :o) I'd say this never happens, but hey, it just did.

If you'd like to hear it, you can click through to the Highlights website. My poem is Treats from a Tree, page 16. Or you can check out Alex Paterson's delightful illustrations (including the one with my poem) on his website.

Once again, I'm thrilled to see the finished product. If you're interested in writing for children's magazines, I can't over recommend submitting to Highlights. They offer the best pay, and they will make you look great. But by far, the best part is working with fantastic editors.

Thanks for reading!