Gone Fishin' ~ a bucket of fishy tales

 by Sue Heavenrich

A couple months ago, Kathy Halsey interviewed Pam Courtney about her new book, A Season For Fishin’: A Fish Fry Tradition. And that got me thinking of all the fish stories my uncles and cousins used to tell – about the ones they caught, the ones that were “this big” (imagine arms spread as wide as they can go), and mostly about the ones that got away. And THAT got me wondering … 

how many ways could we tell a fish story?

We could stick with the facts, like Debra Kempf Shumaker does in her book, Freaky, Funky Fish: Odd Facts about Fascinating Fish. To be a fish, she writes, you have to have certain characteristics: scales, gills, maybe fins. But not all fish are alike. Debra shows, in rhyming text, the different ways fish are adapted to survive in their world. Some fish zap, some sing, some produce copious amounts of slime – and one even has a see-through head! What I love about this book is how she rates each fish on a funkiness scale of 1-5. 

We could profile a specific fish, like Elaine M. Alexander does in Anglerfish: The Seadevil of the Deep. The anglerfish looks like a very scary monster, what with that big mouth and sharp teeth. But she wasn’t always so big, or so toothy. In this book, we follow the anglerfish from fry to fierce predator to releasing eggs for the next generation. What I particularly like about this book is how the dark, mysterious illustrations bring us right into anglerfish’s deep, dark world.. I also like the comparison of the different species of angler fish. I didn’t know there were so many!

We could tell stories about the people who study fish. Like the students in Emmy’s class that Mary Boone follows in School of Fish. They watch salmon eggs from the day they’re dropped into the fish tank to the day they release the fry into a river. Along the way, the students learn about more than fish; they learn about ecosystem connections. And they learn how to work together for the good of the fish.

Or like fish scientists, such as Cristina Zenato, profiled in Sharks Unhooked, The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger, by Patricia Newman and Else Bostelmann, the underwater artist profiled in Else B. in the sea : the woman who painted the wonders of the deep, by Jeanne Walker Harvey. Not only are these fish stories, but they are about amazing women in science!

We could write about the important work fish do, like the cleaner fish in Susan Stockdale’s book, Don't Eat the Cleaners! Tiny Fish with a Big Job. When fish get dirty (like … how does that even happen? They live in water!) they head to a cleaning station. Cleaner wrasse and cleaner shrimp hang out there, ready to nibble dead skin and parasites of their fishy customers. These cleaner fish also slip between sharp teeth, pulling out bits of food, and nibble algae from sea turtle shells.

Or how tiny fish no longer than your finger are helping to save an important biome, in Sy Montgomery’s Amazon adventure : how tiny fish are saving the world's largest rainforest. They save not only the rainforest but the culture and economy that depend on them.

And of course, we could tell stories in the tradition of  an authentic “fish story” – absurd tall tales that get taller with each telling. Here are two that had me chuckling:

Don’t Trust Fish, by Neil Sharpson which begins with some matter of fact explanations of how to tell a mammal from a bird but quickly goes off the rails when it comes to fish. Why? Because you can’t trust fish! They spend all their time in the water, some are as big as a bus, and what are they teaching in those “schools” anyways?

I Need Pants! by Susan Sweet in which Fish desperately wants a pair of pants. Octopus points out that Fish can’t wear pants because fish don’t have legs. But once Fish finds a pair of pants and struts around the ocean in style, Octopus decides to try a few pairs on for size … 

So grab your tackle box – or your pencil and notebook, paints and sketchpad – and head to the river. What sort of Fish Story will you come back with?

What makes a Bird Book?

by Sue Heavenrich

I love to watch the titmice and cardinals (and chickadees, jays, juncos…) at our feeder. They bring color and action to an otherwise monochromatic and tedious landscape. Plus, watching them makes me wonder things. And wondering about things makes me think: hey, maybe I could write something about…

… birds. During the last decade of the previous millennium, my kids and I participated in Project Feeder Watch. Back then we had a couple field guides and a lot of questions, but most of the books about our feathered friends had the title “Birds” and were pretty general. 

Over the years books have changed and there are as many ways to write about birds as there are birds to watch. Here are some of the ways authors and illustrators have gone … Beyond-the-Field-Guide. I know I missed a bunch, so please share your favorite kid's bird books in the comments!

You could watch birds from a different perspective

Look Up! by Annette LeBlanc Cate is a middle-grade book that uses humor to encourage kids to get outside with a sketchbook and capture some of the cool birds living right outside their windows. The birds talk back to the author, and make up songs about their lives, sport cool hairdos (feather-doos?), and show off their feet.

Fans of Jane Yolen’s book, Owl Moon might like to check out Night Owl Night, by Susan Edwards Richmond. In this picture book, Sova’s mom disappears each night. She is a scientist who studies owls, and Sova wants to join Mama on a night walk where they (eventually) capture, measure, and release a saw-whet owl.

Another person who studied birds?  That would be Roger Tory Peterson – a name that’s become nearly synonymous with field guides. For the Birds by Peggy Thomas is a fun biography for kids who love their field guides.

If you’ve got kids involved in the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend, or Project Feeder Watch, they might enjoy reading one of these - and you might get ideas for a different angle on your own counting story.

Finding a Dove for Gramps, by Lisa J. Amstutz plunks us right into the Christmas Bird Count with Jay and his mom. You can almost hear the snow crunching underfoot, the calls of chickadees and jays, the rat-tat-tat of woodpeckers drumming on a tree. You can feel your toes freeze and, at the end, the warmth of a mug of hot cocoa.

In Bird Count, by Susan Edwards Richmond, Ava is excited because this year she gets to keep tally of the birds “her” crew finds during the annual Christmas Bird Count

There are a couple of recent middle grade novels that have bird watching at their core. The Secret Language of Birds, by Lynne Kelly is about a girl who discovers a pair of endangered birds nesting in an unusual place. She breaks a few camp rules to watch them - will she get sent home before the egg hatches?

Bird Nerd by Jennifer Ann Richter features a birding tournament between two schools that gets a bit more competitive than expected. But it's also about and finding your own flock

or focus on feathers…

Bird Show, by Susan Stockdale is a plumage fashion show! Eighteen brilliantly dressed birds show off their jackets, aprons, and headdresses. Well … at least they show off their wing bars, frilly feathers, long tails, and feathery crowns.

Melissa Stewart highlights the more practical uses of feathers in Feathers ~ Not Just for Flying. Not all feathers are the same. They have so many different jobs to do, from distracting predators and keeping warm to carrying nest materials and making music.

Or maybe your passion is:

beaks

feet 

flight or 

family.

There are a whole bunches of books about those topics ... and there are bunches of books about bird behavior. In Bird Talk, Lita Judge shows how birds use song to attract mates, proclaim their territory and call their chicks. But not all birds are born knowing the family song – some have to learn their song by listening to their parents.

or maybe you'd like to write about one particular bird...

I feel like the newest charismatic brainy bird is the crow. They are intelligent, have great memories, and can solve problems that confound squirrels. For three different ways to look at a crow, check out Crick, Crack, Crow! by Janet Lord; How to Know a Crow, by Candace Savage; and Crow Smarts, by Pamela S. Turner.

Where will your bird-curiosity take you...

and your book?

Writing Like a Gardener: Staggered Planting for a Continual Manuscript Harvest

by Sue Heavenrich

When I'm planning my garden, I think about how much room there is, what I want to grow, and how much time I have to devote to tending the plants. This involves drawing a rough garden map and a time table noting which vegetables go where, and when to plant the seeds.

I do the same thing with my writing. During January I collect ideas I might want to plant by participating in StoryStorm or other idea-gathering activities. Then it's time to get organized.

As with garden planning, I map out my writing season. How many story ideas can I realistically work on over the next year? Then I create both a digital folder and a paper file folder for each idea I want to explore. That file is where I toss in notes from preliminary research. For example, I check World Catalog to see whether there are books already published on my topic, and how many there are.

Before planting a crop, gardeners check their first frost date. In writing lingo, that's a "hard deadline", a definite harvest-by date. Writers have magazine deadlines, call-for-submission deadlines, or plans for extended leave from the desk. Once you know the deadline for a project, you can count backwards and determine that idea's "planting date".

Gardeners don't plant an entire season's-worth of salad greens all at once. We plant seeds for lettuce and beet greens and spinach every two or three weeks, so some seeds are germinating while others are growing and the oldest are being harvested.

Why not use this same strategy with our manuscripts? Begin with one idea, outline or map the story, and dive into research. Then write. As one gets to the point where it's ready to share with critique partners, plant the seeds for the next writing project. At any one time my writing garden (disguised as a semi-organized desk) has manuscripts at different growth stages: fleshing out the idea; actively researching; writing (flowering); feedback and comments; revising (ripening); and submitting.

Another thing I have learned from gardening: at the end of the season it's time to let the soil recover. That means covering beds with compost and a layer of leaves and letting it rest and restore. How can we do this with our writing? We could head out for regular "artist dates" to refill our creative cups (here are some ideas). Or maybe take a writing vacation - which works for a few days until my fingers itch to start scribbling in my notebook again.

If you're taking a mid-summer "get organized" break, check out this post from earlier this year. Here's another post from a couple years ago that presents more ideas on organizing writing goals.

Annette Pimentel on Scaffolding the Past for Young Readers

our guest author, Annette Pimentel

by Sue Heavenrich, with Annette Pimentel

Last fall I reviewed Annette Pimentel's book, Mountain Chef, a wild tale of a cook in the Sierra mountains. I loved the story and the extensive back matter, and was amazed at how Annette did her magic. She graciously accepted our invitation to write a guest post for the GROG. And now I'll turn it over to...

Annette Pimentel

In the picture book biographies I write, I need to accurately recreate yesterday’s world for my young readers. Only when kids understand how things used to be can they see how a true-life hero transformed society. So, in every book I face the challenge of building a scaffold of knowledge about the past to support my reader’s understanding.

First, I need to decide what is important for my reader to understand. I think about assumptions kids make about their world—that girls and boys both play sports, for example. I try to figure out what essential elements of the world I’m writing about kids won’t already be familiar with.

Once I know what gaps I need to fill, it’s time to build that scaffold.

I’ve learned important scaffolding skills from mentor texts. Here are strategies that ensure kids get the background knowledge they need.

Strategy # 1: STOP THE ACTION AND EXPLAIN

If only I could just stop everything and give kids the background they need! Usually that would be death to a story but occasionally it actually works.

Freedom in Congo Square depicts the joyful Sunday music and dance of enslaved people in New Orleans. But with a topic like that, there is the danger that young readers will fail to understand that those were stolen moments within a life of oppression. So before the book even starts, a Foreword tackles the issue of slavery.

Lines, Bars and Circles: How William Playfair Invented Graphs tells the story of a thinker who emerged during the Industrial Revolution. Rather than try to explain the significance of the Industrial Revolution within the story, the information is placed in a sidebar. The reader can drop out of the story for a moment, read, the information, then get back to the story with the knowledge she needs.

Strategy #2: GIVE NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE IN TERMS OF THE MAIN CHARACTER’S LIFE

Handily, you can often build your scaffolding as you describe your main character since the information your reader needs probably relates to that main character’s passions and desires.

Martin’s Dream Day gives kids information about the state of civil rights in the US in 1963 by explaining Martin Luther King’s convictions:

Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in equality. For everyone—not just a few. He wanted all people to have the full rights of citizenship. That meant the right to vote, to go to school, and to get a job. In the 1960s, African Americans did not have these basic rights.

I used the same strategy in Mountain Chef. I needed to explain to kids the ugly realities facing Chinese Americans after the passage of racist laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, so I described how my hero ended up in his job as a gourmet trail cook:

Bosses paid Chinese workers less than white workers….Most people with Chinese names ended up cooking in restaurants or washing clothes in laundries. Tie Sing, though, had…dreams as big as the country he loved. Cramped shacks weren’t for him.

Strategy #3: SHOW KIDS SOMETHING THEY RECOGNIZE, AND THEN UNDERLINE THE DIFFERENCES

One great way to scaffold kids’ understanding of the past is to start with something that they will assume they know, and then describe how it was different in the time period you’re writing about.

Karl, Get Out of the Garden is a biography of Karl Linnaeus, who set up the system of animal and plant classifications that we still use today. How do you get kids to imagine a world where there simply aren’t consistent names for plants and animals? Here, it’s done by talking about a plant that every kid knows.

Doctors, gardeners, farmers—everybody!—argued about the names of plants. Dandelions might be called blowball, swine’s snout, or yellow daisy—depending on which town you lived in.

In Girl Running I knew that my soccer-playing girl readers were going to have to imagine a world very different from their own to understand the magnitude of Bobbi Gibb’s accomplishment in breaking the Boston Marathon’s gender barrier. So I start the book in a familiar environment: school.

Bobbi Gibb must wear a skirt to school because she is a girl. She is not allowed to run on the school’s track team. Because those are the rules—and rules are rules.

As young readers dive into more and more nonfiction, their understanding of the world becomes broader, richer, and more nuanced. But that growing understanding depends on the almost-invisible, but carefully-built scaffolds of knowledge constructed within the nonfiction they read.

Thanks you so much, Annette, for filling our writer's tool box with more strategies we can all use. 

Annette Bay Pimentel wrote Girl Running and  Mountain Chef: How One Man Lost His Groceries, Changed His Plans, and Helped Cook up the National Park Service, the 2017 Carter G. Woodson Award winner. Every Wednesday she writes about recently-published nonfiction picture books at http://www.annettebaypimentel.com/ You can also find her on Twitter at @AnnettePimentel She is represented by Andrea Brown Literary.

Inspiration from the local "happenings" column

by Sue Heavenrich

For a number of years I wrote a weekly column for the local paper. “It’s a social column,” the editor said, “about who’s doing what in town.” It’s what some of us call “hyperlocal news” and what other people would refer to as town gossip – sans snark.

For those of us in town, the column was a way to share the good stuff that’s happening: the Wednesday evening dinners at the Methodist Church (free eats and good conversation), the snowmobile club meetings, the golf tournament that raises money for the Ambulance Squad. I reminded moms about Tuesday morning Library Story Hour, announced public hearings, and shared upcoming historical society programs. Every week I got to talk to the plain ordinary folks who make our town what it is.

For a writer, social columns in small town papers – and the “about town” items in the New Yorker – can provide a treasure trove of writing ideas. Within the narrow confines of two-point-three-inch wide columns one can discover:

• The church that provides free meals just got a new dishwasher and stainless steel sinks through a bequest. The guy (as reedy thin as his name would suggest) ran a sawmill in his back yard and sold wooden crates to apple-pickers.
• The “amigos” are a bunch of special education students who meet every Thursday after school to do something for the community. Their current project: baking dog biscuits for the local animal shelter.
• A boy scout who discovered an old cemetery hidden beneath weeds and shrubs. He adopted it for his Eagle project, cleaned it up, built an entry way.
• One of the streets in town is named after a Civil War Hero who died in the battle of Gettysburg clutching a family photo.
• The bed-and-breakfast was a stop on the underground railroad, and may be haunted by spirits.
• The guy at the farmer’s market who grew up in the south can tell you ten different ways to eat kudzu.

 Not that one should write biographies about these folks, but they can inform the characters in your stories. These are just ordinary people doing ordinary things.

Turns out, local newspapers are a wonderful source of inspiration. They are written by people who live in the community, people who walk the beat and talk to the citizens. What seems mildly eccentric to the folks in town could make for a character quirk in a story. Street names may lead to biographies or, at the very least, great character names. News stories present authentic life situations that can help when you’re stuck on plot points. Even the obituaries provide a wonderful source for interesting story prompts and names.

So next time you’re in the library, check out the small town papers – or even the city dailies – and go on a field trip through the newspaper archives.

Dissecting nonfiction

 by Sue Heavenrich

A few years ago (2011, to be exact) Peggy Thomas and Margery Facklam's wonderful guide to writing nonfiction was born. Since then, it's been my go-to reference for questions about writing true stories for kids.

I think it's because I love the way it's organized - if you remember those biology dissection labs, it makes sense. First, the authors define the species: what is nonfiction? What sets it apart from other kinds of storytelling? They present many examples to give writers a feel for the diversity of this species (magazine writing, works for hire...).

Then they crack open the skull and go straight for the Brainstorming: where do ideas come from? What are kids learning about in school, and when? What's a slant and how will you know if you have one?

They spend two chapters on the skeletal system: the bones of the story. This is a deep dive into research, primary sources and where to find them, and the best way to net information from the Web.  There's useful information on photo research, building a bibliography, interviewing people, and even doing hands-on-research.

"Once in a blue moon, an unexpected event takes you to a whole new world," writes Margery. If that opportunity presents itself, grab on with both hands, she advises. Nothing beats firsthand research.

Once the bones are in place it's time to examine the heart and voice of story. This is where Peggy and Margery examine plotting, dialog, and finding a writing voice that kids will hear. Once those basic building  blocks are in place, it's time to assemble the "Story Skeleton", from an "oh wow" lead to a just as "wow" ending, back matter, and more.

The dynamic duo spend three chapters focusing on specific kinds of nonfiction: biographies, science and nature writing, and how-to pieces. Each chapter is packed with information, tips, examples, and resources. For example, in the science chapter there's a handy list of websites that provide accurate science information (NASA, MIT, US Geological Survey, and more). The best advice: think like a child.

"Take readers into the natural world with all their senses. Show the colors, textures, and smells that create the feeling of the swamp..." or forest or wherever you are taking this story, they write. Make sure it's true, accurate, and kid-friendly.

Concluding chapters focus on strengthening your story and finding markets. There's a great section filled with resources, and an index (for those of us who forget to tag pages with sticky-markers).

Check out Peggy's Anatomy of Nonfiction Writing website here. It's filled with insightful posts and discussions - plus there's a link for how to order your own copy of the book.

Filling the Creative Well

by Sue Heavenrich

Earlier this month Christy shared a passel of great ideas for what to do to “blast through writer’s block”. Reading her post reminded me of the “artist dates” that Julia Cameron advocates in her book, The Artist’s Way. 

Cameron encourages writers (and other artists) to take time for themselves in doing activities that “fill the well” of creativity. She calls these once-a-week encounters “artist dates”. The thing is, Cameron explains, that they are things you do to explore something that interests you, fires up your imagination, sparks whimsy, encourages play. They are activities that “feed our creative work by replenishing our inner well of images and inspiration,” she says.

There are no rules about how to do artist dates other than to ask yourself: what sound fun? And then allow yourself to try it – even if it is something you have never done before. In that spirit, I share a year’s worth of artist dates I have done or intend to try, plus those gleaned from fellow writers and illustrators. Try one; try them all – and add your own ideas to the list. 

Around the home and yard:

• Listen to classical music (or the Hamilton sound track)
• Read a book – even cartoon paperbacks
• Put on some dance music and move
• Find streets/ buildings/ places in your town you have never been to before
• Bake or cook something
• Watch a movie
• Grow a mini-garden in your kitchen
• Make a blanket fort, snuggle in with books and hot cocoa
• Find some postcards; then write notes on them and mail them to friends

Take a field trip:

• Visit an art museum or gallery
• Meander through a used book store or library book sale
• Turn a map upside down and see where it takes you
• Attend a local festival
• Hang out in an ethnic shop
• Visit a zoo or botanical garden
• Visit a museum
• Visit a historical building
• Look at doors or stairs on houses you walk by
• Visit a farmer’s market
• Explore an antique store
• Ride on a bus

Outside/ nature:

• Walk in the woods or a park
• Meditate on a beach or river bank
• Go on a walk to look at flowers growing in yards
• Lay on your back and watch clouds
• Watch leaves spin and fall
• Follow a butterfly or bumble bee

  

 Make Something:

• Make a collage from old magazines
• Make a sculpture from junk
• Paint on something that is not paper
• Make a greeting card for someone
• Make or cut out paper dolls
• Make a journal or notebook
• Take your camera for a walk
• Write haiku or other poetry
• Make something that could hang from a window or Christmas tree
• Let a cookie fortune inspire you
• Create sidewalk art with colored chalk
• Make a map of a story that’s tickling your mind
• Paint with berry juice
• Capture a sunset with watercolors

 Play:

• Build with legos or blocks
• Start a collection of stones, marbles
• Play in the snow
• Make some play-dough and play with it
• Finger paint
• Play with a kid’s toy you enjoyed
• Learn some words in a new language
• Do a jigsaw puzzle
• Try origami
• Go fly a kite
• Invent new words with scrabble tiles

After the interview ~ turning notes into story

by Sue Heavenrich

interviewing bumble bees at RMBL

I’ve been committing journalism for a couple decades and no matter what I am writing about – whether it’s how to plant strawberries or the effects of repealing the Affordable Care Act – I always end up interviewing someone for nitty-gritty details. The trick is turning 5 pages of notes and quotes into an article that both educates and interests the reader.

“But there’s so much material,” you say. “I want to share it all.”

Short answer: you can’t. No one wants to read transcribed notes. Your job, as a writer, is to sift through what you’ve learned and find the important nuggets – and then develop a story that provides context for the reader. For me, this process involves a yellow highlighter and a cup of tea. After reviewing my notes, I jot a rough outline focusing on the most compelling points. Meanwhile I’m asking myself: what’s the most surprising/interesting thing this person has to share?

I think of profiles as a story: I am telling you, the reader, about this cool writer I met. She might have some useful insights on research, or he might have a funny story about what inspired his book. So I use the same process that I would use telling any story: who is this person, what’s the cool thing, and why does it matter – and for GROGGERs, how can we use this in our own craft?

That means that I will describe how they work, paraphrase some of what they have to say, and use the occasional quote. Though I am not a big fan of the Q & A format, I sometimes use it in a longer piece to focus on specific questions. 

GROG:  So how do you use quotes? 

Chris Mihaly (fellow Grogger): If I'm using quotation marks, I use the interviewee's exact words, altered with [brackets] if necessary. Otherwise, paraphrasing works well. 

Jilanne Hoffmann: I paraphrase quite a bit. It really depends on the purpose of the interview and the allowed word count. That tends to drive the form. I don't like word-for-word transcriptions. It doesn't leave much room for shaping the article/interview.

Should writers let the interviewee review the article? Most journalists don’t, though when I am writing something technical I will often email a section to the expert to make sure that the quotes and context are correct. I’m not the only one; Nalini Krishnankutty was happy to have an expert go over what she’d written, and thankful that person caught an error. “But no one has ever asked me to change anything else in either my writing style or the focus of my story,” she says, “and if they did, I am not sure I would be willing to do it.”

Among the many wonderful resources about interviewing, here are two I find useful (please add your favorites in the comments section):

Anatomy of Nonfiction, by Margery Facklam and Peggy Thomas

“How to Write a Profile Feature Article”  by the New York Times.

Are You An Author Yet? by Pat Miller

Can you claim to be an author if your work hasn’t left your computer file or spiral notebook? If you belong to no writing organization and have attended no writing training, are you an author? If you haven’t received a contract, are you truly an author?

In a word, yes! To be an author, all you have to do is write. US Copyright Law recognizes that the instant your words hit page or screen, they form a copyrighted “work of authorship”. It follows that you are then a legally recognized author. Even more important is the recognition you give to yourself as an author. Granted, training in your craft, membership in writing groups, and submission of your work are important for authors. Most important is that you believe you are a writer.

Here are some ways to confirm your author status, and to express your faith in yourself and your work.

1. Have a dedicated space for your writing. If all you have is a corner of the dining room table, then dedicate a basket or drawer for your writing materials. Claim a writing space and visit it often.

2. Express your writer identity without hesitation. When people ask what you do, tell them you write for children. No qualifiers about how you aren’t published yet, or that you “only” wrote a children’s poem for the local newspaper. You write—therefore you are!

3. Have business cards. One way to be confident in your identity is to have and distribute your business cards. Create them on one of the free online sites, and share them with pride.

4. Tell the world. If you’re feeling bold, invest in personalized license plates, maybe “KDZ WRTR”. Be present on social media. Contribute to online writer’s groups. At a minimun, have a well-maintained web site and/or blog. For excellent web design advice, read Maria Ribas’s post.

  

5. Respect your work. Consider using bound books for your notes and stories. Bound books, whether a simple spiral or covered with foil-embossed Italian leather, make a statement to your ego. They are more expensive than tablets, more permanent than notes scribbled on conference hand-outs, and convey a sense of quality and longevity to the weakest of first drafts. Even my brainstorm sessions go into a bound book of their own. I have a book for my ideas, and one for each manuscript I research. Doing so gets your work into a hardcover edition—and that is a positive message to the future!

6. Act like a professional writer.

• Attend writing conferences and trainings. Many are available online, making travel unnecessary, and fees are free or reasonable.
• Join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Keep your membership card in your wallet.
• Follow writer bloggers who inspire you.
• Read inspirational books like Stephen King’s On Writing, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, Peggy Thomas’s Anatomy of Nonfiction, and/or Picture Writing by Anastasia Suen.

7. And of course, write! To quote author Susanna Leonard Hill, “Write with heart, from somewhere deep inside you. Write something that truly affects and enchants the reader—something that matters.”