The Life of a Writer--Keeping Track of Your Ideas ~By Suzy Leopold

Another outstanding writing event took place during the month of January. I’m quite certain many of you participated in Storystorm with Tara Lazar. As always, there were excellent posts for writers to learn and grow from.

Storystorm 2018

Now, what are your plans for the ideas you generated and wrote down?

Ideas are what keep a writer moving forward. Whether you have too many ideas or not enough, keeping track of ideas in an organized fashion will support you and your writing goals. Putting them altogether in one place becomes a depository of ideas.

Perhaps you jotted down tidbits on scraps of paper, scribbled on a receipt, note cards, or even a paper napkin. Better yet, you may have typed your thoughts into a document on your computer. Did you write your inspiring *light bulb* ideas in a journal?  You’re ahead of the game if you kept your ideas in one place. Whatever tool you used, be affirmed in knowing you are moving in the right direction.

If you need some organization for your ideas, it’s time. It is time to gather all of your incredible ideas and keep them in one place. 

The human brain can’t possibly remember them all. Perhaps you are like me . . . I can’t remember most ideas since they seem to disappear into thin air as fast as they appear.

Created by Suzy

Any type or size of journal will work. Composition notebooks work best for me. Gather all of the odds and ends and pieces of paper you used to jot down your thoughts: Post-it® notes, index cards, your scribble scrabbles, receipts, and envelopes, etc. There is no need to rewrite your many ideas. Use a glue stick to adhere your collection of bits and pieces of paper inside a notebook.

Journals

Recording and tracking your ideas, are excellent organizational tools for a writer. Your ideas are ready and handy for when you need them. Over time you can refer to each one and expand on the idea as you develop it further. Are some of the shiny ideas standing out more than others? Perhaps some ideas are demanding, "Write me!"

As you weed through what you scribed during the Storystorm challenge, consider each idea thoughtfully. Carefully examine each idea and whittle down the list. Evaluate and determine which ideas have a strong picture book potential.

What makes a good idea? That's a challenging question. While no idea is ever wasted, a writer needs to consider the shiny ideas first. You need to weed through each one. Which ideas do you want to consider developing further? 

Here's my list of suggestions:

1. Choose an idea and write a pitch or a tweet.
2. Set a timer for 30 minutes and write a sloppy copy.
3. Brainstorm a few ideas with a critique partner.
4. Draft an outline to see where the idea takes you.
5. Select an idea and create a character map.
6. Ask yourself questions. Does the idea lend itself to a clear theme?
7. Do you feel you can expand on the catchy title idea? 
8. Search on Amazon. Do you see another writer who wrote about your idea? Don't be discouraged. Set out to write a story with a new spin, told in a way that only you can do. 
9. Write a draft, followed by several rewrites. From there take time to reconfigure and reconsider before sharing your manuscript with a critique partner or group. 
10. Finally, ask yourself, "Am I passionate about this idea?" Then you must write it.

After you have organized your Storystorm ideas in your Notebook of Ideas and prioritized which ideas have a strong potential to become manuscripts, keep on going. 

The journal can be used for future ideas throughout the year— an ongoing list to inspire you. 

Hang onto your inspiration. Create a depository of writing ideas.

Share in the comments below your suggestions for keeping track of your writing ideas.

Welcome to a New Year of GROGGING!

by Sue Heavenrich and Patricia Toht

Welcome back to the GROG Blog! I hope you have brand new notebooks and your pencils have been sharpened... A question at the back?

Yes, as you have noticed we have switched to Wednesdays. You'll get the same wonderful information and support for your writing as in the past - but in the middle of the week. Can't think of a better way to celebrate half-way-to-Friday, can you?


 January seems like a natural start to new literary beginnings, whether it's a new story or heading off on idea-collecting expeditions. And I'm not the only one - there's a whole bunch of people who brainstorm story ideas at this time of year. We gather at our digital water cooler over at StoryStorm, where we share insights on the art and craft of writing. (Registration is open through January 9th).  By the end of the month we've got 30 (or more) ideas so we can hit the ground running in February and work on getting the stories onto the page. If you need help finding ideas, check out Stalking the Wild Ideas from last year. Then pull on your woolly socks, grab a cuppa, and start scribbling.

In addition to changing our posts to Wednesdays, we have a brand new writer joining our ranks: Eileen Rajala Meyer. Let's give Eileen a warm and GROGgy welcome!

Eileen has authored three picture books and has contributed poetry to anthologies and children's magazines. Patricia Toht popped by for a quick New Year's chat with Eileen.

PT: Welcome, Eileen! We're so glad to have you here!

EM: Thanks, Patty! Joining a group blog seems like so much FUN, and I've long admired friends who actively blog and create online resources for writers.

Recently, my husband and I made a big move (literally). After spending many, many years in the Midwest, we've decided to also spend part of the year working and living in North Florida. I love my new town and friendly neighbors, but find that I miss my circle of KidLit friends. By joining the GROG, I'm hoping to better connect with writers and illustrators online, so that my KidLit community is with me wherever I go.

PT: My New Year's resolutions always seem to be to complete last year's resolutions. Do you make resolutions? 

EM: I love lists, and I love goal-setting, so New Year's resolutions are right in my wheel-house! 

Actually, joining the GROG helps me check off one resolution right away - to get more involved in the online KidLit community. Hooray! I look forward to connecting with my fellow GROGgers, interviewing authors and illustrators, and seeing what our readers have to say.

A second item on my list is to be more consistent with morning walks. When I'm in Florida, I usually spend an hour walking at sunrise, and this quiet time allows me to accomplish a few different things. First, I begin my day with exercise -- always a good thing for those of us who sit at a desk for much of our day. I also have time to give thanks for the day stretching before me; this "attitude of gratitude" helps me begin the day in the right frame of mind. And, finally, I use the time to mull over current writing projects and sort out options. Often I'll come up with a new approach to a stumbling block. And getting up early is worth it to experience this magical scene!

PT: So, anything special on the horizon for you? 

EM: I'm delighted to share that I've sold a picture book, THE SUPERLATIVE A. LINCOLN: POEMS ABOUT OUR 16TH PRESIDENT, to Charlesbridge Publishing. It will be released in late 2019. 

This project initially received rejections from agents that I queried. I heard: "Poetry is difficult to sell. We love this content -- would you rewrite it in prose?" I held out hope that the poems would eventually find the right home. The manuscript went on to win the Most Promising Picture Book Award at the 2015 SCBWI Summer Conference in LA. The award led to finding my agent Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency. She submitted the work to publishers where she saw the best fit, and it connected. I'm very excited to work with the amazing folks at Charlesbridge!

PT: Well, we are so lucky to have you join us, Eileen, and can't wait to follow your explorations in GROG land!

Readers, if you think that Eileen looks familiar, it's because she has stopped by the GROG before. Check out these posts in May 2015 and February 2016. You can learn more about her on our "Meet the GROG authors" page, and over at her website. Check out her picture books, too:

HAPPY NEW YEAR, readers!

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.

Want to Get Your Name in Print? Give Some of These Ideas a Try

by Leslie Colin Tribble

As writers, it can be a long process finding an agent and getting a book published. But you don't have to wait until your writing ship comes in to see your name in print. Here are some ideas to work on while you're waiting to hold that coveted book in your hand. Many of these writing gigs either won't pay well, (or even at all) but you do get a by-line and a chance to use that work as publishing credit. When you're trying to build your name as a writer, you'll need to have something for potential clients to assess your skills. It may not be kit-lit, but good writing for any audience is recognized and acknowledged.

1. Write locally
There are all sorts of agencies and businesses that are looking for good content. These folks need articles for websites, newsletters and social media posts. Take your expertise and go knock on some doors. Do you have a background in real estate? Talk to a realtor and see if you can provide articles for their publication. Maybe you can write about staging a home, or what makes your community special. Do you know something about nutrition? Write articles for your PTA about healthy lunches for kids in the summer.

Conservation agencies are always looking for local stories. Trout Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, Audubon, etc. appreciate having someone knowledgeable about local issues and events to provide filler for newsletters or better yet, a great, educational article about a particular plant, bird or animal.

Here are some other businesses you might investigate: animal shelter; hospitals, dentists, chiropractor, gyms, Chamber of Commerce, area museums or historical sites, fishing/hunting stores or outfitters, bed and breakfasts, motels, guest ranches, lawn services, hardware stores. These businesses need to get their name out there and they need help doing it.

My little town had a local magazine which was only published annually, but it won several awards and had a thriving life for several years. I Facebook messaged one of the owners and said if they needed any articles to give me a call. She did the next day - one of their writers decided to bail on an assignment and she asked if I could do it.

I'm currently writing hiking articles for our local outdoor shop. Although they offered to pay me, I asked for a store credit instead since all my hiking/outdoor gear is just a few decades old. See if you can barter your writing for some sort of credit in lieu of a paycheck. That might just tip the scale in your favor.

2. Write Regionally
Parenting magazines are all the rage now and even small towns have a free magazine to pick up. These are great publications to get featured in - you could write a kid-friendly article, get your name in print and probably get paid at least a little bit. These magazines get their income from ad revenue so it's possible there's compensation available. You could do a review of children's books to read this summer, or a round-up of back to school books for kids. Be creative!

I periodically write for a regional women's magazine. I found the editor's name on the publication mast head, and sent her an email saying I was a local writer and available for hire. I gave her a few ideas for articles and she responded favorably.

Publications usually start new writers with smaller articles that are tucked in at the back of the magazine. But submitting good writing on a timely basis can eventually work into a feature article, located at the front of the magazine. These are solid publishing credits you can add to your website.

3. Write Nationally
Not all of us will see our names in national publications like Good Housekeeping, Glamour or National Geographic, but you won't know until you try. Coming up with good ideas for articles and crafting a killer pitch are skills that flow over into writing for kids and querying agents and editors.
Do you have a really new angle on How to Keep Your Kids From Being Bored this Summer? Send it off to Parent Magazine - editors are always looking for a fresh take on a perennial topic. Maybe there's a wonderful, but little known local destination in your area - query travel magazines and tell the world about it.

What about your religious denomination magazine? A friend of mine got local quilters together to sew blankets for an orphanage in Mexico - we worked together to craft an article about the volunteer effort and it was printed in the national magazine. We didn't get paid, but a wonderful work was featured and I got another publishing credit.

Look for publications that aren't as well known as those big names at the front of the news stands, and don't forget alternative newspapers. Visit your local bookstore and browse the magazine aisle. You'll find all sorts of magazines you never knew existed and they're just waiting for your article. Do you kayak, fly fish, knit, crochet, do hand lettering, para-sail, hang glide, or own a garage full of remote-controlled toys? Maybe you're the grill master supreme of the neighborhood, know the best way to keep those stainless steel appliances fingerprint proof, or have the perfect trick for keeping your cat calm at the vet's office - there's a publication you can write for, you just have to search for it.

You don't have to be a published kid-lit author to see your name in print. Make a name for yourself before your book gets published. How have you gotten your name in print?

Start New Year with a Storm of Story Ideas

~by Sue Heavenrich 

I love the beginning of a new year. It gives me a great excuse to buy pens and notebooks and sticky notes... and inspires me to list my writing goals for the upcoming twelve months. And then... I eat chocolate and split wood and procrastinate.

But not this year because Tara Lazar - the very Tara of PiBiIdMo fame- has a brainstorming challenge to get us going for the year. It's called Storystorm and it happens this month! 

If you participated in PiBoIdMo - aka, Picture Book Idea Month - you'll remember it was during November. The idea was awesome: jot down an idea or two for picture books every day during the month - kind of like NaNoWriMo but with way fewer words.

The timing was not so great. "Over the years I kept hearing the same questions," Tara said. "Why November? It's always such a busy time, what with Thanksgiving." She paused, musing that she never meant it to be a burden. "So I got to thinking, what month could I do it?"

The answer: January. It's a new year and what better way to start a new year than with a month of new ideas!

"People probably have some writing resolutions to begin their new year. So I figured I'd make a challenge that would fit in with that. It would be like going to the [writing] gym," Tara said.

 But wait! There's more! Tara wanted to open the idea-generating challenge to any kind of writer or artist, whether picture book or novelist, illustrator or fine artist. "Putting aside time everyday to think about projects is a good habit," she says. "I see the Storystorm challenge as an opportunity for people to unplug and take time to think about their art." 

Storystorm is a month of brainstorming, Tara says. At the end of the month participants should have their brains filled up with ideas and be ready to go. Tara has a month's worth of guest bloggers lined up: novelists, picture book writers, nonfiction writers, artists, and experts in creativity. Registration is open through Saturday, January 7  here, where you'll also find a link to the Facebook discussion group. Check Tara's blog daily for Storystorm posts.

"It takes 30 days to make a habit," says Tara. She hopes people will continue this daily habit of catching ideas for the following eleven months.

When Tara isn't rounding up story ideas, she's busy writing and raising her children. She's a member on the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature conference committee and also a mentor for We Need Diverse Books. She's written a bunch of picture books (The Monstore, I Thought This Was A Bear Book,    Little Red Gliding Hood, Normal Norman,Way Past  Bedtime, 7 Ate 9: The Untold Story) and she’s busy on her newest project: The Whiz-Bang Word Book - an illustrated dictionary. You can find out more about her at her website, taralazar.com

That Pesky Little Thing Called "Life" by Kathy Halsey

We all have those days when we chalk up a zero for creativity. Life can intervene in our writing. How inconvenient, but yet...
how scintillating. Just be ready with an open mind to change a frantic day into the WRITE day for you.

The Day Begins

A driver with a suspended license ran a red light, totaled my car, and pretty much made August a mess. I was in court a month later to testify. You know courts-confusing, long waits, legalese, and no resolve. I was ready for an all day marathon. I was also ready to sneak in my writing time. 

• Book? Check-Gary Schmidt's THE WEDNESDAY WARS. One of my current WIPs is a middle grade, and I wanted to reread the MG as a mentor text.
• Notebook and pen? Check-I know courts are full of interesting characters and, sometimes, drama. 
• Camera? No. I wish my phone camera was better, but I did not want to lug another thing to court. 

As court opened, I sped past the historic placard that began "On this sight in 1800-something or other," to find courtroom 13A. I was dismissed in 45 minutes and only read a chapter or so of Gary's book. I marked some pertinent passages with effective use of repetition for later. Yay, I had accomplished something "writerly."

After Court

Relieved to have almost the entire afternoon for myself, I waited outside for my hubby to pick me up. I had time to inspect that historic marker. Until I began writing non-fiction, I never ever read these things. I was thunder-struck. (Hey, it's been raining daily in Columbus for WEEKS.) 

• I needed that camera, but I had my trusty notebook. 
• I slowed down, observed, and found a story smack in the middle of that historic sign. No one else even glanced at it!
• I found a tidbit about the first German/Lutheran to settle in Columbus. He was baker, helped found a local university, and participated in The Great Squirrel Hunt of 1882. 
• Whaaat? Facts can be more fun than fiction. Here's a story in the making! Feeling groovy; feeling "writerly" again!

Bluegrass Connection

Husband Bob commandeered the VW bug through downtown and off to a music store. Sigh! I wanted to go home and WRITE. While Bob stroked banjos and thumbed through sheet music, I wandered through a place that felt like your aunty's old attic. The storefront was crammed to the rafters-flyers, invites to bluegrass picking venues, and wait...books!
Not just music books but odd books: COWBOY SONGS, JOKES, LINGO 'N LORE (with cowboy insults); TAKE TWO & BUTTER 'EM. All from company/publisher Native Ground Books and Music. The cowboy book has some great ideas to spice up another WIP of mine with a Western theme. 

The Whole Day in a Nutshell

(Image courtesy of author/artist Teresa Robeson)

• Always be on the lookout for writerly stuff.
• Take time to enjoy your surroundings to find your writerly path for the day.
• All of life is a story. You just have to have the WRITE point of view!

What Can I Write About? What to Do When the Well Runs Dry by Pat Miller

View image | gettyimages.com

Recently, one of those registered for my upcoming NF 4 NF Children's Nonfiction Writing Conference asked a surprising question. "It's my writing day today and one of my task list items is to ask you for homework. Sounds strange, I know, but I feel like I'm having writer's block on what to do next."

I find that taking action creates motivation, rather than the other way around. Asking for help is one way to take action when the well runs dry. Perhaps you need a little "homework?" This was the assignment I gave for her nonfiction needs. 

1. Revive a languishing manuscript

If you're like me, you have manuscripts “under the bed” that just didn't catch fire. Distance from your once-loved manuscripts creates a detachment that makes it easier to delete paragraphs, remove incidents, and see where sensory details are needed. Hopefully it’s been long enough that you’ve forgotten the information you subconsciously brought to the page, revealing assumptions and gaps for the reader you were blind to before.

Choose one of your non-starters that still seems to have some juice in it. Use Nancy I. Sanders' checklist to attack your story methodically. Have fun giving this work a thorough makeover. Play with the language. Add details that put us there. Sketch each scene with stick figures to see if you have provided enough detail for the reader’s imagination and the illustrator. Nonfiction needs the same detail so the reader can picture the time, the people, or the science you are writing about. 

2. Do a quick investigation

When you find yourself thinking, “I wonder why…?” or “How does …?” you have a bridge to a writing project. And if those thoughts don't occur to you regularly, here are some books I use to pique curiosity. Sometimes the unpressured action of investigating a mental nudge bypasses the perfectionism that may be keeping you from writing. (I've included a similar website in parenthesis.)

Chase’s Calendar of Events. This book contains 12,500 entries. Many of those could start one writing. The day of the request, for example, was the birthday of Elizabeth Fry. She devoted her life at the turn of the 19th century to improving the conditions of women in prison. Sounds hopeless—why did she care? How did she try? Did she have any success? It was also the beginning of the Mudbug Madness Festival in Shreveport, LA. What is the appeal of mudbugs (crawfish)? What’s their life like? Why is it such a mainstay of the Cajun cookbook? (Important Dates in History)

An Uncommon History of Common Things is a National Geographic book by Bethane Patrick and John Thompson. Chapters include Food & Drink, Toys & Games, Symbols & Customs, and six more. Any of these may make you wonder—and investigate further. This technique works--my upcoming book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is about the guy who invented the hole in the doughnut. (Origins of Everyday Things)

Robertson’s Book of Firsts: Who Did What for the First Time by Patrick Robertson. Learn about the first microwave oven, the first railroad accident, even the first elevator music. Perhaps you can challenge yourself to write about the event in 100 words or less—giving yourself practice in getting the best bits into the best words. (Firsts in America)

3. Prime the pump with mentor texts

There are so many engaging and inspiring children’s books that you can use as a mentor or template. For this assignment, you'll need at least three books in your genre—maybe three biographies, or three books about animals.

First, read each one thoughtfully with the goal of choosing your favorite. Second, make a page by page list of the structure of the story. You’re looking at the bones, not the meat.

For example, here is the page by page structure I would write for Those Rebels, John & Tom by Barbara Kerley:

1. Set the stage, and the hook, with a single summary sentence 
2. Single sentence that is true about both
3. John as a kid
4. Tom as a kid
5. Two lists of differences between two men
6. John at home and work
7. Tom at home and work
8. They were different, but one big thing they  had in common…

Last, using that structure, build a similar book on the same structure. For this example, choose two people who are similar in a major way, but different in many others, and plug your research into this structure. Maybe Eleanor Roosevelt and Calamity Jane? Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison? Elizabeth Blackwell and Amelia Bloomer?

Or you might choose a book about wolves, and use its structure to write about raccoons. Or a book about the early settlers in Virginia as a model for your book about the early settlers of your home state.

If these suggestions don't get your fingers on the keyboard, here are 11 pages of nonfiction writing prompts from Los Gatos High School, Los Gatos, CA, to keep you busy and inspired. Good luck!