How to Think Like a Writer in Summer by Tina Cho

Hooray! It's summer. Even though you might be busy with vacations, family reunions, and kids at home, you can still think like a writer and fill your notebook with ideas for when you get some precious minutes to sit down and write. Here are some summery tips:

1. Reminisce with relatives.As you attend family reunions or travel to visit relatives, talk about childhood memories and look at old photo albums. Maybe something from your past can spark a story idea.

2. Fill your tablet/iPad with books. Maybe you're hitting the beach or traveling in the car, download some books to read for yourself and your kids. Summer is the perfect time to catch up on the latest books. 

3. Take note of new settings. While you're on vacation, write about your new setting using the five senses. Maybe this will be the backdrop for a new story. Take photos to accompany your notes so that you can remember clearly.

4. What to do with your kids? This is a tricky one depending on their ages.

• Keep the kids reading. Enroll them in Scholastic's Summer Club for free. Each day they type in the number of minutes they read. They earn badges, I believe. Overall, their number of minutes is added into the total number of minutes by ALL children enrolled in the program. My son likes to see how his minutes increase the total. So while they read, YOU can have some time to write. Brilliant, huh! I've already started this.

• If you have little kids, take them to your library's reading program. Usually they have a special summer program and events. This allows you to stay on top of the latest books, too. 
• Hit museums and zoos. Something interesting might tickle your fancy and become the topic for your next book! Your kids won't know that you're really going to these places for yourself :) 

• Attend play places. Plop yourself down with a notebook and observe children's play. Listen to their language, names, games, and notice their clothing. A child's name or cute statement might want to be in your next story.

• Watch a children's movie.(Again, the kids and grand kids are just the excuse.) Watch the movie from the eyes of the writer. How would you write the beat sheet for this movie? (plot line) If you don't know what I'm referring to, you must check out Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. Many picture book writers and novelists use the beat sheet to plot their stories.

5. Set a summer goal to write for something new. Try writing a story or article for your favorite children's or adult magazine. Check out 3-5 issues from your library. Study the style and submissions guidelines. Who doesn't want to make a little extra money?

6. Invent a summer recipe to make with your child/grand child. I've been inspired by my writer friend and critique buddy, Vivian Kirkfield, who published Show Me How! Build Your Child's Self-esteem through Reading, Crafting, and Cooking. She took picture books, developed crafts, and invented recipes to go along with the stories. Genius! Try it! Many children's and parent magazines would love to have your recipes!

I hope these tips give you some ideas as you engage in your summer activities. Happy Summer! ( and Happy Winter to our friends down under)

Feeling Stuck? ~By Suzy Leopold

Are you looking for some creativity and motivation? Are you feeling stuck in the mud because your revisions to your story are not coming together? 

It's okay. It happens. Now turn around and move in another direction. There is no need to go down this road. Negative thoughts are not allowed. Did you turn around? I repeat, do not follow this path! 

Don't feel discouraged. There are no worries. There are no hurries. Think about Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin aka Mr. Eric . . .

"Does Pete worry? 

Goodness, no!" 

Time to rewind. Time to renew. Time to refresh.

1.   Read your manuscript aloud and ask someone else to read your story aloud. After all, a picture book is meant to be read aloud.

2.   Watch television. Better yet, watch TV with the kids or grandkids. Check out the many excellent programs on PBS for Kids. Follow the adventures of Chris and Martin on the Wild Kratts as they travel around the world sharing science discoveries and learning. 

3.   Set your manuscript aside. Put your manuscript away for awhile. Come back to it later. It will still be there. Stories that simmer overtime become well done.

4.   Go outside and enjoy the beauty all around you. Smell the flowers. Pick some weeds. Greet your neighbors. Listen to the birds. Take in all the sights and sounds using your five senses.

5.   Read and study a stack of currently published picture books. Good writers know they make excellent mentor texts.

6.   Listen to children's conversations at the library, park or grocery store to help you write dialogue that is authentic and believable.

7.   Work on a creative project. Sing a children's song, play an instrument, create a woodworking project, knit a scarf or sew a gift for a kid.

8.   Consider watching documentaries with the kids this summer for a change of pace. Expand and inspire young minds about controversial topics to encourage thoughts and opinions. As a writer, you will discover new ideas and topics to write about.

9.   Read picture books with your children and/or grandchildren.

10. Keep a journal or notebook handy for sparkly ideas and thoughts that pop into your head.

11. Read a picture book from a different genre than your current WIP. Find inspiration from the latest 2015 Summer SCBWI Bulletin.

12. Try writing long hand on a piece of paper instead of typing on a keyboard. Write with markers, pencils and colorful pens.

13. Take a nap. zZzZ! A twenty minute nap will give you renewed energy and increase your cognitive skills.

14. Enjoy a snack. For many writers, chocolate always works! A dark chocolate chip cookie, please, [homemade of course] and a tall glass of cold milk should do the trick. It works for me!

"If you give a mouse a cookie,

he's going to ask for a glass of milk.

15. It's five o'clock somewhere. Cheers! ¡Salud! Skål!

16. Go for a walk/jog. Take your precious dog with you. Go for a bike ride. Ride with the kids. Go for a swim. Grab your fishing pole. Go fishing. Time to catch some supper.

17. Move away from your writing desk. Consider writing outside at the picnic table under the shade of an oak tree. Grab a clipboard with paper, pencils and pens and a tall glass of lemonade. Don't forget the sunscreen and bug repellent.

18. Listen to some music while writing.

Acrylic paints

Colored pencils

19. Create a book dummy. Consider creating an illustration of your main character. You can do. You don't have to be an illustrator. Use colored pencils to doodle or draw. Paint your character using watercolors or acrylic paints. Draw stick figures. Cut pictures out of a magazine to depict your character.

20. Beat the clock! Set a timer for sixty minutes. Begin writing. Stop when the timer goes bBzZz. How many words did your write? 

Set the timer for 60 minutes.

21. Enjoy a healthy snack of nuts & fruits and/or veggies.

A Glass of
Iced Tea

22. Read a book about the craft of writing for children.

23. Take a brain break . . . Take a deep breath. Stand up and stretch. Lean left. Lean right. Do a little dance. Try ten jumping jacks followed by five knee bends. Now touch your toes. Exhale. Continue writing.

24. How about another cup of coffee or a tall glass of iced tea?

25. Create a mission statement. This is my writer's statement:

"To become a better writer who reads, writes and creates everyday. 

To inform readers with knowledge, inspiration and encouragement." 

~Susan Kaye Leopold 

 Remember the encouraging words of the special blue engine in the classic story, The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper . . . 

"I think I can. I think I can."

And, finally, everyone has a story to tell. Everyone has an important story to tell. You and I have stories to write and share with kids. Revisions are necessary for rereadbility. You and I have important stories to tell. Write and rewrite your story and when it is the best it can be, kids will say, 

"Let's read it again!"

"The important thing about you 

is that you are you."

Okay, are you feeling a little bit better? Are you feeling refreshed and renewed? Are you ottimista or pessimista? It's not always easy. You can do it. Yes, you can. Perseverance. Dedication. Stamina. Celebrate and reward yourself with your writing accomplishments.

Hopefully, you have found some encouragement to continue your writing journey with these twenty-five tips. Share your thoughts and ideas. What works for you when you are feeling stuck with your writing? How do you turn around and make a detour to avoid the dead end road?

Old Theme, New Twist ~ by Patricia Toht

It is said that there are only seven stories in the world. 

A sign at Seven Stories National Centre
for Children's Books
in Newcastle, England

Do you know what the seven stories are? Well, I didn't.

A bit of Googling came up with two different lists. While one list was more plot-based, the other was theme-based:

Man against Man

Man against Nature

Man against Himself

Man against God

Man against Society

Man Caught in the Middle

Man and Woman

With some brain work, I would think that most narrative picture books can be placed within the above themes, too.

• STAND TALL, MOLLY LOU MELON by Patty Lovell and David Catrow? 
Man against Man.

• LITTLE ELLIOT, BIG CITY by Mike Curato? Man (elephant) against Society.

• I DON'T WANT TO BE A FROG by Dev Petty and Mike Boldt? 
Man (frog) against Nature.






So, with only seven stories in the whole wide world, how can we come up with unique ways to tell them? Try giving an old theme a new twist!

Find New Setting

A new picture book takes the tried-and-true theme of "I don't want to go to bed!" and sets it in the world of robots. There is beauty in the details in POWER DOWN, LITTLE ROBOT by Anna Staniszewski and Tim Zeltner. Instead of going to bed, Little Robot is sent to power down in his sleep module; he asks for a can of oil, worries about dreams with error messages, and complains his circuits hurt. So cute!


Choose a New Time Period

I am a huge fan of Tammi Sauer, and her book, ME WANT PET (illustrated by Bob Shea), is one of my favorites. A mere 222 words, this new take on the "I want a pet" theme sets the story in prehistoric days. The choice of pets reflects the period -- a saber-toothed tiger, a woolly mammoth, and a dodo. The clipped language is a perfect fit for the story.

Reverse Roles

Shake up a relationship by reversing the roles between two characters. HOW TO BABYSIT A GRANDMA by Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish offers tips to the child reader about "babysitting" a grandparent. Fun!

Fracture a Fairytale

Fractured fairy tales have been a hot business at least since Jon Scieszka's THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS hit the shelves in 1989. Although many authors jumped on the band wagon, creative and unusual new renditions of classic tales can still be found. Check out Corey Rosen Schwartz' and Dan Santat's THE THREE NINJA PIGS (2012) and NINJA RED RIDING HOOD (2014), two books that mix common tales with a modern twist of martial arts.

Switch Traits

My last example of a twist is taken from my classic collection. Bulls are known to be fierce, right? Well, not Ferdinand. He wants nothing more than to stop and smell the flowers. Will anything stir him from his docile mood? THE STORY OF FERDINAND by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson provides the answer.

So next time you feel stumped about a storyline that's been done so many times before, make like Chubby Checker and TWIST!

Gathering Moments, Hours, Days

Gathering Moments, Hours, Days by Jan Godown Annino

I Meant To Do My Work Today

by Richard Le Gallienne

...“but a brown bird sang in the apple tree,

and a butterfly flitted across the field,

and all the leaves were calling me

and the wind went sighing over the land

and…”

-       copyright Richard Le Gallienne

Exploring and experiencing are what the talent-saturated & prolific author

Jane Yolen calls Gathering Days. In these summer days & nights,

she recently reminded social media followers to take time to fill the

wells of experience. Look for unusual plants & animals. Pay attention to

the everyday trees, flowers and creatures, too.

Listen to live music. Note odd names on streets and signs. 

Dance a folk dance.

Try a wild ride.

Or wild walk.

                                                     Acorn Street, Boston - May 2015 

                                                                Gathering Wobble!

A Gathering Day, or the Gathering Times & Gathering Moments are

                                                   Our yellow cottage front yard blossoms that 

                                                                       will = eggplants!

some of the many ways we connect with the thrum of activities that

can hold kernels of energy that lead to eyedears & stories.

 For example, how much better for me to write a garden story,

when I have wet dirt under my fingernails (my garden gloves become soaked

& mucky so I usually pull them off.) And when I attempt to grow a new plant 

to my garden patch, such as this year's eggplant & cotton.

How better it is for me to write these poems

about the seashore that I’m at work on after I’ve been engrossed in

following this olive snail’s trail, down on the Gulf of Mexico at St. George Island.

How easier it is to write about fear if I’ve climbed telephone-

pole-high in tree tops, to wobble along Myakka River State

Park’s shaky tree canopy walkway. I do NOT like heights so much.

Or, even a leetle bit.

And I did this!!

Gather Ye Gathers in Summer! 

Gathering Days ought to be sprinkled in our life all year, but for many 

with family & work rhythms tied to the school year, summer is a

fine time to gather aromas, to touch farm animals, to ride horses,

to observe sea creatures, to walk far into fields, run up hills,

even traipse into mountains.

Here are a few Gathering Day moments of mine, through the years,

woven into my stories & poems.

* Meeting a mama bear and her two cubs when they walked up -

and I walked RAN!  along a steep Mt. LeConte, TN trail.

* Meeting a Florida panther in South Florida (an actor for movies &

commercials, but nonetheless a moving, bounding panther.)

I JUMPED back!

* Riding horses on Paynes Prairie, Florida, to see bison up close. (They

were re-introduced, having once roamed there.) But the touch-and-go

moment of the ride was dealing with alligators strewn about this wet

prairie, which made the horses nervous. My husband & I are alive to 

tale the tell. Or to tell the tale. I rather like tale the tell.

(Todd... this Florida bison is for you!)

If the heat index for recent days wasn’t 103 upwards here in North Florida,

I would go out for my Daily Gathering during the day, instead of at nite.

On a regular foot journey, we small- city nayborhood dwellers can

easily walk from this little yellow cottage to a vet’s office, post office,  sub and burger chain & an independent country buffet & indy cookie/cake shop, plus a chain grocery, & bank. And yet - 

we can also climb hilly streets intensely wooded in swaths with tall growth pines, live oaks, dogwoods, cypress & other tree beauties.

The area is pocketed with an elevated road thru swamp, undeveloped grassy and woodsy gathering places where the animals in hiding (sometimes not in hiding) include fox, bunnies, coyotes, armadillos, opossums, bats & other small mammals such as the daily tree scrambles of the squirrels. Herons, Canada geese, owls and many song birds such as jays, cardinals, wrens & warblers visit. As do blackbirds, cowbirds, & treat of treats, hummingbirds. 

Surprising for a swamp, no gator spotted yet!

 Oh - quail. Can't forget the juvenile quail.

                                            (Cutie flew away last week when I went to fix a leetle 

                                                 box lined with soft stuff... Our cat is strictly inside,

                                                 we have no doggie, so why it landed on our door

                                                 mat is a mystery.)

To get back to that Gathering Wobble, our daughter works in Boston 

& the Gathering Day events she’s written to us about include bunny-watching, 

turkey watching, maple syrup making & kayak drifting on the Charles River.

Some gathering moments our family enjoyed together with her in

May in Boston were chipmunk watching, lilac sniffing, bleeding tooth-plant

finding, cobblestone walking on Acorn Street in Beacon Hill,

(avoiding falling) & robin-watching.

Where do you like to spend gathering days? 

What have you gathered in summers past? 

Is it too soon to report in on your “gathers” this season? 

I wish you many great gathering moments that will fill you with eyedears, words,

poems, pages, stories, scripts, illustrations & books.

Free Event!

If you would like to join me & several Group Bloggers in an online summer children's writing school, which is a great boost in gathering pages accomplished and in writing THE END, 

please read my essay about it & think about becoming a summer student in the comfort of your own home. It's created by two energetic SCBWI members. Last summer National Book Award-winning children's author Kathryn Erskine set the nourishing & exciting pace as the first day's faculty member. 

Meet Ariel Bernstein ~By Suzy Leopold

The secret of a good critique partner is sharing great feedback with each other that helps a writer to grow and learn. For myself, as a writer "under construction", Ariel knows the importance of sharing honest and helpful suggestions for improvement as one of my critique partners. 

When critiquing a manuscript, Ariel begins with what she notes is working with the story and follows through with constructive criticism to encourage me as a writer. Her suggestions for improvement help me to revise and make the story the best it can be. 

The "Sandwich Method" is an excellent way to give and receive a critique. And this Ariel knows how to do. She knows what makes a good picture book manuscript. She knows the importance of a catchy hook, a unique story arc with a satisfying ending. Ariel knows that every word counts in a picture book. She knows that dialogue needs to move the story forward. Both Ariel and I share manuscripts once a month, where we give and take, through a critique group called All Picture Books on Deck.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to Ariel Bernstein. I am thankful for my critique partner, Ariel. Read all about Ariel and all that she does as she shares her love of children's literature.

A beautiful smile!
Ariel Bernstein 

Q1. Tell us about your writing journey. What inspires you to write? why do you write? What genre of kid lit do you prefer to write?

A1: I've written on and off since I was young. I remember in high school I had an assignment to write a story in the voice of Holden Caufield from The Catcher in the Rye. I was a so-so student and this was on of the first assignments that came very easily to me that I also enjoyed. I'm pretty sure I go an 'A' on it which also made me think I should look into writing more.

I'm inspired to write either when I've thought of a concept I feel is interesting enough to explore or when I think of a compelling voice to tell a story with. I've mostly written picture books, all fiction, and recently completed a draft of my first chapter book. I enjoy writing both (picture books and chapter books), allot writing the chapter books was definitely more daunting at times.

Q2:  Do you have an agent? How did you know she was the one to represent you and your writing? Do you have any words of wisdom on how to seek representation?

A2:  I've recently signed with Mary Cummings from Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises. We had a great phone call about the picture books story I submitted to her and it was clear she felt as passionately about my story and the characters as I did. She gave fantastic suggestions about how to improve the story and I really wanted to work with an agent who could give great editorial feedback. It's been wonderful working with her. 

You have probably heard most of this advice on querying before, but researching agents, through sites like Literary Rambles, Query Trackers, their agency sites, their Twitter feeds and MS Wish List, can be helpful in understanding what they're looking for. Getting other writers to read your queries is great (the group Facebook Educational Website Sub It Club is fantastic for this). Keep your bio very relatively short and don't worry too much about having a huge online presence. If your agent thinks an online presence is helpful and loves your story, they will discuss developing one with you. If you get a rejection from an agent you want to work with and eventually have another story to submit them them, you should. Just wait a few months first before re-submitting!

Also read (and even submit your query to) Janet Reid's Query Shark. Janet give detailed and helpful advice on writing queries, even if it's for a query in a different genre. Plus, she's hilarious in her posts.

Ariel
and her journal 

Q3:  If you could invite five authors to dinner who would you choose?

A3:  I would choose: 1. Jane Austen because she's JANE AUSTEN! 2. Kelly Link because my mind is blown every time I read one of her short stores. 3. Maya Angelou to hear her voice in person. 4. George R.R. Martin because I have a ton of questions to ask about his Game of Thrones books. But I wouldn’t keep him too long at dinner so he could go back to writing. 5. Maurice Sendak, to thank him for opening my mind as a child as to where my imagination could take me.

A Tooth Fairy Pillow
"under construction"

Q4:  Share something about yourself that very few people may know about.

A4:  I still have a baby tooth. There's probably a picture book story in that but I haven't figured it out yet.

A stack of mentor
picture books

Q5:  How do you use mentor texts to support your writing?

A5:  I use mentor texts to get in the right state of mind to begin the story I want to write. I can't read articles on the Internet or a novel and then transition to writing for kids. I need to read a picture book or part of a chapter book before I begin my own stories.  I also use mentor texts to get a feel for word count, pacing, character interaction and fun language. If you can break a book down to understand all the things in it that work so well, it’s incredibly useful when writing your own stories.

Q6:  How do you come up with ideas that inspire you? 

A6:  I've come up with ideas in all different ways. One idea was inspired by a common phrase. One idea I thought of just by thinking of a color, which let to an object of that color, which let to a character holding that object, which lead to another character wanting to hold that same object badly, and there was my story. One idea I got while thinking of funny titles, and the actual story unraveled from there. Like most writers, not all of my ideas actually turn into great stories, or even finished ones.

Q7: Do you participate in [a] critique group[s]? Do you have any thoughts on what is best for working with critique partners?

A7: Yes! Having critique partners is one of the best things you can do as an author. And they're free! I belong to a six person online critique groups where we swap stories once a month. I also have about five critique partners where we send each other work whenever we need an extra set of eyes. When you find a fellow writer who give you honest and helpful insight into how your story can be improved, and manges to do it in a kind way, never take them for granted.

Q8:  Do you have any hidden talents that you want to share?

Q8:  I have this really weird thing (I don’t know if it can be called a talent), where somebody can say something to me and I know pretty quickly how many letters they’ve used in the words they’ve said. For instance, if someone says ‘What are you doing today?’ I know instantly that sentence is comprised of 20 letters. It’s not even about counting. My dad and sister are both math teachers and this is pretty much the only math gene that I got. It’s pretty useless but freaks people out sometimes which is fun.

Q9:  What words of wisdom or best piece of advice do you have for aspiring writers?

A9:  Every writer knows that the path to publishing can be a hard one filled with lots of rejection and disappointments. Fortunately, there are supportive and informative writer communities out there that help sustain you. My advice is to seek out these communities through websites (like this one!) and Facebook groups. You’ll find writers to share your accomplishments with, to vent about frustrations, and to learn from. It helps immensely to know you’re not alone on your writing journey. 

Q10: Finally, where can readers find out more about you?

A10: 
Facebook

Word Press How to Raise Benevolent Dictators

Twitter

Thank you, Ariel, for the opportunity to learn more about you and to share your writing journey with our GROG Readers. The many links that you provided for answer #2 are excellent resources. Your positive attitude, beautiful smile [with one baby tooth! ;)], and willingness to share your knowledge of the craft of writing for children always warms my heart. You are appreciated. 

I picked this flower 
just for you,
Ariel.

Part I Hearing Voices: 6 Steps I Used For Creating An Anthology

View image | gettyimages.com  Odeon of Herodes Atticus at the Acropolis of Athens

by Janie Reinart

An anthology has the power to magnify the voices of its contributors much like the device of a Greek Chorus in a play. The Chorus is the mouthpiece for the audience clarifying the theme of the play, adding commentary, asking questions, and narrating the action. 

View image | gettyimages.com

In an anthology, the contributors become the Chorus, fulfilling the same function, making sure the unique voice of that collection of work can be heard “loud and clear” by its readers.  
   

1. Find A Unique Theme   

After some positive experiences of contributing to educational anthologies, (see below) I was ready to work on my own. But what voice needed to be heard and hadn’t been heard before? 

A life-changing experience answered these questions when my son was deployed to war. 

 

The seldom-heard voices of mothers sending their sons and daughters to war needed to be heard. This Chorus would narrate their stories telling of the sacrifice our children and military families make every day.
 
The working title for the book was inspired by a letter sent from my son while serving in Iraq with six months more to go: “I look forward to brighter days of picnics and card games … and church and things that families do together. I love you deeply, more than you know. Your son, Joe.”

 
 2. Set Goals For Your Anthology 

My son made it home, defying death several times. I could breathe again. I wanted this to be a book where military mothers could all breathe a little easier, narrating our stories and sharing our burdens. Some of our stories are from Gold Star Mothers. Their children did not return. 

Homecoming!

My goals:
*Share stories from mothers of soldiers 
*Use writing as a therapeutic venue
*Give back to our injured veterans  (A portion of the book’s proceeds is donated to charities.)

 3. Create Guidelines For Your Contributors
 I asked contributors to share glimpses of their lives: What does it mean to be the mother of a soldier? How did you make it through the journey of separation from your child during their deployment? How has this experience changed you? What is the status of your soldier? 

It was important to have these starting questions as a jumping-off point. Some contributors had never written their stories before, and they needed some guidance at first.

I also wanted to include interwoven in the chapters, copies of e-mails, letters, photos, and recollections of phone calls between mother and soldier(s). Hard to believe, but some moms had more than one child deployed at a time. All this was to be done free of political commentary.

 

Celeste Hicks with

                    Micala, Nate, Patrick, Philip, & Mary

Part two includes: search for a publisher, call for submissions, securing release forms, and the power of the anthology, and is scheduled for July 10,2015.