Okay, so I have my picture book idea for today. Yay! But I kind of feel the need to get another one in…to get ahead, you know?
And then I worry if I am following the rules or not. Am I even allowed to think of 30 ideas in ONE day, or is it a MUST that I pace myself and only create one idea per day? And what happens if I get a good idea that’s so amazingly HOT that I must write a draft NOW? Not next month. Not next week. Not tomorrow. NOW.
I MUST DROP EVERYTHING AND FOLLOW THIS IDEA NOW.
And then I realize that PiBoIdMo is not about rules.
Break the rules if you need to. Just break ’em.
PiBoIdMo is about getting on a first name, maybe even nick-name basis with your muse.
(And really, some of the best children’s books don’t really follow the rules, now do they?)
I mean, some books have amazing vocabulary for being an easy reader. (Uh-hum….mine for example.) I put in the word “Methinks” in my easy reader series, Good Night, Good Knight. And I got to keep it in! I also put in some words that may or may not be real words, but they sounded so nice together and were words that are fun when they dance on your tongue.
Really, there is only one rule when writing a book for kids. It’s got to encourage the reader to TURN THE PAGE. It’s got to engage the child in the story enough that they WANT to learn to read it themselves.
(Well, maybe there are two rules…*Get Kids to Turn the Page* and *Inspire Kids to Read.*)
Shelley Moore Thomas is also known as the StoryQueen. I know what you’re thinking…does she really wear a ridiculous crown, fake jewels and a velvet cape? Does she really play with puppets? Well, er um…yes…and yes. But wait! Don’t go! It’s not as strange as it sounds. She’s a writer for children and, well, we do weird things sometimes. Her latest book is A Cold Winter’s Good Night.
34 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 14, 2010 at 12:32 pm
sarah
I had the worry over my brain storming so – I’ve sort of turned it into doing so much towards picture books each day. I’m really happy with the progress I’m making this year and as I got several stories written from last years I am v. v. happy with PiBoIdMo!
Sarah/Saffy
November 14, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Corey SChwartz
I love Shelley, and I love her advice!!!
November 14, 2010 at 1:47 pm
shelley
Yay! (I am a little behind on generating ideas, too.) But I am loving playing around with the ones I have so far. There are 5 ideas so far that I ADORE….as in if I don’t write the book then SOMEONE should because I really want to read it to kids!
Shelley
November 14, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Julie
Shelley,
It’s so funny because I worried about the rules so much at the beginning that I almost *gasp* asked Tara to clarify them. Then I decided, much like you, that this is more about letting creativity flow rather than erecting constraints around yourself.
I can’t wait for your next “Good Knight” book! My kids love them!
November 14, 2010 at 2:14 pm
shelley
Thanks, Julie.
I got stumped on day 2 where I had an Idea that I felt was THE IDEA, but I only had so much time…..so the question came up: Do I abandon this idea to brainstorm more, or can I cheat and just work on it for a bit…..
I cheated.
But I felt good about it so I think it was okay!
November 14, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Stephanie Shaw
In the realm of writing there are so many rules to be followed. How refreshing to have someone gives us the fun of “breaking” some rules — or at least not being constrained by so many. Thank you, Shelley! And, you too, Tara!
November 14, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Beth MacKinney
Encouraging post, Shelley. Thank you for sharing with us!
November 14, 2010 at 4:04 pm
JoSV
Great post, Shelley! Keep breaking those rules 🙂
November 14, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Sharon Mayhew
You are so right! You have to make the kiddos want to turn the page… I love “methinks!”
November 14, 2010 at 4:56 pm
laurasalas
I was kind of wondering about that one idea per day, or could I stock up. I decided not to look up the rules, if there were any, because I could only do what worked for me.
Btw, at a Wisconsin SCBWI retreat years ago, someone gave a talk on easy readers, and she showed your Good Night book as an example. Went home, read it, loved it!
November 14, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Sharon Chriscoe
Thank you, Shelley for reminding us that not ALL books follow the rules. It works perfect for one of my PiBoIdMo ideas! So here’s to ‘rule breaking’.
November 14, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Marcy Pusey
Ha! Thanks for answering the questions of I heard others (and my own self) asking! I love being freed to.. be free! Truly, you are a queen after my own heart!
November 14, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Diana Murray
Great advice, Shelley! I tend to be a rule follower, but sometimes it’s best not to get hung up on things. Thanks for the reminder. (Love the crown!)
November 14, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Kimberly Lynn
“PiBoIdMo is about getting on a first name, maybe even nick-name basis with your muse.”
It’s fun to concentrate on the creative side of writing for a change. I think we lose that occasionally during editing. Every now and then it’s a good idea to remember those little nuggets that made us want to write a story to begin with. I know that PiBoIdMo has definitely left an impact on me. I’m going to designate one day per week to just doodle around with new ideas. I think this will make revisions on other projects less annoying.
In theory. LOL!
November 14, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Janice D. Green
Thanks for the freedom to break the rules. What fun!
November 14, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Kjersten Hayes
“Nick-name basis with my muse”… good way of putting it. I’ve been loving getting on a nick-name basis with my muse this month. And that’s what it feels like. Thanks for the perfect words.
November 14, 2010 at 7:13 pm
pam Jones
A rule breaker!! Yeah! You’re speakin’ my language… 😀 A writing Reble!
November 14, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Heather Kephart
Thanks for the advice, Shelley! I was wondering/worrying about the same things myself. I even started writing one of the ideas, and during a revision realized I had TWO books. I wonder how many more of my ideas can be dissected? *sigh*
Can’t wait to read your Easy Reader. Methinks it will be a fun read!
November 14, 2010 at 7:45 pm
shelley
Hi again everyone!
I had to go to IKEA (love me some meatballs) and what fun to come back and see some many comments….and so many that, like myself, kind of cheated a little when it came to following the 1 pb idea per day!
And Laura-so cool they had Good Knight at the conference. He’s 10 years old this year! That’s pretty amazing to still be in print for so long.
I can’t wait to come back tomorrow and see who the guest poster is.
Thanks again, everyone…and feel free to stop by the old storycastle any time!
November 14, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Catherine Johnson
Great advice Shelley. Sometimes you have to step back and think outside the box, then even toss the box away, yay!
November 14, 2010 at 9:00 pm
Linda
I’m happy to say I got that one good idea yesterday and just had to stop and write a draft. If I wind up with only one great idea after 30 days I’ll be happy. The one rule I broke… I ate the chocolate before I finished the draft. So shoot me:)
November 14, 2010 at 11:17 pm
Catherine Denton
Shelley, you always make me laugh. The lack of rules has been good for me to experiment. I’m loving this PiBoIdMo!
November 14, 2010 at 11:23 pm
Lynn
Oh there’s a rule? 😉 I broke it a few times then. Oh well, I see it as my creativity being set free at long last. (Thanks again, Tara!)
And thank you Shelley for your post. I got an PB idea from reading it, my only idea for today so that’s a good thing! (And I often use the word methinks. Fun word.)
November 15, 2010 at 8:39 am
Connie Mustang
Shelley,
I love that you broke some rules to add fun to your book. You had your reader in mind, and that’s very important. Your reader doesn’t care that you broke the rules, they only care if it entertains them, and it sounds like your book does..Wow! 10 years. Great job!
November 15, 2010 at 10:12 am
Sheri Strombeck
Great article! I have a hard time following the rules also, and like to have brainstorming sessions where I come up with a bunch of ideas…not just one a day. 🙂 Thanks for this inspiring post! Love the bunny 🙂
November 15, 2010 at 10:15 am
Sheri Strombeck
Ah! I haven’t had my coffee yet and I’m combining comments to multiple posts…sorry! Shelley, I love your word play with Night and Knight! Very cute books.
November 15, 2010 at 11:25 am
ccgevry
It’s always good when someone who abides by the rules is given permission to break a few. Thanks for the inspiration.
Cheryl
November 15, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Irene
This is my first PiBoIdMo challenge and I had those same concerns about rule-breaking. Thanks for reminding me the real reason I’m writing, reading, researching and living picture books.
November 15, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Sarah Frances Hardy
Yay!!! Permission to break the rules. I’m still in (I’m a little behind …)
sf
November 16, 2010 at 10:58 am
Dorina Lazo Gilmore
I needed to hear this. I’ve been secretly wondering if I would get kicked out for creating 3 ideas on one day and 0 the next. My muse comes in waves, of course. Thanks for permission to break the rules & soar!
November 16, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Lynne Marie
My muse is trying on all kinds of hats this month. I’m having fun playing dress-up and what if with her! Thanks for this inspiring article, Shelley! Now I’m going to go out and see what my muse is up to NOW — LOL
November 17, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Lydia K
Brilliant! I’m a big Shelley fan, so I’m not biased at all.
😉
November 22, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Chrissa Pedersen
Rebels unite!
November 16, 2014 at 8:33 pm
Dawn Young
Great post Shelley! Thanks for sharing 🙂