PiBoIdMo Halfway Point Check-In

I have 15 ideas. I do one a day: might start out with a snippet then rift on that but I stop when I feel I have one idea that could carry a story. Usually. I’ve had a day or two where the idea isn’t as well rounded but I just carry on. This is my third year doing PiBoIdMo and I’m finding my idea search process has improved each year. That’s why I love doing this– I get better at it! I also love checking the post each day. Particular favorites that come to mind are what if, setting, taking the pov of a kid… I think I gravitate towards hands-on activities (being told what to do!). But really, I’ve gotten something out of all the posts and have enjoyed each one. Thanks to all!

PiBoIdMo has awakened my creativity that I usually keep on the back burner while life gets in the way.

45+ ideas (not counting anymore) with a handful of really well developed ones – out of which, 1 that I’m really excited to work on ASAP. Tara, thank you.

Nino 🙂
http://www.ninocosm.com

I’ve got 16! It’s fun every year.

So far, I’m ahead of the goal just a little. This is so fun! I really am glad I decided to give this a try. Thanks Tara and all who shared blog posts.

I have 15 ideas on 15 index cards. Some have more notes on them than others. Some are just a sentence or quote. I definitely think there are ones worth expanding into manuscripts. Others might be woven in througout other ideas or created as characters in a different story. In any case, it is great to have a file of ideas to go to when I get stuck for an idea throughout the year. Such fun! Thanks again, Tara!

I am at 18 ideas and enjoying every minute of this challenge!
I tried to figure out what post was most inspiring for me and realized I can’t even pick one because they all have such great information and inspiration!

Thanks, Tara!

I’m right at 15. I started out really fast, but the ideas were not terribly strong. So, in the past week I’ve made myself focus on one a day and come up with some better ones. Yay!

I’m at 22 ideas with a full outline for two. I love getting in this mindset — last year it lasted long after November.

So far, I have 25 ideas. I have been doing some research on a non-fiction PB idea and continue to jot a little here and there on the others. I have been trying that cooking/marinating idea by thinking more about one of my ideas during the day. After reviewing the post so far, I find it too difficult to choose the most inspiring. They all played a part in sparking something within me.
Thanks Tara, it has been fun.

I think I’m at 9 ideas so far. I’ve loved all the guest posts. It’s been great to get their perspective on pb writing. I particularly was inspired by Becky Levine to look at a story like a jigsaw puzzle during the revision stage. It puts a fun spin on revision for me. I happen to love jigsaw puzzles!

I’m also inpsired by the other participants’ posts!

Thanks, Tara, for this wonderful month of inspiration. I’m still hopeful I’ll meet the 30 idea goal.

Thank you for organizing this and getting us all jazzed up! I am at 25 ideas. My ideas come in different ways to me. I am hopeful for at least 5 more!

Also, it’s impossible to choose a favorite post, but one is “Setting”.

It is hard to say what post inspired me the most. They have all generated new ideas for me. Every morning I read the day’s post, and then find myself writing down a possible title, a scene, the antics of an unfamiliar character or compelling voice. I have 23 new story ideas, some collaborated over breakfast with my 5 y.o. granddaughter. It has been a joy. Thank you, Tara and all the contributing authors, etc.

I just wanted to thank you for putting this all together. I’ve kept up, and am at 16 new picture book ideas. And and AND I have written the first draft of one of those ideas–and the concept for that one is so far removed from the kinds of things I’d been writing that I have to completely credit PiBoIdMo for pushing me toward new and different ideas.

I’ve enjoyed reading all of your posts so far. I am currently at 18 ideas!

By the way…posts by authors that have struggled with generating ideas, and have taken sometimes years to do so, have been the most encouraging to me. Patience is the key!

I’m way behind this year – only 5 so far… but they’re 5 strong ones at least. Not sure why I’m having such a hard time this year but I hope to catch-up. Still I’m enjoying all the posts. My favorites to date are: Julian’s on creating slowly, Kelly Light’s on putting in the work to make it look effortless.

I love PiBoIdMo!
It provides the perfect combination of discipline and creativity!
Helping me focus and look at the world through children’s eyes is the best part of this little adventure.
Rally for the second half!

Wow! So many writers are having more than an idea a day! I am impressed. But I’m happy that I’m on schedule and hoping for my 16th idea today. I would never have this many ideas without PiBoIdMo. Thank you for this challenge and the wonderful posts that keep me going. I loved the doodle post. I’m not artistic at all, but have made a special notebook so I can doodle ideas.

Something else that helped me expand an idea was to type my idea into a Wordle website and print out a scramble. Just looking at the jumbled words freed me to keep thinking.

I’ve scribbled 30+ ideas – some more developed than others. Some are really wacko – but it’s like brainstorming for me: no editing the process until December! I “re-purposed” one of my kid’s school notebooks – it has 45 pages in it. I’m thinking that won’t be enough. Argh. Will have to go scrounge for another marble-notebook that was once used for Civics or math (shiver)….

I have 16 ideas so far, can’t wait until I have my 30! I have loved the posts, so inspiring. I really liked Tammi Sauer’s on setting. So many new unique ways to look at the world around you!

I’m at 50+. I started strong out of the gate and am now churning up a couple ideas a day rather than my initial 5 or 6 per day in the first week or so. Some ideas are coming as rough story synopses. Others are just a word or phrase or title or topic that sparks my interest, but will have to wait until I can spend some time with it after November’s over. Aside from collecting a backlog of story ideas, this month is slowly teaching me how to be open to story ideas even when I’m not actively looking for them. School was out Monday, so I took my kids for a canoe ride in the park. We could have rented a paddleboat, but my daughter insisted on a canoe. Canoe is such a fun sounding word and a fun object to interact with, that it sparked a whole range of story ideas for me. Thanks, PiBoIdMo!

All the posts have been great. They have touched off different areas of my brain, leading to more ideas. I’m at 16 ideas in various stages of development, and four of them are speaking so loudly to me, I know they’ll be the next to be fully fleshed out. I’m trying to finish up a novel rewrite while I’m doing this, so my picture book fingers are itching to fly when I’m done (hopefully soon!). Thanks for everyone’s story nudges.

I’m at 21! Never actually counted until this morning… Thank you to ALL who have posted, encouraged, and inspired!

The most meaningful posts for me so far came from Karma Wilson and Tamara Ellis Smith. I liked be reminded to ask the What if? question in my writing and I am using that as I work with 5th graders (as a volunteer) in their writing. It was Tamara’s last line – Join me in the wide and wonderful out there” that took me back to my childhood days at my grandfather’s house. It gave me an idea to capture that simple joy, one that did not involve expensive toys or video games, in a picture book. This is the first year I’ve particpated in PiBoIdMo and I’m loving it! I’ve already taken three of my ideas and fleshed out the basics for three books. My thanks to Elizabeth B. for noting this PiBoIdMo opportunity in her blog.
Lynn Almer
Lakewood CO

I have 21 ideas in my book at the moment. This challenge has certainly made me more aware of each new environment I enter and my senses have been heightened to the point where I am looking, hearing and even smelling new ideas.
All the posts have been encouraging and I look forward to each day’s entry, but the post by Mary Rand Hess has been the one that has resonated in my heart.
Thanks Tara for organising the challenge.

I’m up to twenty ideas. Some have promise, while others are waiting to be paired up with something else to make a complete story. The best part is the way the brainstorming has opened my mind to so many new and varied ideas. One idea triggers another and the cycle repeats, and repeats, and repeats!

Carol

I’m right on track – yay! The first few days were easy, then I started to think how many 30 actually is and got a bit nervous. Happily, though, the ideas keep popping up. (Not that they’re all GOOD ideas, of course) A couple I’m really excited about, a couple I think would be really hard to turn into complete stories, and the rest I think are pretty interesting. I’m enjoying the daily posts for inspiration and new perspectives. I find I get ideas when I’m not actively thinking – most surprisingly, when nursing my baby at 4 am. Because of this challenge I think I’m paying more attention to how my mind wanders and keeping a mental ear out for story potential. I’m trying out Scrivener to organize my ideas and so far I like it. Thanks, Tara, for doing such a great job organizing PiBoIdMo!

I’m at 14 ideas–on day 17. I’m even behind on commenting to the posts. Last year’s PiBoIdMo seemed more bountiful, this year, ideas seem to lag, then come in bunches. These posts are very inspiring–proof that other strugglers are out there making the effort. Some days I think all the good ideas are taken, then I read these and discover that hundreds more are being generated–I can do this, too!

These posts everyday have helped me become inspired. I have always been an addict of newspapers. If I see something unusual enough to embellish, embroider, elaborate on, I cut it our and add it to my drawer of newspaper clippings. I have gone through those and used some for ideas for picture books. Thanks for keeping us going.

JoAn

I’m doing okay on ideas. Granted a lot of them are really sketchy, but I’ve got three that are in rough draft stage. I love the posts. They are all full of great nudges for ideas. This is great.