I steal from my kids. That’s right. All day. Every day. I have been blessed with two feist-master, sassafras, wrestlemaniacs for sons. Their shenanigans spark writing ideas constantly. My picture book, YOU’RE MY BOO, which is under contract at Beach Lane Books, was inspired by my second son.
More examples? Sure. I spied on my boys taking turns in a laundry basket:
“This is my racecar, okay?”
“No! It’s my spaceship.”
I wrote Jump In!, which sold to Highlights High Five.
I gave each of my boys a penny to toss into a fountain, but my older son kept the coin instead. I wrote The Collector, which sold to Highlights. Even my publications for adult—essays for newspapers, magazines, and babble.com—are almost always about or inspired by my sons. And all three of my picture book manuscripts out on submission now are thanks to my boys.
A critique group partner said, “You have a way of being present with your boys that gives you endless writing ideas.” Thanks and wow! That’s exactly why I love PiBoIdMo: It will make you more present, too. How do I know? Because I pulled out of our garage before opening the door.
I know. I know. That doesn’t sound exactly present. But I was all about my boys in the back seat. My garage door mishap just helps me explain how needing something can make you focus on it.
Never in my life have I cared about garage doors. But because we needed new ones, my antenna was up. I couldn’t even get the mail without noticing the neighbors’ garage doors. Since you’ll need 30 new picture book ideas, your antenna will be up, too. You’ll notice things in ways you haven’t before. Ta-dah! You’ll have more to write about.
Here’s how the writing process usually works for me*:
- One or both of my boys does or says something that grabs my attention.
- Does the idea make me so excited that I have a hard time focusing on anything else?
- Okay. Fine. Does the idea make me dance?
- I bang out a rough draft.
- I critique the manuscript.
- I read the manuscript out loud. I beg my husband to read it out loud. I bribe my son to read it out loud. I record myself reading it using an app called Recorder Plus on my iPad.
- Do the characters ring true? (When I make one of my boys say sorry, it’s the worst excuse for an apology. It’s the same for my characters so I try not to force them to say or do anything. Characters are strongest when they act and react naturally.)
- Does the story have enough heart? (I should feel something so strongly that I am connected to and routing for the character(s).)
- Is there enough tension? (The main character should want something so badly that I want it for him/her, too, but something HUGE must stand in the way of success.)
- Is the ending a satisfying surprise even though it’s the only resolution that makes sense while serving the story?
- I share it with critique partners. Based on their suggestions, I revise and revise and revise.
- Just like my boys, the manuscript needs a ‘time out’. I don’t let myself read it for at least two days (two weeks would be great, but I can’t ever wait that long).
- I allow myself to go back to the manuscript. If it still makes me dance, then I send it to my agent.
(*This whole shebang might take weeks, months or even years.)
If something I’m writing doesn’t make me dance, then I don’t waste time on it. I have too many ideas to stress over a manuscript that’s not clicking. If I don’t love it, I leave it. Sure, I might come back to it later. But I’m also fine with coming back to it never. I’m confident that I’ll uncover something better—something dance-worthy—to work on. How? Because I live with my feist-master, sassafras, wrestlemaniacs.
While this stealing-from-my-kids gig has proven great for my writing, it doesn’t always translate into being a good mom. I’m pretty sure cheering, “Keep it up! You’re giving me lots to write about” when they fight isn’t recommended in any How-to-Parent guide. But lucky for me, this is a place to celebrate writing, not parenting, so I suggest you go steal from your kids, too. Or someone else’s kids. Plop down at your library’s story hour, grab lunch at a fast food playground, hang out at your Children’s Museum and you’ll have 30 new ideas in no time. Fortunately, kids, and writing ideas inspired by them, are everywhere. Good luck and have FUN!
Kate Dopirak lives with her husband and two feist-master, sassafras, wrestlemaniac sons in Pittsburgh, PA. She will be donating a picture book critique to a PiBoIdMo participant who completes the 30-ideas-in-30-days challenge. A winner will be selected in early December.
54 comments
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October 29, 2012 at 12:10 am
tinamcho
Fun post, Kate! I, too, get most of my ideas from my kids, but mine don’t like me copying their words or ideas. I just ignore them and do it anyway. Thanks for donating a prize critique!
October 29, 2012 at 12:31 am
Deb Lund
Beach Lane! Yay, Kate! With Allyn or Andrea? Andrea was my editor at Harcourt, and my dinobooks are moving back to her. I love working with those two!
And… Writer moms deserve to get a few writing rewards out of this kid business, right? ; )
Thanks, Tara & Kate…
October 29, 2012 at 4:45 am
julietclarebell
Thank you , Kate, for a great article. I too, steal off my children all the time. They’ve got to the point now that when they say or do something even remotely funny they look at me and say “You can have that” or “That would be great in a story”. My husband just gives me a look if someone’s said something story-worthy but I’m usually already planning it in my head (my first book, Don’t Panic, Annika!, came directly from a rhyming game I was playing with my three children, one of whom is called (no prizes for guessing) Annika. I love PiBoIdMo for the same reasons as you and I can’t wait to get started.
Thanks again, Clare.
October 29, 2012 at 5:09 am
mona
I am the kid in this house, and my husband is always giving me the look!
Thanks for the great post!
(I do participate in library story time though)
October 29, 2012 at 5:42 am
Genevieve Petrillo
Thanks, Kate. I love this post. I just wish you didn’t say the word tension. It’s my biggest struggle. I have tension about tension! I’m pretty sure there’s something Freudian or psychological about this avoidance (fear) of tension. Ugh. I think I’m making myself tense over this whole thing……
October 29, 2012 at 6:21 am
Laura Sassi
No doubt about it, our kids are inspiring! So is this post! =)
October 29, 2012 at 6:51 am
Richa Jha
Thanks Kate! We do it all the time! There are times when I wish I had this constant recorder on to capture every thing because all too often, by the time I get to my paper pen, the cheekiness and the spontaneity’s gone, and chances are, I’ve forgotten what I grabbed that pen for! Great post!
October 29, 2012 at 7:19 am
Sharon Putnam
Great post, Kate! I, too, get most of my ideas from my kids and have a folder where I jot down all their unique sayings, daily mishaps etc
October 29, 2012 at 7:26 am
tammi sauer
Love this post! And that gorgeous portrait of you, you masked marvel.
October 29, 2012 at 7:34 am
Robyn Campbell
I do this too. We have six boys and one girl. They have ALWAYS given me great ideas. Thanks for the awesome donation too. *waves peace sign*
October 29, 2012 at 8:13 am
Kirsten Larson
I find my two boys an endless source of inspiration too. Children’s imaginations are amazing, and we are so lucky when we can tap into them.
October 29, 2012 at 8:24 am
Brook Gideon
Thank you for the fun post and reminding everyone that inspiration is all around if you open your, ears, eyes and mind!
October 29, 2012 at 8:25 am
Brook Gideon
And please disregard the grammatical errors, the coffee is working a bit too well. lol
October 29, 2012 at 8:34 am
Jessica Young
Great post, Kate! Love the part about leaving an idea if it doesn’t make you dance (and either coming back to it or not). Thanks for the kick-start this morning!
October 29, 2012 at 8:34 am
Janet Smart
Thanks for the post, my boys are all grown now, but I pull ideas from memories of when they were young.
October 29, 2012 at 8:58 am
Jennifer Hawes
Oh, thank you, Kate! Thiis was a SUPER fun post! Ihave two wrestle-mania boys (12 & 14..My husband is a college wrestling coach!!) I just wrote an entire mid-grade fiction novel based on my boys, their conversations, and their friendships. Just wait ’til they find out…I’m going to be in big trouble;-)
October 29, 2012 at 9:01 am
Laura Lowman Murray
I loved the step by step process you use! Spying and theiving can be so much fun !
October 29, 2012 at 9:18 am
thiskidreviewsbooks
Interesting. Can I steal from my sister? 😉
October 29, 2012 at 9:29 am
Kelly Ramsdell Fineman
Terrific post, Kate – gives me things to think about and work on as we’re hunkered down for Sandy!
October 29, 2012 at 9:40 am
Ashley Bankhead
I steal from my kids, too. My best ideas were inspired by them.
October 29, 2012 at 10:21 am
Catherine Johnson
I steal too, more from my son than my daughter. So funny about parenting. We are blessed to have those golden nuggets as silver linings to the tought times of parenting 😉
October 29, 2012 at 10:39 am
wendy greenley
Great post to remind me some ideas, as much as I want them to be, aren’t going to be ‘the next big thing.’ Maybe Sandy will blow a few great ideas my way in Philly!
October 29, 2012 at 10:45 am
wfedan
I need to steal from my kids more. They certainly are a FOUNTAIN of ideas, STEADY-FLOWING. My daughter keeps coming up with book ideas (7 yrs old) but never finishes them – she makes the cover, back cover, and contents page, and then moves on to the next book. Maybe I should start writing the inner pages for her when she’s through 🙂
October 29, 2012 at 10:46 am
laurasalas
Love this! My first trade picture book, STAMPEDE, was inspired by my then-2nd-grade daughter, who looked like a walrus with straws stuck where her teeth used to be. I wrote a poem about it and then started spying on kids everywhere and had a whole collection before I knew it:>) Thank you for this enthusiastic post. My antennae are going up right now!
October 29, 2012 at 10:55 am
Marcie Colleen
Great post, Kate! I am a nanny, so I know first-hand how “inspiring” kids can be! Looking forward to being more present in November. Best!
October 29, 2012 at 10:58 am
Carol Gordon Ekster
I got lots of inspiration from the kids in my 4th grade classes. And I love your point about being present. It’s essential! That’s why I go to yoga every day to work on that. Thanks for your inspiration! And good luck with your upcoming titles.
October 29, 2012 at 11:12 am
Desiree Batson
My girls are in a world all their own – and I have invaded for some great story ideas. Thanks for your post!
October 29, 2012 at 11:37 am
laurimeyers
Yes, I love having little messy inspirations running around! I try to include them in the fleshing out of the idea though I usually just end up with a bunch of potty humor…
October 29, 2012 at 12:33 pm
julie rowan zoch
Great post! Just to harp on the the question: do the characters ring true? – now that I think about it, it’s the one common denominator I find in books I don’t care for. Thanks for bringing that up!
October 29, 2012 at 12:44 pm
Judy Cox
When my son was small, I used to get great ideas from him! Most of my books and short stories were inspired by him.
But now I’m in that time of life between kid and grandkids, and retired from teaching. I felt my writing was growing stale without kid time. So I took on a new job–teaching ukulele! Now, I get plenty of kid time and I’m building a whole new idea file.
BTW–I tried to back out of my garage without the door open, too. I’m glad to know other people do it, too! (I was working on a story idea at the time and that’s what made me inattentive. How about you?)
October 29, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Mindy Long
What a great post! I’m feeling inspired for PiBoIdMo.
October 29, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Darshana
Great post. I too steal from my kids. My problem is most of the times I don’t know what to do with that spark, I am not able to or don’t know how to build off of it. Still trying to figure out how to S-T-R-E-T-C-H my imagination.
October 29, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Julie
Great post! I get ideas from my kids all the time. I often eat lunch with them at school and listen to their friends’ conversations. Gold mine!
October 29, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Penny Klostermann
I loved hearing about your thieving ways! The bulleted list is very helpful, too! Thanks for an awesome post!
October 29, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Debra Feldman
Thank you for including ideas of where to spend time around kids when you don’t have them.
October 29, 2012 at 5:16 pm
Erin K
What a wounderful and fun post and blog you have going here. I’m just starting out to writing and illustrating my first children’s book, which since I don’t have kids yet to steal from *laughs*, I have many memories of my mum’s daycare that she used to run all the inspiration I need to keep myself going with this new project. I really enjoyed finding your blog…it is a joy to read through!
October 29, 2012 at 7:42 pm
Carrie Finison
Great post! So many (maybe all?) of my ideas are inspired by my kids, too. Sometimes it’s even just a phrase that they latch onto and say over and over again, and eventually works its way into a story. They’re inspiring.
October 29, 2012 at 8:16 pm
viviankirkfield
Yes…they say the teacher appears when the student is ready! And I think this applies to the ideas for picture books…some people are in tune with the universe and sensitive to the ideas that it (or their kids) provides…sounds like you are one of those. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences…they are very helpful. I especially love what you said about having authenticity in the characters and what they say and do!
It’s funny, because I was telling my husband about PiBoIdMo just a few minutes ago and he said something BRILLIANT (not that he doesn’t say brilliant things all the time 🙂 and I have written that down as Picture Book Idea Number One in my PiBoIdMo notebook! Hurray!
October 29, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Donna Earnhardt
Kids are def the reason for many of my stories! Great post!
October 29, 2012 at 9:46 pm
Donna Martin
Thanks, Kate, for a lovely post! I manage a martial arts training academy and all my students provide a lot of pb ideas…;~)
Donna L Martin
http://www.donnalmartin.com
http://www.donasdays.blogspot.com
October 30, 2012 at 8:31 am
C. C. Gevry
My kids also inspire some of my ideas. There are days I wish they were a bit calmer and easier to handle, but then all my story book characters would be boring. 🙂
October 30, 2012 at 8:43 am
Deborah Amadei
Hi Tara, this may be overkill. Just making sure I’m registered.
Thanks Debbie
October 30, 2012 at 3:21 pm
stephseclecticinterests
When my two now-grown wrestlemaniacs were tussling, I told them to “go bond somewhere else.” Hm, maybe I should have written them into books instead.
October 30, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Sheri Dillard
Great post! Thanks, Kate! 🙂
October 31, 2012 at 4:28 pm
Talynn Lynn
Ha ha! My kids inspire me EVERY day. I guess that’s my lucky rabbit’s foot!!
November 1, 2012 at 3:31 am
Marcy P.
I remember attending an SCBWI conference somewhere where the conference was made to NOT write every story based on the inspiration of our own kids (I think in the vein that what we think is cute and funny… is just so to us because they are ours). However, I would agree that my BEST stories have come from something they’ve said or done. So thanks for cheering on that message! It’s okay to get ideas from our kids… and mold them into something EVERYONE can enjoy!
November 1, 2012 at 9:03 am
Diana Murray
Thanks for the great post! I love getting ideas from my kids.
November 1, 2012 at 10:47 am
Anjali Amit
Great post. Thanks for reminding us to be present in the moment.
November 1, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Carol Nelson
Since my children are now grown, I have a new source of inspiration–my granddaughter. My dog sometimes provides inspiration as well.
November 4, 2012 at 4:00 pm
B.J. Lee
Great post! Being present is sooo important. Not missing an opportunity. Writing everything down. I carry a notebook with me wherever I go and sometimes even a tape recorder. Thanks for your inspirational post
November 7, 2012 at 12:38 am
ray hunt
being the youngest of 5 boys adventure was everything! We had a farm. Horses, cows and cowpies. some beat-up days and some family survival days. but plenty to write about!
November 30, 2012 at 10:04 pm
Jenny Boyd
It’s like Bill Cosby and Art Linkletter said . . . “Kids say the darndest things.” Glad your kids are giving you fun picture-book ideas.
November 30, 2012 at 11:58 pm
Brian Humek
I definitely understand the begging and bribing for family members to read. I understand that too well : )
November 7, 2013 at 2:07 pm
Holly Bliss
My kids inspire my stories all the time 🙂