“NOW SEEDS, START GROWING!”
Frog came running up the path.
“What is all this noise?” he asked.
“My seeds will not grow,” said Toad.
“You are shouting too much,” said Frog. “These poor seeds are afraid to grow.”
“These poor seeds are afraid to grow.” Wait… seeds can be afraid to grow? I didn’t know that. I wonder if that is my problem. Are you talking to me too, Frog? Can stories be afraid to grow, too?
Maybe I am shouting too much: Now ideas, start GROWING—what will the critique buddies think? what will mr. agent, ms. editor think? what will bookstores, kirkus, random readers on goodreads think? what if I never, never have a good idea again? OMG! that really could happen! please, please, ideas—GROW, GROW, GROW!
Help—TOAD—I can’t stop the shouting! Where are you? What would YOU do?
Toad read a long story to his seeds.
All the next day Toad sang songs to his seeds.
And all the next day Toad read poems to his seeds.
And all the next day Toad played music for his seeds.
Then Toad felt very tired, and he fell asleep.
Oh! These all sound like easy things to do… thank you Toad, I will do them! I will read stories and poems and play music. And then maybe I will also look at art, and walk in the woods and stop on the footbridge to play Poohsticks. And then plant things, bake things, make things… make anything but books.
And then finally, I will lie on the couch and stare out the window, until… until there is no more shouting and it is quiet… except for some birds (what’s the gossip today, guys?), and a couple of squirrels (hey, what is the problem out there? stop bickering!), and my cat, Milo, snoring.
I will try all of these things because I have read, and read over many times again, FROG AND TOAD TOGETHER by Arnold Lobel, so I know that in “The Garden”—spoiler alert!!!—once Toad stops shouting, his seeds really do grow in the end. Hopefully, if I’m quiet and patient too, my ideas will stop being afraid to sprout, and if I have a good one—hooray!!—I will jot or sketch it down right away. And then, at last, I can reward myself by taking a lesson from the next chapter of Frog and Toad: “Cookies”.
Toad baked some cookies.
“These cookies smell very good,” said Toad.
He ate one.
“And they taste even better…”
Hey, did you have an idea today? Well then, have a cookie! And by the way, what do you do, to coax your ideas to grow?
Once-upon-a-time, Deborah Freedman was an architect, but now she prefers to build worlds in books. She is the author and illustrator of SCRIBBLE and BLUE CHICKEN, and THE STORY OF FISH AND SNAIL, to be published in June 2013, by Viking. Follow her adventures at Writes With Pictures or on Facebook and Twitter @DeborahFreedman.
And lucky you, it’s time to win something AGAIN! Deborah is giving away a signed copy of her book BLUE CHICKEN!
Just comment to be entered (one comment per person).
A winner will be randomly selected in one week.
Good luck!
211 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 6, 2012 at 12:11 am
laurazarrin
Great post! I so remember that book. I should go pull it out and read it 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 12:15 am
katiemillsgiorgio
Another great inspirational post…I like the part about being quiet (maybe even taking a rest) to let ideas come to you…THANKS!
November 6, 2012 at 12:15 am
Gayle C. Krause
Love the analogy of Frog and Toad to writers. 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 12:21 am
Gary Masskin
Agreed. Unless following a structured methodology to generate them, ideas and pressure go together about as well as water and oil. Unless you’ve got an idea related to pressure of some sort… hold on a sec… sorry, gotta run. 💡🏃📝
November 6, 2012 at 12:21 am
Sheila Wipperman
Thanks for the post – it sparked an idea! 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 12:24 am
Gail Handler-
Isn’t it amazing the lessons we can learn from a picture book? Enjoyed this post!
November 6, 2012 at 12:31 am
The Backdoor Artist - Mary Livingston
I immerse myself into my ideas, letting them wash over and through me until they take root in my very being.
November 6, 2012 at 12:37 am
Deborah Holt Williams
I love the Frog and Toad books! And I’d love to win a copy of the Blue Chicken!
November 6, 2012 at 12:46 am
Linda Moore
Another lovely post. Thank you so much for sharing this one!
November 6, 2012 at 1:07 am
Rebecca Colby
Loved this! And so true. Sometimes we need to be patient with our ideas and give them time to develop, rather than making them ‘grow’ before they are ready.
November 6, 2012 at 1:13 am
Caroline
I shout at my head (and my fingers) to sprout some ideas or a better phrase, etc. sometimes too. Patience works better. 🙂 Thanks for the interesting post!
November 6, 2012 at 1:21 am
S.H. Sherlock
Any post that mentions cookies is a winner 🙂
I develop ideas by staying up waaay after everyone else is in bed and writing and thinking and reading. I need to be alone to focus.
November 6, 2012 at 1:33 am
wendyjb
Perfectly put! I call it ‘filling the well’ – the need to emerse myself in books and music and art and nature and staring out the window! Much easier to pour out ideas from a full well.
November 6, 2012 at 2:17 am
tinamcho
I love Frog & Toad. This is just perfect…being quiet and patient with our seeds of ideas! Thanks so much, Deborah!
November 6, 2012 at 2:49 am
ray hunt
Frog and Toad. We had plenty on our farm. so these guys were buddies a long time before I really cared who knew what I read.
November 6, 2012 at 2:53 am
Larissa Marks
Yes, so true! When I sit and try to make writing or ideas happen, it rarely produces anything. Rather, ideas come to me when I am patient, quiet, or doing other things. Thanks Deborah, Frog, and Toad for the lesson!
November 6, 2012 at 3:32 am
Lynda Cowles (@lyndacowles)
Patience, patience, patience! I find the ‘seeds’ of my ideas come easily but I simply cannot force them to grow into stories before they’re ready. I just have to check how they’re doing from time to time to collect whatever fruit has grown. 🙂
Blue Chicken looks wonderful. I want one!
November 6, 2012 at 4:40 am
mona
We all need someone (a Frog) encourage us and maybe give suggesttions to help grow our own seeds.(‘m lucky to have Rebecca as one of my helpers) Thanks Deborah for the post.
November 6, 2012 at 4:50 am
MaryAnn Loo
I don’t believe in coincidences, and this post came along just when I needed it. Recently I’ve been trying to find my direction in life, and even though I desire to be an artist/illustrator, I have all these thoughts and voices in my head telling me that I’m just not good enough, and that it will not happen, and I should find something else more practical and stable. However, during a simple conversation yesterday with a life coach which brought out my tearful emotions, I realize art is truly my passion, and I need to find a way to get around these negative discouraging voices in order to fully express myself as an artist and create the kind of art which can only come from within me. I’ve never read “Frog & Toad”, but the seeds to me were my dreams and hopes, and the yelling and the noise are the negative things and distractions that keep them from growing and blossoming. Thank you, Deborah, for your post, because it has affirmed me in my journey, and I feel even more encouraged to take the step to overcome these things that hold me back.
November 6, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Joanne Roberts
Good for you! We all have those feelings no matter how long we’ve been illustrating. Just think about how you feel when you don’t try! Better to test your dreams than to wonder, “what if I had . . .?” Silence your negative thoughts with “At least, I must try.” Remember, it’s the journey that you desire. Let the end result take care of itself.
November 6, 2012 at 4:56 am
Abigail HIcks
This is a well timed post for me. Thank you and thank you Frog and Toad.
November 6, 2012 at 4:59 am
M. G. King
Frog and Toad always make me smile. Think I’ll go find some poems to read.
November 6, 2012 at 4:59 am
pennymorrison
I relate to this post because writing picture books seems to be about waiting. A bit of planting and watering, but mostly waiting.
November 6, 2012 at 5:35 am
julietclarebell
Really enjoyed this and I really like Penny Morrison’s quote: “Writing picture books seems to be about waiting. A bit of planting and watering, but mostly waiting.” Hooray for wise old Frog and Toad. Thanks, Deborah,
Clare.
November 6, 2012 at 5:39 am
Kimberley Moran
This is one of my favorite Frog and Toad stories. Thank you for tying it in. I love when that happens. I definitely have been yelling too much. I need to whisper to my seeds and feed them cookies. I love your book Blue Chicken and would love to own it for my own!
Kimberley
First in Maine
November 6, 2012 at 5:40 am
Lori Mozdzierz
Naturing my literary garden is a fine balance between knowing when to sit butt-to-chair and when to scamper off and let things happen as nature intended.
A few years ago I bought FROG AND TOAD for myself. My DIL was so jealous as that’s one of her childhood favorites. LOL! 😀 Look at the beautiful idea that just bloomed! Not a for a story, but for a Christmas gift. Oh wait one minute, there’s another bloom and it is a story idea. Off to grab my watering can!
November 6, 2012 at 6:04 am
Andrea
I find that sometimes I want to work on an idea, because I like it and think it’s a great concept, but it’s just not happening. But, if I leave it to “incubate”, eventually it catches and a story starts to develop. In the meantime, I work on something else!
I haven’t read Blue Chicken, but I love the cover. I definitely have to look for it.
November 6, 2012 at 6:06 am
Dianne de Las Casas (@AuthorDianneDLC)
Deborah, oh I know your garden grows! You are so wise to listen to the advice of our picture book friends, Frog and Toad. I am feeling nostalgic now and snuggly… I think I need to read a picture book! Better yet, maybe I’ll visit Frog and Toad. I’m sure they are up for company…
Thank you for a beautifully insightful and inspiring post! Happy PiBoIdMo and Happy Picture Book Month!
November 6, 2012 at 6:17 am
lindamartinandersen
Deborah,
Great lessons here. Enjoyed this very much!
A couple of personal examples of learning from others: My grandmother pointed out a lovely red vine in the fall, seen at a distance from a window in my house. I’d been too busy to notice. My father once told me, “You need to slow down.” Thank goodness for people who teach us to love life.
As for where ideas come from, I got an idea for a setting for a present WIP while reading an article in the newspaper. I get themes for stories at church. Both times, I was taking time to relax and listen.
November 6, 2012 at 6:22 am
debraaelliott1960
Great post! I’d love a copy of her book for my grandson.
November 6, 2012 at 6:32 am
Monica Kulling
Lovely post. Beautiful book.
November 6, 2012 at 6:37 am
Genevieve Petrillo
Mom hits the couch to let seeds grow, too. But I think Milo needs to stop snoring! What can grow with that racket?
Love and licks,
Cupcake
November 6, 2012 at 6:43 am
Erin
Mmmm, cookies. Good idea.
November 6, 2012 at 6:44 am
Doreen E. Lepore
Love your blue chicken book! Love Frog and Toad too and am currently working on my own frog book.
November 6, 2012 at 6:47 am
Michelle Barnes
Inspiring post… thank you.
November 6, 2012 at 7:01 am
Dawnyelle moore
I love this post, I think it can apply to many other situations as well. My ideas are sneaky, they like to play hide and seek. They would rather I count to ten than a hundred because the seeking is the fun part not the counting. So here goes…one, two, three…
November 6, 2012 at 7:08 am
Terri
Today, I will go to my quiet place and write. thank you.
November 6, 2012 at 7:21 am
erin o'brien
I love Frog and Toad! I’ve quickly learned that writing ideas strike when I least expect them, and those are often my best ones. Thanks for the post!
November 6, 2012 at 7:39 am
Beth Gallagher
What a wonderful post! Thanks for reminding me to stop shouting, as I tend to do when trying to pull out an idea. 😀 I just adore the blue chicken! Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
November 6, 2012 at 7:43 am
Sheri Dillard
Ha! I love this post! (Thank you for the cookie.) 🙂
To answer your question about how do I get ideas to grow — I try to slow down and pay attention to the things around me. I work at a preschool, and if I hear kids laughing or see them all crowded around something on the playground, I’ll check it out myself. Sometimes, it will spark a new idea or maybe even help me to build on an old one.
November 6, 2012 at 7:49 am
lizagardnerwalsh
Such wise words from one of the all-time best duo in children’s books!
November 6, 2012 at 7:49 am
Cathy Ballou Mealey
I would like to have snoring cat…and a cookie. Thanks Deborah!
November 6, 2012 at 7:58 am
kroberts24
Frog is a great teacher! Thank you for a great reminder!
November 6, 2012 at 8:02 am
Alexa
I feed my ideas chocolate. They like it!
November 6, 2012 at 8:07 am
tammi sauer
Bravo! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 8:10 am
Laura Thieman
As I read this post, I am reminded of my 4 year old son pulling leaves off of the trees a month ago because they weren’t yet falling to the ground. He wanted to create his own leaf pile. Thank you for the gift of your reflection today!!!
November 6, 2012 at 3:44 pm
Joanne Roberts
I hope you’re going to write about that incident!!! Go Laura
November 6, 2012 at 8:17 am
Linda Hensley
I can so relate 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 8:17 am
DaNeil Olson
Just what I needed! My inner critic has been put on mute until further notice. 🙂 I will now listen to the sound of silence.
November 6, 2012 at 8:20 am
laurimeyers
It’s just a little bit about the seed too isn’t it? You mat have a beautiful tiny poppy seed, but it falls through your fingers before you can plant it. Then you grab hold of a big old ugly potato, and it turns out to be a wonderful “seed.”
November 6, 2012 at 8:23 am
Roxanne
Whether my window seat, or a long walk down the gravel road, both help release that creative part of my brain. It is the stillness of thought that lets the juices bubble up. Thanks inspiration.
November 6, 2012 at 8:29 am
Jacqueline
So true that trying to force ideas usually has the opposite effect. My ideas must need water to grow, because they often develop in the shower.
November 6, 2012 at 8:31 am
evelynchristensen
Ideas are hard for me, so I appreciate your suggestions. I love the Frog and Toad reference.
November 6, 2012 at 8:31 am
Manju Howard
I learned another lesson from FROG AND TOAD TOGETHER by Arnold Lobel. Don’t put off something for tomorrow that I can accomplish today.
November 6, 2012 at 8:35 am
Carolyn
There are so many unique ideas if we just look, think and listen to others
November 6, 2012 at 8:35 am
Pat
Frog is so right! No wonder my best ideas come in the shower or when I’m driving alone. My brain is untaxed, and its soft voice can be heard!
November 6, 2012 at 8:42 am
laurasalas
Showering for sure. Otherwise, doing anything without a pen and paper or phone handy almost guarantees an idea will pop up, which I then have to repeat out loud constantly until I find a way to write it down.
November 6, 2012 at 8:53 am
Kirsten Larson
I am always amazed that the best ideas come when we stop doing and even thinking and just enjoy being in the moment. Kirsten Larson
November 6, 2012 at 8:55 am
Laura Renauld
Frog and Toad…lessons for life! Thanks for the terrific post.
November 6, 2012 at 8:56 am
Becky Hall
Thank you for reminding me of this important lesson.
PICTURE WRITING by Anastasia Suen calls the quiet phase of writing/illustrating “incubation–Winter’s sleep.” She states this is a legitimate season of the creative process. Hopefully, short naps and not complete hibernation will help my ideas grow!
November 6, 2012 at 9:05 am
Kathy May
I would love to read (and own) any of Deborah Freedman’s books!
November 6, 2012 at 9:06 am
Julie Falatko
I’ve just realized that the best way to get me to understand anything is to somehow bring it back to a Frog and Toad story.
November 6, 2012 at 9:07 am
Anne Bielby
Nice, but did you really need to get me fixated on cookies this early in he morning? (:0)
November 6, 2012 at 9:10 am
Maria Gianferrari
I love Frog & Toad too! Frog is so zen, and so right. It’s definitely a different thing than being passive, it’s being open, and that’s when the muse comes!
Thanks for sharing this!
November 6, 2012 at 9:13 am
Penny Klostermann
Frog and Toad certainly made an impression on me today! Thanks for an incredible post, Deborah!
November 6, 2012 at 9:20 am
Sue Poduska
Planting those seeds – so very important. Patience – even more so. Thanks for the inspirational thoughts!
November 6, 2012 at 9:29 am
Julene Kinser
Thank you, Deborah. What a treat to start my day with the wisdom of my old friends, Frog and Toad.
November 6, 2012 at 9:30 am
Kim Pfennigwerth
I love Frog and Toad and now every time ‘those’ voices of doubt get louder – I have the perfect picture to quiet them. Deborah Freedman’s post is great for days filled with noise.
November 6, 2012 at 9:31 am
wendy greenley
Showering and ironing are the best ways to blast away writer’s block. Guess which one is more fun!
Thanks for sharing your story, Deborah!
November 6, 2012 at 9:34 am
Lori Alexander
Thanks for the reminder…these things do take time!
November 6, 2012 at 9:36 am
JoAn Watson Martin
So glad to read you’re inspired by Toad. Jacqueline Kelly has written a sequel to Wind in the Willows – Return to W. in the W. I can’t read it yet because she said I had to go back and read the original. If I ever read it, I can’t remember so I got it from the library, am reading away.
November 6, 2012 at 9:52 am
Natasha
Kind of like singing to your plants, humming to your baby-
November 6, 2012 at 9:53 am
Danna Smith Children's Author
Enjoyed the post, Deborah 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 9:54 am
Jarm Del Boccio
I love the connection with “Frog and Toad”…good one, Deborah! Paying concentrated attention to the world around me helps fill my idea pool. But, this year, it’s dryer than usual, so maybe I am trying too hard!
November 6, 2012 at 9:57 am
Daryl Gottier
So much wisdom backed in to two little amphibians! My blood pressure went down just reading it. Thanks, Deborah.
November 6, 2012 at 9:56 am
Alison Kolesar
I’m trying to start my PiBoIdMo time with 20 minutes of quiet stillness before I even pick up a pen and the ideas really do seem to flow more easily.
November 6, 2012 at 9:57 am
Sharon Putnam
Great post! I have found that some of my best ideas come to me when I’m gardening. There is just something about getting my hands in garden dirt that frees up my mind
November 6, 2012 at 10:03 am
Angie Breault
Planting the seed (coming up with a small idea) is the easy part. Making the ideas grow is hard. Question on PiBoIdMo. Do we need to come up with a brand new idea each day, or can we expand on the story or wsketch a new character for the same story idea from a previous day? PLEASE let me know. Thanks and God Bless, Angie Breault.
November 6, 2012 at 10:04 am
Margie Kimberley
Getting the cookies and milk ready for later today. Thanks!
November 6, 2012 at 10:07 am
Ashley N. Bohmer
What a wonderful post! I’ve always said the “The Hall-Mark of a True Writer is Creative Procrastination!” Your book looks like a great read! 😀
November 6, 2012 at 10:08 am
LA
I always thought that I was procrastinating, not letting the seeds sprout! My husband will be glad that the baking will continue.
November 6, 2012 at 10:15 am
Donna L Martin
I read a lot of picture books to help stay current with the industry as well as help generate new PB ideas. I love your book, Blue Chicken…I read it to my summer camp kids and they loved both the story and the illustrations! Great post!
Donna L Martin
November 6, 2012 at 10:22 am
Deb
Thank you for the chance to win your book!! And what a lovely reminder to be patient. I plant the idea. Water it with more words that become a teeny plant first draft. Then I step away and let it grow. Sometimes it is hard. I want to sit and poke at the plant because it doesn’t look right to me. I think I have done it wrong. Used the wrong water. Planted the wrong seed. But I have to trust it, let it grow, let it blossom! Thanks for sharing this analogy.
November 6, 2012 at 10:25 am
Laura Anne Miller
*whispering* this is great advice, deborah, thank you for reminding us the watched pot takes longer. myself, i like to doodle and scribble and visit all my talented friends sites for inspiration. looking forward to reading blue chicken……*quietly signing off and heading for the cookie jar*
Laura Miller
November 6, 2012 at 10:32 am
Lynn Anne Carol Bemis
OH BOY . . . I LOVE BLUE CHICKEN. It was among a group of PB I took out of the library last month. What a treat to meet you this way. Also, what great advise to get advise from a character who sprung out of a writers fertile ground. Who better to know what we need to do than frog and toad.
Lynn~~
November 6, 2012 at 10:35 am
Mary Flynn
Love the idea of walking away and not thinking about the ideas, so many ideas have come to me when I’m being quiet, or thinking about something else.
November 6, 2012 at 10:42 am
Melinda Beavers
Great post – love your work!
November 6, 2012 at 10:42 am
mbeaversillustration
Great post, love your work!
November 6, 2012 at 11:05 am
Rick Starkey
My ideas are like the seeds. Some grow into stories, some get buried for a while and sometimes sprout.
Thanks for the post.
November 6, 2012 at 11:11 am
Nancy Armo
Love hanging out with Frog and Toad. Wonderful stories. Great advice.
Thank you, Deborah for an inspiring post.
November 6, 2012 at 11:15 am
lauraboffa
Great advice! Some of my ideas from last year’s PiBoIdMo are still starting to blossom… even the ones I’d dismissed as weeds.
November 6, 2012 at 11:16 am
White Wolf Studio
Ideas are very fragile and bold at the same time. Nurturing them really tests them too. Great post, thank you!
November 6, 2012 at 11:17 am
Kate Rose Johnson
Love this post! ❤
November 6, 2012 at 11:20 am
Jen Judd
This is one of my favorite Frog and Toad stories! Love the analogy! And now I want a cookie (of course;)).
November 6, 2012 at 11:21 am
C. C. Gevry
I had forgotten all about this story. What fabulous advice. I usually need to stew on my ideas for a while. Truly consider them. The first idea took two years. Thankfully, they don’t all take that long.
November 6, 2012 at 11:21 am
Rebecca Van Slyke
That Frog… so wise!
Going to get an idea,
and then a cookie.
November 6, 2012 at 11:28 am
julie rowan zoch
Great post – thanks for reminding us of Lobel’s brilliance, 25 years after he left us to ‘grow our own seeds’!
November 6, 2012 at 11:31 am
Annette Pimentel
The cookies are good right up until you need to put them in a box wrapped with string on the top shelf of the closet.
November 6, 2012 at 11:35 am
Keri
My Muse doesn’t respond well to shouting either. She much prefers walks and naps. Thanks for the inspiration!
November 6, 2012 at 11:49 am
Melanie Ellsworth
Many thanks for this post. I had actually found myself with fewer ideas during this picture book idea month than I usually have, and I think it was because I was shouting too loudly at myself to come up with a good idea. So this reminder to let ideas come quietly and develop slowly was very helpful! I look forward to sharing your book, Blue Chicken, with my daughter when it comes out.
November 6, 2012 at 11:54 am
Sheri
Thanks for the ideas relating to Frog and Toad. I also go to Rick Walton’s site for lists of idea story starters. Hope others find it helpful, too.
November 6, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Jennifer Lorrekovich
Thank you, I love Frog and Toad. Lesson learned from another great story. You do catch more flies with honey than vinegar. 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Elizabeth Coburn
“Cookies” is just about my all time favorite story. I love Frog and Toad!
November 6, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Quinn Cole
Great lessons from Frog and Toad. I’ve found that in today’s anti-bullying climate, my creativity doesn’t like to be “bullied” or forced to perform either. Now, after coming to that realization, I just carry my PiBoIdMo notebook with me everywhere and net the ideas as they appear.
November 6, 2012 at 12:45 pm
aneducationinbooks
Great advice!
November 6, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Michelle Proper
Nice advice, Deborah and F&T!
November 6, 2012 at 12:57 pm
LeslieG
Gardens! Cookies! Birds! Squirrels! Blue chickens! Wahoo!
November 6, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Heather Newman
It’s easy to forget that the quiet is where ideas have the space to grow. Excellent advice. We discovered Blue Chicken at the library this summer – it’s a beautiful book!
November 6, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Cindyb
What a fun post. Thanks for sharing. And now I’ll go find some good smelling cookies and taste one…
November 6, 2012 at 1:11 pm
debjohnson
Thank you for the great post today, Deb. I love to find my quiet place and retreat with a steaming hot cup of coffee and take a stroll through the ideas that have been asking to play 🙂 Wonder which one will get chosen today?!
Wonderful and inspiring…again, thanks!
November 6, 2012 at 1:13 pm
Anne Bromley
What a clever and lovely reminder that ideas must be grown with quiet and TLC. Thank you.
November 6, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Christy Peterson
Frog and Toad are my “mostest favorite!” I have read that story for groups of children and adults. 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 1:41 pm
B.J. Lee
What a great post. really hit home. Thank you!
November 6, 2012 at 1:50 pm
janelle
Thanks!
November 6, 2012 at 2:27 pm
Patricia Tilton
Love the anology of toad and frog to our writing! It is a proven fact that if you talk nicely to plants they thrive, if you put them near noise, they don’t. UMH — a lesson here. Thanks so much!
November 6, 2012 at 3:10 pm
Diane Kress Hower
Great post. I am a big fan of frog and toad 🙂 even though people say they are out dated. I don’t coax ideas. They just come randomly into my head usually by seeing or hearing something or sometimes from the twilight zone.
November 6, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Marcy P.
And I was JUST saying, “I really want a cookie.” Which is unusual for me… as I prefer salty/crunchies 🙂 Then I realized why I couldn’t have one (or, don’t, for that matter)… I haven’t come up with my idea yet! But I won’t be shouting… no, I’ll keep reading, and waiting, and listening. Thanks for the reminder that ideas can’t be rushed. 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 3:42 pm
Sue Heavenrich
I LOVE Love love Frog & Toad! And I love your wonderful post – time for me to check out the book(s) again and take notes. About those seeds… they also like it if you dance – the vibrations help wake them up. Of course, you need to tie some bells on your toes…
November 6, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Rosanne
Couldn’t be more true. Thanks for sharing. Rosanne
November 6, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Robert Weinstock
Don’t forget to listen to the trees too…they are full of topnotch advice and they’ll never eat the last cookie when you weren’t looking. Arnold Lobel must have been a wise man or talmudic scholar in a different lifetime. Your work is lovely, Deborah!
November 6, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Kevin J. Doyle
Yes, this is an excellent post! I dig well-crafted analogies and thinking of ideas as seeds which must be nurtured and cared for, that’s simply great advice. Thank you!
November 6, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Darshana
Great advice and love the Frog and Toad analogies.
November 6, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Romelle Broas
The things we can learn from picture books! Thank you Frog and Toad and Deborah.
November 6, 2012 at 4:23 pm
mikelaprevost
Seeds will have a greater meaning after such an insightful post. Thank you for helping us be quiet.
November 6, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Lauri
Great post! Let the seeds of your imagination grow.
November 6, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Joanne Roberts
Love, love, love this post! Thank-you. I’d love to win your book. How do I coax my ideas to grow? Word play! Eggplant, Ellen’s eggplant, Ellen’s enormous eggplant, eating eggplant, treating eggplant, defeating eggplant, defeating eggs from another planet . . .
Goofy? Yeah, but it jump-starts my brain and silences my inner critic.
November 6, 2012 at 4:46 pm
kirabigwood
Yes! We must always fill the well. I enjoy lunch in Millennium Park when the weather is nice. You can usually catch the orchestra practicing.
November 6, 2012 at 5:11 pm
thiskidreviewsbooks
I like the Frog and Toad stories! I also had an idea today! Can I have a cookie? 😉 Pick me please!
November 6, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Robin Bulleri
I’m sure we could all make a list of life lessons learned from Frog and Toad. Thanks.
November 6, 2012 at 6:12 pm
Gail Kamer
Blue Paint and a Blue Chicken–can he sing stay offa my blue suede shoes!!!!
November 6, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Carol Nelson
Sometimes, all we really need to do is give our minds a chance to work without all the nagging background noise. Thanks for a great post.
November 6, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Therese Nagi
I enjoyed Frog and Toad Stories. Thank you for giving us the analogy of those stories to writing. As writers we want our ideas/inspiration to sprout now! Like Frog and Toad we need to be patient with ourselves to have our ideas bloom in their own time.
November 6, 2012 at 7:00 pm
deborah freedman
All of these comments are really making me smile. Thanks, everyone, and have fun cultivating your gardens!
November 6, 2012 at 7:35 pm
Holly
Great incentive, a cookie. Thanks for the inspiration. And as a gardener, I can relate! (Although I’ve never sung to my seeds.)
November 6, 2012 at 7:40 pm
Kathy
Love the analogy. Thanks.
November 6, 2012 at 8:09 pm
viviankirkfield
I always loved the “Frog and Toad” stories…life sometimes gets so hectic and frantic…it’s no wonder our ideas are lost in the maze. 🙂 Your advice to be still and cultivate patience (and perhaps a garden) is spot on, Deborah! Thanks for sharing this golden nugget with us…I am adding it to my PiBoIdMo treasure chest. 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Sally Matheny
I wish Frog would come hang out and share a cookie with me. 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement!
November 6, 2012 at 8:21 pm
Debbie Austin
Thanks for your post today! I needed this reminder. I was just feeling panicky about my ideas not sprouting. Your post encouraged me to stop panicking and do the things that inspire ideas, that coax them out.
November 6, 2012 at 8:52 pm
beingbelly
Ahhh – the sage advice from Frog and Toad, my much cherished childhood pals. This obviously struck a chord with many of us – for our writing and for our lives. For me, it reminds me to appreciate my son’s giggle, and wiggle, and laugh, and scoot … to stop looking ahead to the crawl and instead revel in the (relatively non-mobile) present one-toothed grin. Which, I must say, is so darn adorable! Thanks again!
November 6, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Lois Sepahban
Thank you for a fun and encouraging post!
November 6, 2012 at 9:43 pm
SevenAcreSky
Deborah, what perfect analogies!
I have finally learned to let my seeds grow. They need time and light and dark and night and water and csd and…weeding. LOTS of weeding. It helps to have others visit my garden too, and to visit other gardeners’ plots. Thanks for this lovely post. – Damon Dean
November 6, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Donna Black
Love the cover art for Blue Chicken!
November 6, 2012 at 10:04 pm
Ashley Bankhead
Sometimes I am better at letting my seeds grow. But sometimes I am shouting too much. This post was a good reminder.
November 6, 2012 at 10:08 pm
jacquesartandbooks
Loved your post and Toads idea of doing other things while not worrying works for me (maybe I was a toad in another life)
November 6, 2012 at 10:20 pm
Christian Frey
I loved seeing spreads from Blue Chicken over at Julie Daniel’s Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Would love to win a copy of the book!
November 6, 2012 at 10:26 pm
Jenny Boyd
Thanks for the inspiration! I know they say quality is more important than quantity. One of the reasons I think PiBoIdMo is so great, though, is that it encourages quantity when in the past we may have held back, because the story wasn’t yet “perfect.” This month-long writing challenge encourages us to first come up with a bunch of ideas (even rough ones), and then transform them into quality stories.
November 8, 2012 at 1:43 pm
deborah freedman
I agree, of course we eventually have to work hard to turn these ideas into something more, but there is a time for loosening up too, and a great time for that is PiBoIdMo!
November 6, 2012 at 10:33 pm
Lori Grusin Degman
Terrific post, Deborah! I’m always inspired by the friendship between frog and toad! If the inside pages of Blue Chicken are anything like the cover, it must be amazing!
November 7, 2012 at 2:16 am
Dee Almond
Love, love, love the cover of “Blue Chicken!” Can’t wait to read this book.
November 7, 2012 at 2:55 am
Zara Bloomfield
I too am an architect that writes picture books in her ‘spare’ time!! Time is the limiting factor for me in PiBoIdMo.. So I tend to sketch in bed just before falling asleep.. But the ideas flood in all day at work.. I jot them on a post-it & draw them up later!
Had a really good one last night.. so.. time for a cookie!! 😉
November 7, 2012 at 5:01 am
kikimoo
Thank you PiBoIdMo for introducing me to so many fabulous authors (and in this case author/illustrators!) Deborah, I’m in awe of your beautiful work!
November 7, 2012 at 7:00 am
The Ink Pond
Frog and Toad-my absolute favorite childhood books!
Tia Svardahl, The Ink Pond
November 7, 2012 at 9:16 am
cat jones
Thanks. That got my creative mind heading off into interesting new areas!
November 7, 2012 at 9:23 am
Amy
This is a beautiful, child-like take on ‘the critic’ from one of my favorite childhood stories. I haven’t read Frog and Toad since I began to garden. Need to rectify that. Thanks!
November 7, 2012 at 9:41 am
Diana Murray
What a cozy and comforting post! Thank you, Deborah. It’s so true. Sometimes the best thing to do is just relax and enjoy life, and the ideas will come all on their own. 🙂
November 7, 2012 at 9:45 am
h1jackson
Lessons from Frog and Toad…priceless!
November 7, 2012 at 10:13 am
Carrie Finison
I love Frog and Toad so much — there’s a lot of wisdom to be found there. I do find that I can never get an idea (at least not a good one) by sitting myself down to think of ideas. (“Now self, THINK.”) They only come when I’m quietly going about other things.
Great post!
November 7, 2012 at 10:55 am
Beth MacKinney
Thank you for the post! (And I love the cover of your book!)
November 7, 2012 at 11:03 am
Linda Norman-Lyman
Frog and Toad has many good lessons to remember.
November 7, 2012 at 11:52 am
Judy Cox
Good advice from Frog and Toad. Yes, I recognize myself. I’m shouting at my ideas. I need to return to the Zen “beginner’s mind” state in which creating=play, and silence my inner critic.
November 7, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Loni Edwards (@LoniEdwards)
Great advice! I love Frog and Toad. For inspiration, I usually go on walks. Nature is a great resource!
November 7, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Elizabeth Rose Stanton
I ❤ this post, and I ❤ Frog and Toad 🙂
November 7, 2012 at 12:58 pm
stephseclecticinterests
I love it best when ideas sneak up on my and take me by surprise. What a great post! Thanks for sharing.
November 7, 2012 at 1:14 pm
Rachel Hamby
Thanks Deborah. I love Blue Chicken, BTW. I enjoy coaxing an idea to grow. I think I do most of my yelling and fussing while looking for a good seed! This year, I realized I can’t sit at my desk forcing an idea. I need to take a walk at the end of the day. Take the bits of inspiration that came my way and mull them over. That’s where I find my seeds. Next month, I’ll plant the good ones and see if they sprout. 🙂
November 7, 2012 at 1:16 pm
Lisa Anchin
Frog and Toad were a staple of my childhood. This was such an lovely and inspiring post. Thanks!
November 7, 2012 at 2:17 pm
Laura Sassi
Another great post! I find that the more I try to force an idea to sprout before it’s ready, the harder that little seed shell remains. To use another analogy, forcing a story idea to emerge before it’s ready, is like watching the kettle. The water (or story idea) won’t steam up, until I step away and let it boil at it’s natural pace.
November 7, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Debbie Mickelson
A great post. I often realize that ideas come to me when I’m not trying so hard. I also want to re-read this book. Thanks.
November 7, 2012 at 3:37 pm
Kathryn Ault Noble
Thank you, Deborah! Great analogy, especially for a seed saver. I hoard heirloom vegetable seeds, growing the seeds only for collecting more seeds each year, and sometimes they cross pollinate into new and unusual veggies. You have encouraged me to plant some of my awful terrible ideas! Who knows what new ideas will sprout? 🙂
November 7, 2012 at 4:23 pm
Desiree Batson
Put those cookies where even the smallest hands can reach them. Reminds me to remember my audience!
November 7, 2012 at 4:32 pm
Tracy Shave
Great post! Loving all these blog posts – they are very helpful.
November 7, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Kelly Ramsdell Fineman
I absolutely adored this post. Thank you, Deborah!
November 7, 2012 at 8:24 pm
Amy Cohas
Thank you. It is like what I tell my kids when they are frantic that they can’t find their glasses, sneakers, favorite book, etc. Sometimes the harder you try to find something, the more lost it seems to be. Then if you “give up” for a little while, it magically appears.
November 7, 2012 at 8:52 pm
Jennifer Rumberger
Wonderful post, Deborah! Just be still and patient, definitely hard to do as a writer at times!
November 7, 2012 at 10:03 pm
sharann
I very much enjoyed this playful lesson.Thanks, Deborah.
November 7, 2012 at 10:15 pm
Jennifer Glahn Reck
What a great lesson. I find inspiration from reading not just children’s picture books, but I often get ideas when I’m reading more grown up novels!
November 7, 2012 at 10:27 pm
Bill Bibo
Another architect here. Your post gives me hope. Thanks
November 7, 2012 at 10:43 pm
novalibrarymom
Yay, Frog and Toad! How do I get my ideas to grow? Hmmm…I do alot of shower thinking, or while driving the kiddos around. It’s (relatively) quiet, the chaos is (relatively) contained, and it’s in these moments I find stories weaving themselves out.
November 8, 2012 at 12:24 am
Jen Carroll
My daughter and I love reading Frog and Toad together … so many lovely lessons!
November 8, 2012 at 12:30 am
jessica shaw
Ah, Frog and Toad…love those guys. Having a quiet moment now that everyone else is asleep, and really enjoyed your post, Deborah. AND a fun PB idea just came to me, so maybe I’ll have a cookie before turning in:)
November 8, 2012 at 10:24 am
Abigail
Love Frog and Toad. Also love Scribble. And Blue Chicken looks fabulous. Congratulations, Debbie! Thanks for the inspiring post. (I miss you from my days in the CT crit group!) Abby
November 8, 2012 at 1:33 pm
deborah freedman
Abby from CT? I miss you too! How are you?? https://www.facebook.com/deborah.freedman.author.illustrator
November 8, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Abigail
Yes! I’m here with the family in Arlington, VA. Just sent you an email on FB.
PS What terrific reviews you received for Blue Chicken!
November 8, 2012 at 11:30 am
Diandra Mae
Oh Frog and Toad! A perennial favorite in this house (for the little ones and me!). For my ideas to shout, I too need quiet, but first I need to make sure my creative well is full. So I too read books, go on walks with the dogs, bake cookies, go to museums, etc. Once my head is full of Life, I can sit in my favorite chair, stare out the window, and wonder “what if.” That’s when the ideas come flying at me! 😀 Great post, Deborah.
November 8, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Mel Copeman
I want to give this post to my noisy neighbour. She has her dog grooming buisness in the room next to mine… barking, yelling, hair driers… I just want to yell “shut up you’re scaring my ideas!”
November 8, 2012 at 1:38 pm
deborah freedman
Haha, good luck with that!
November 8, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Kerry Mazengia
Thank you so much for the reminder….to get out and do something else – the world around us is full of ideas just waiting for a picture book to jump into!
November 8, 2012 at 1:40 pm
deborah freedman
It’s so exciting to see so many motivated writers in one place. Cookies for everyone!
November 8, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Jean Hall
What do I do to come up with new story ideas?
Stop. Stop trying. I watch and listen and relax a bit.
Then, pop! An idea (sometimes good and sometimes awful) pops into my head.
Then I grab a pen and paper really quick.
Thanks for the delightful post.
Jean
November 8, 2012 at 7:12 pm
Corey Schwartz
Oh, so that’s my problem! I am always shouting too. GROW NOW IDEAS GROW!
November 8, 2012 at 7:35 pm
helennhill
Will these seeds be plucked out while I’m not looking? Is the earth PH balance right? Is the temperature right? Will the sun come down to fast and scorch the fragile budding leaves? Oh Today oh Froggy help!!!
: )
November 9, 2012 at 12:47 am
Kari Allen (@Kari_D_Allen)
Frog and Toad can help you solve any problem!
November 9, 2012 at 3:13 am
Kristiane Pedersen
You helped me realize that I need to nourish not only my stories, but me! Thanks!
November 9, 2012 at 9:32 am
Annie Silvestro
Thanks for the post! Loving all this inspiration. Huge fan of BLUE CHICKEN!!
November 9, 2012 at 9:40 am
Angela De Groot
I know what you mean – some of my best ideas come to me while I’m washing my hair in the shower. I’m keen to see if baking cookies will work for me too. And if it doesn’t, at least I’ll have yummy cookies.
November 9, 2012 at 4:52 pm
deborah freedman
So many writers seem to get inspired in the shower! Funny, I never have— which maybe makes me even more like Toad—
“I hope that if I pour water over my head, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.
Toad poured many glasses of water over his head. But he could not think of a story to tell Frog. Then Toad began to bang his head against the wall.
November 9, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Sallie Wolf
I always loved the wisdom in Frog and Toad. I often quote from one of their stories (I forget which one)–“I am not afraid!” Thanks for the post.
Sallie Wolf
November 9, 2012 at 10:31 pm
Jennifer Ali
Frog and Toad are the yin and yang in my life.
November 9, 2012 at 11:14 pm
Hannah Holt
Perfect advice for me today. I have been trying to shake the ideas out of my head and that just doesn’t work. Blue chicken looks delightful. Who knew blue could look so happy? Love it.
November 10, 2012 at 10:35 am
Sharon Calle
Frog and Toad were my favorite as a child. I too can be too hard on myself or impatient when a story idea isn’t working out. Stepping away from whatever you are creating definitely helps.
November 10, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Catherine
We often borrowed Frog and Toad books from the library as children and I had totally forgotten about them. Thank you for reminding me!
November 12, 2012 at 11:00 am
Marcie Colleen
Thank you for reminding us of the gentle lessons in FROG AND TOAD. Who says that kids age out of picture books? I still find so much I can learn from them. 🙂
November 12, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Brook Gideon
Deborah,
Cookies are the best! Thank you for a wonderful post. To make them grow, I have to shut down and not really be thinking of anything.. or just meandering my way around a list of things related to the idea, doodles and all! Now, onto more cookies!
November 12, 2012 at 6:52 pm
angelapenadahle
I was craving pie before reading this post…but now I’m wanting cookies too. LOL.
@ Marcie Colleen: I agree with you all the way. I learn so much from picture books. 🙂
I find that pushing things along does not work for me. I have to explore, live, read, listen to music…I basically have to be so VERY curious. Everyday. Unceasingly curious. That is when I find my ideas-when I’m not afraid to explore or be curious.
November 12, 2012 at 8:19 pm
colleen kosinski
Love Blue Chicken!
November 13, 2012 at 2:51 am
Anjali Amit
Ah the wisdom of frog and toad. How I love those books.
Anjali
November 13, 2012 at 10:41 am
susan crites
idea? check. cookie? soon to be a check . . . and a smile!
November 16, 2012 at 10:56 am
Jill Proctor
What a cute post. And so true. I find I get really tired of an idea and put it down for a couple weeks, or a year….and when I read it again I love it all over again. I have many. I just have to finish them now. Thanks!
November 16, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Priscilla Mizell
Right now, I’m waiting for one of my PB sprouts to grow. Your post is a delightful reminder that sometimes these things take time.
P.S. I heart BLUE CHICKEN.
November 17, 2012 at 7:22 pm
Elaine Kearns
Grow PB, grow! 🙂
November 20, 2012 at 1:53 am
Lisa Olson
Great post!
November 7, 2013 at 2:31 pm
Holly Bliss
What I do to allow a story to grow is to keep an idea that intrigues me in the back of my brain and I go do the stuff I need to get done that day. All while I’m doing things, usually at the oddest moments, an idea or phrase will come to me and I add it to my brainstorming page for that idea. By the time I go to flesh out a rough draft I have most, if not all, of what I need to complete it. Great post 🙂