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Storystorm 2023 Day 29: Laura Lavoie Recycles Characters & Concepts

January 29, 2023 8:00 am

by Laura Lavoie

Before we dive into this post, let’s all take a moment to give a round of applause for Tara. How about a round of applause for YOU, because if you’ve made it this far, you’re almost to the end!

Storystorm has given me a gazillion ideas over the years. In fact, the ideas for my first two picture books both came from Storystorm 2019. I got the idea for my debut, VAMPIRE VACATION (illustrated by Micah Player), from a post about inherent conflict. That post made me think, What would happen if a vampire wanted to visit a sunshine-y beach?

From there, a story about a little vampire named Fang who dreams of sunshine, sandcastles, and surfing was born. Coincidentally, did you know that the last day of Storystorm is also National Plan Your Vacation Day? What a perfect time—as you wrap up the hard work of brainstorming 30 ideas—to make a plan to intentionally rest and recharge!

My second book, MONSTER BAKER, illustrated by Vanessa Morales, will dash to shelves this August. The brilliant blogger who wrote the post that gave me the idea for this story suggested pairing things that are scary with things that are not scary. Here, you can see lists I made of scary characters and not-so-scary hobbies.

MONSTER BAKER is about a little monster who thinks her grandmonster’s baked goods are the best. Together, they watch their favorite French pastry chef, Pierre du Monstère, on TV. Does this bring back Julia Child memories for anyone else?

I wish I could say that every Storystorm idea I’ve had is fated to become a book someday. (Don’t we all?!) The truth is, some ideas just don’t cut the mustard. Including a story I wrote about mustard, which sadly died on sub.

That doesn’t mean, though, that these ideas are all destined for the Island of Bad Ideas, which I imagine to be something like the Island of Misfit Toys. In reality, it’s more like my stack of old idea notebooks, which are brimming with titles, characters, and story sparks that have never seen the light of day.

Sometimes, the original idea might not be a winner, but I encourage you to consider: where could it lead you? What I’ve discovered is that I don’t need hundreds of unique ideas. Characters, concepts, titles, and more can be recycled. (Upcycled? Repurposed? Something like that.) Here’s what I mean…

Many years back, I brainstormed a title that I thought was genius. I Googled it extensively. It hadn’t been done. Bingo! I must write it.

Ultimately, though, I didn’t like how the manuscript turned out. After several revisions, the title was still great, but the story was decidedly meh. I wound up scrapping it and moving on.

Despite not vibing with that manuscript, I loved the spunky, brave best friend I had cast for my main character. I found myself recasting her as the best pal in a few subsequent stories. Finally, it clicked: this best bud needed a tale of her own. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? It was like an idea bubble had popped up above my head; much like my little amateur chef, Tillie, realizing that she could bake a cake on her own, without Grandmonster’s help.

The manuscript that resulted from this aha! moment is now in the lineup of sub-ready stories my agent sends to editors. Hopefully, (maybe, fingers crossed) you’ll see it on shelves someday.

So that’s the story of how I recycled a minor character into a starring role. But what about recycling a concept Well…

A yet-to-be-announced book I have coming out is a very, very heavily revised version of a manuscript that sprung from my Storystorm 2017 idea list. In this case, I had come up with an idea for a character after scrolling through pictures on my phone’s camera roll, stumbling upon a picture of my dad, and suddenly thinking of a particular animal. (Sorry, Dad. All good things, I promise!) In the version you’ll see on shelves, I recycled the basic concept but changed pretty much everything else–including that initial character, who ultimately got the ax. (Sorry, Dad. Again.)

For your brainstorming task today, I encourage you to go back to your old Storystorm journals, to your misfit manuscripts, to those ideas you cast aside as unworkable, and see if something sparks. Time and fresh perspective can do wonders for the creative mind. Maybe it’s just a title that strikes you, or a minor character, or a teeny tiny seed you planted in a draft, thinking it wasn’t super significant. Let your mind wander, and see where those old ideas take you.

Laura Lavoie writes humorous, pun-filled picture books. She is the author of Vampire Vacation, published by Viking in 2022, as well as the forthcoming titles Monster Baker (Roaring Brook Press, 2023), Duck, Duck, Taco Truck (Doubleday, 2024), and more on the way! When she’s not writing or reading books, she can be found in the kitchen, cooking up something delicious, or playing outside: hiking, kayaking, gardening, or hanging around in trees. You can visit her at LauraLavoieAuthor.com, or find her on Twitter and Instagram @llavoieauthor.

Laura is giving away a 30-minute Ask-Me-Anything Zoom chat to talk about picture book craft, querying, promo groups, the best types of cheese… anything you’d like!

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2023 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post. ↓

Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.

Posted by Tara Lazar

Categories: STORYSTORM 2023

Tags: Laura Lavoie, Micah Player, MONSTER BAKER, VAMPIRE VACATION, Vanessa Morales

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522 Responses to “Storystorm 2023 Day 29: Laura Lavoie Recycles Characters & Concepts”

1. Great tips. Thanks.

   By asiqueira1307 on January 29, 2023 at 8:09 am

   1. Thank you for the post—another great way to upcycle!

      Congratulations on your upcoming books.

      By Lauren Barbieri on January 29, 2023 at 6:06 pm

2. Love this post. I do these things. I LOVE lists! Thank you for a great post. Have a wonderful day.

   By sburdorf on January 29, 2023 at 8:09 am

3. I love the title Duck, Duck, Taco Truck! Brings me back to childhood summer camp lunchtime games… can’t wait to read it 🙂

   By Audrey on January 29, 2023 at 8:10 am

   1. Great idea to revisit characters, titles , old idea journals. Can’t wait to see what I discover! Thanks so much!

      By kurtzmom548513 on January 29, 2023 at 9:37 am

4. clap clap clap clap!!! Yay Tara. Thank you for this month of wonder. I hate that it’s coming to an end. And yay to you, Laura for this “old” idea inspiring post. Thank you. Thank you.

   By mona861 on January 29, 2023 at 8:13 am

5. off to hunt for my journal

   By jcherney3 on January 29, 2023 at 8:16 am

6. Thank you, Laura!
   And definitely Tara, too, for a wonderful Storystorm 2023! Going back into my file of characters, ideas, etc. is a great idea. I’m doing it. Congratulations on your many books, Laura.
   Mark

   By Mark Bentz on January 29, 2023 at 8:16 am

7. Congratulations on Monster Baker and Vampire Vacation! And everything yet to come. 🙂 I also really love the idea of repurposing characters and titles.

   By erinquill8 on January 29, 2023 at 8:18 am

8. clap clap clap clap and thanks to Tara. Our new story idea month is coming to an end. Oh my! And thank you Laura for inspiring us to look into “old” story ideas for new ones.

   By mona861 on January 29, 2023 at 8:19 am

9. I love Aha! moments!!!

   By Jany Campana on January 29, 2023 at 8:32 am

10. Good advice , Laurie. Recycled characters are the best. They get inside your head screaming, “I need a story. Write it!” Thank you for sharing your writing journey.

    By gayleckrause on January 29, 2023 at 8:35 am

11. Some great tips, Laura. Thanks! Congratulations on your books.
    Gail Hartman

    By thecrowsmap on January 29, 2023 at 8:36 am

12. Great post! I love the idea of mixing something scary with something non-scary or other sort of opposites.

    By Sarah Hetu-Radny on January 29, 2023 at 8:37 am

13. Such fun! As a baker, Monster Baker is my type of book! Thanks for your encouragement and best wishes on your books!

    By amyhouts on January 29, 2023 at 8:42 am

14. Thanks Laura for this great post. I laughed when you said go through our old Storystorm journals…because as writers, you know we keep everything.
    Congratulations on your books.

    By awritersdream41 on January 29, 2023 at 8:44 am

15. Hi Laura! So nice to see you here:) Fun tips and I love seeing the inspiration behind your wonderful books! Look forward to reading Monster Baker!! All the best! And thanks for another wonderful post, Tara.

    By Rosanna Montanaro on January 29, 2023 at 8:46 am

16. I will definitely revisit my old ideas! Those manuscript journals are priceless! Thank you for your post!

    By Farida Zaman on January 29, 2023 at 8:46 am

17. Laura this is genius. I also got journal envy. I’d love the llama one. Ok I’m off to recycle ideas. Hmmm I just got an idea. Love this Storystorm month. Could we convince Tara to do a repeat..January in June Storystorm ?

    By kiwijenny on January 29, 2023 at 8:46 am

18. Recycled characters, great tips, Laura. Looking forward to reading your books.

    By lynjekowsky on January 29, 2023 at 8:48 am

19. What’s not to love about your post, Laura. Nothing. It’s got the lot – cheese, puns, tacos, ducks, misfits and vacations. Oodles of goodness!

    By Kelly Hibbert on January 29, 2023 at 8:51 am

20. Great ideas, Laura. I love minig old notebooks for ideas. Thanks for your time and for sharing!

    By rosecappelli on January 29, 2023 at 8:55 am

21. Thanks for sharing. Sometimes a fresh look at something we’re working on can give it new life.

    By Martha Hollenhorst on January 29, 2023 at 8:58 am

22. Wonderful inspiration, thank you! Going t my camera roll now!!

    By Melissa Rafson Friedman on January 29, 2023 at 9:01 am

23. Thanks for the renewable perspective Laura!

    By Jan Milusich on January 29, 2023 at 9:01 am

24. I had to pause reading midway to jot down an idea. You got my sleepy mind whirring!

    By Monica Acker on January 29, 2023 at 9:09 am

25. Oh wow! I’ve seen your vampire cover picture before! Is James McGowan your literary agent? I’ve been keeping an eye on his page and waiting for him to open to queries for picture books so that I can query him! I wish you all the best with the sub-ready stories you have out there to be published right now! And thank you so much for all of the wonderful ideas today! It is awesome to think about keeping ideas that don’t quite make it there to possibly be recycled in some way. And brainstorming unlikely matches of things struck my interest, too! Thanks again so much! Your post is super exciting, fun, and inspiring!

    By Heather Skinner on January 29, 2023 at 9:11 am

    1. Yes, James is my agent. My “secret agent”, as my kids refer to him! He’s the best.

       By Laura Lavoie on January 29, 2023 at 3:51 pm

26. Thank you for this! Time and fresh perspective are important. And I do have a title and manuscript that I just can’t let go, but have taken a break from to get that fresh perspective. Maybe this is the year for it!

    By Jennifer on January 29, 2023 at 9:14 am

27. Everyone has story. Love the unexpected plot twists of a different story and character, than what I started with.

    By ramonapersaudwrites on January 29, 2023 at 9:15 am

28. I love this idea for the end of Storystorm, when some of us may be struggling to get to 30 ideas!

    By michelemeleen on January 29, 2023 at 9:17 am

29. It’s funny, just yesterday I went back to last year’s STORYSTORM and revisited an idea

    By Becca McMurdie on January 29, 2023 at 9:17 am

30. Laura, thank you for the reminder to recycle/repurpose/upcycle ideas/characters/titles from past manuscripts and StoryStorm ideas into new manuscripts. I looked at some of my older lists earlier this month and was reminded of a few gems. I also revisited some older manuscripts last summer and reworked a few. To your continued success!

    By ptnozell on January 29, 2023 at 9:21 am

31. Thanks for the inspiration and encouragement, Laura. Thank you for taking the time to write the fabulous post!

    By Lynn McCracken on January 29, 2023 at 9:21 am

32. …and I have dozens of those meh manuscripts, so I will definitely go mine them! Thank you!

    By Patricia Franz on January 29, 2023 at 9:22 am

33. Congratulations on your books, Laura! Monster Baker looks adorable. I tend to give up or throw bad ideas away, so I love that maybe they just need a little tweak to turn into something new.

    By Laura Wippell on January 29, 2023 at 9:22 am

34. It’s always enlightening to look back at old Storystorm ideas. You never know if it’s going to be a: WHAT WAS I THINKING?! or hmmmm….I think there’s something there 🙂

    By Sara Ackerman on January 29, 2023 at 9:28 am

35. Great idea to look through past Storystorm ideas, Laura (I think I had better ideas 3 years ago!) Thanks for sharing, and for your generous prize!

    By Deborah Agranat Sullivan on January 29, 2023 at 9:32 am

36. So many great ideas, Laura. Thanks!

    By David McMullin on January 29, 2023 at 9:38 am

37. Laurie, Congratulations on your forth coming books and Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Tara. Storystorm is a joy.

    By ET Charles on January 29, 2023 at 9:40 am

38. Congratulations on your books. This is a great message on not giving up and going back to look at your ideas.

    By Pamela S Swanson on January 29, 2023 at 9:42 am

39. Thank you Laura. What I love about this is it makes it easier to put away ideas that aren’t working — knowing I’ll see them again some day.

    By karenrafeedie on January 29, 2023 at 9:42 am

40. Delightful ideas on a dreary day-thank you!

    By lsheroan on January 29, 2023 at 9:45 am

41. Thanks for the inspiration!

    By Jessica Coupé on January 29, 2023 at 9:51 am

42. Thanks for the suggestions Laura! And congratulations on all of your successes!!

    By Colleen Owen Murphy on January 29, 2023 at 9:54 am

43. Thanks for your suggestions Laura! And congratulation on all of your successes!

    By Colleen Owen Murphy on January 29, 2023 at 9:55 am

44. Just the other day I was being hard on myself for almost finished projects, abandoned for one reason and another. I”m going to upcycle the notion of “unfinished projects” to “misfit manuscripts” and start mining them. Thank you for this post Laura.

    By andreesantini on January 29, 2023 at 9:55 am

45. Congratulations on all your successes! Can’t wait to add the new books to my collection! LM

    By Lynne Marie on January 29, 2023 at 9:56 am

46. Loved hearing how StoryStorm ideas have worked out for you! I hope all your manuscripts on submission are published!

    By Linda Kay Chavez on January 29, 2023 at 9:58 am

47. I love this idea. Thank you for the advice!

    By Leah Moser on January 29, 2023 at 10:01 am

48. I absolutely love seeing how the blog topics prompted specific ideas that morphed into fully fleshed-out books! Congrats on your published works. They look totally fun!

    By mjohnstonmiles on January 29, 2023 at 10:01 am

49. I really related to this post. Now and then I take out “loved but not quite there” manuscripts and revise with fresh eyes. (And speaking of National Vacation Month… I’m reading this on a scuba trip in Belize. Saw a shark with a hook stick in its mouth. Is there a story there? Hmmm).

    By Rachelle Burk on January 29, 2023 at 10:06 am

50. Thanks for the fabulous tips. I will definitely look at those old notes to generate ideas. I love the way you think.

    By Thelia Hutchinson on January 29, 2023 at 10:06 am

51. Your books sound so unique, cute, and fun! Thanks for the inspiration.

    By Jenny Boyd on January 29, 2023 at 10:13 am

52. Great idea Laura. Old ideas can spark something new!

    By Kristie J Drake on January 29, 2023 at 10:16 am

53. I have been encouraged that it is okay to put a manuscript away. Some work. Some don’t. Just keep collecting ideas and trying them out.

    By Kathryn LeRoy on January 29, 2023 at 10:16 am

54. “A story about mustard that died on sub” – was that a pun? Off to look over some old ideas… Thanks!

    By Monty Harper on January 29, 2023 at 10:17 am

55. Well, I certainly have a lot of those (old ideas)! Think I’ll go digging through old notebooks today!

    By mlyablonaolcom on January 29, 2023 at 10:20 am

56. Lots of good inspiration here – thanks for sharing Laura!

    By bgonsar on January 29, 2023 at 10:21 am

57. Great post, Laura! Thank you!

    By Midge Smith on January 29, 2023 at 10:24 am

58. Thanks for cooking up a storm of new ideas.

    By Joyce Uglow on January 29, 2023 at 10:24 am

59. This is a great idea to use even after STORYSTORM! Thanks for sharing.

    By Lynn M. Mondello on January 29, 2023 at 10:26 am

60. Lots of old ideas from the years of taking part in this annual event! Thanks Laura!

    By kimpfenn on January 29, 2023 at 10:29 am

61. Thank you, Laura. Congratulations on all your publishing success!

    By Linda KulpTrout on January 29, 2023 at 10:29 am

62. A great idea is still a great idea. Thanks for permission

    By SHARON LANGLEY on January 29, 2023 at 10:29 am

63. I’ve been writing social stories for my autistic speech and language students for years to help them navigate this often confusing world (I am a neurodiversity affirming therapist and believe that the world needs to change, not my autistic students). So thank you for suggesting that we dust off old writings. I’m just entering the world of PB writing and this is my first StoryStorm experience, so it’s all a bit overwhelming, but if I write what I know maybe it will be easier. Also, really looking forward to sharing your books with my students. Thanks so much!

    By Amanda Backof on January 29, 2023 at 10:35 am

    1. I love that you’re a neurodiversity affirming therapist. Thank you for doing that important work!

       By Laura Lavoie on January 29, 2023 at 12:00 pm

64. Love the advice, “time and fresh perspective can do wonders for the creative mind.” Thank you so much.

    By JL on January 29, 2023 at 10:36 am

    1. Love this advice, Laura! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us, and congratulations on your books!

       By Abby Wooldridge on January 31, 2023 at 10:40 pm

65. The upcycle is a fantastic idea. Thank you!

    By Brian Burak on January 29, 2023 at 10:36 am

66. Yes! I write my Storystorm ideas in a google doc so they are searchable. Then I can go back and hunt for all ideas I’ve had on a certain theme. Thanks!

    By jasmithwriter on January 29, 2023 at 10:39 am

67. Congratulations on your books Laura and thank you! I’m going to go totally rework some old ideas or see what little gems I can mine from them.

    By Angela Martinelli on January 29, 2023 at 10:41 am

68. Thanks for this. I looked over my ‘ideas’ document and combined an old idea about the creatures that live in suburban gardens, with a new focus I have now. Mashing the two together resulted in a very promising story.

    By brendad101 on January 29, 2023 at 10:42 am

69. These are helpful brainstorming tips, Laura! Thank you! Congrats on all your books.

    By Robin Brett Wechsler on January 29, 2023 at 10:45 am

70. Love this! Thank you for the ideas. Congratulations on your books!

    By anchance on January 29, 2023 at 10:46 am

71. What great ideas. Thanks for sharing!!!

    By authoraileenstewart on January 29, 2023 at 10:49 am

72. I keep my old idea books in a drawer. Time to pull those out. Thanks for the idea, Laura!

    By pathaap on January 29, 2023 at 10:51 am

73. Oo, like the idea of scrolling through my camera for ideas.

    By lisarowefraustino on January 29, 2023 at 10:52 am

74. Yes there are treasures to be had with fresh eyes

    By Reed Hilton-Eddy on January 29, 2023 at 10:53 am

75. Great suggestion to go back and review previous ideas! A great task for a cold day! Thanks, and many thanks to Tara! It has been a great month😊

    By Diane Mittler on January 29, 2023 at 10:55 am

76. Revisiting old “meh” stories is like seeing old acquaintances – there must have been something in there I liked! Can it be repurposed? I have a couple of Javalinas waiting for Act 2!

    By robincurrie1 on January 29, 2023 at 10:55 am

77. Re-visit last year’s Storystorm. I’m on it! Thanks, Laura!

    By geigerlin on January 29, 2023 at 10:55 am

78. Thank you for sharing your process. I only recently starting handwriting things down in a journal and boy does it feel GOOD. One liners, big picture messages, a title, a character name- this sounds like Storystorm!!! Would love to win this prize;)

    By Lrheffner on January 29, 2023 at 10:58 am

79. Great idea to revisit old stories, Laura. Thank you!

    By Melissa McDaniel on January 29, 2023 at 11:04 am

80. Thank you for your advice. I think it is so easy for us to get stuck with one character/idea/concept. What a great idea to see if you can place that piece you love into another story.

    By Christina Dankert on January 29, 2023 at 11:04 am

81. Hi Laura, I love the Vampire Vacation!! (it was a must-have for me since I’m from Transylvania – seriously). Congratulations on your to-be-announced book, and thank you for the blog.

    By ralucasirbu on January 29, 2023 at 11:06 am

    1. So awesome! Thanks for your support 🙂

       By Laura Lavoie on January 29, 2023 at 11:57 am

82. Thank you, Laura, for sharing your writing/Storystorm journey. What a great motivation for today’s ideas.

    By judyrubin13 on January 29, 2023 at 11:07 am

83. So much of this resonated with me. Thank you, Laura, I’m going to revisit those shelved ideas.

    By catlady45 on January 29, 2023 at 11:09 am

84. Rethink. Repurpose. Rewrite. Thank you for the tips about recycling ideas, characters, and story concepts to find a new life for them in a new story.

    By Susan Jobsky on January 29, 2023 at 11:11 am

85. Thank you, Laura, for the great examples & reminders to recycle inspiration you’ve already cultivated.

    By Becki Kidd on January 29, 2023 at 11:17 am

86. Thanks for this article!

    By Rachael Cunha on January 29, 2023 at 11:20 am

87. Great post, Laura! Thank you for sharing!

    By Heidi Yates on January 29, 2023 at 11:21 am

88. 👏thank you for these great tips! Yay for recycling!

    By Anne-Margreet on January 29, 2023 at 11:23 am

89. I loved this post. It was just yesterday morning when I decided to review last years story storm ideas and added the ones that sparkled to this years list. I thought I was cheating when in fact I was upcycling! Thanks!

    By Jane Martin on January 29, 2023 at 11:25 am

90. Thank you for a great post and timely reminder, Laura! I’ve intermittently thought, “I should go back and look at my old SS journals and languishing manuscripts for characters, ideas, etc.” but never seem to make it a priority. Thanks for making it today’s assignment!
    Congratulations on your latest PB and the others in the publishing pipeline!

    By Lucretia Schafroth on January 29, 2023 at 11:29 am

91. I love your idea of recycling story characters and concepts. I have done that myself! I hope to read your new book soon.

    By martyfindley on January 29, 2023 at 11:29 am

92. Time and fresh perspectives CAN do wonders for the creative mind! Great idea to recycle past sparks. Thank you, Laura!

    By cbloomy on January 29, 2023 at 11:30 am

93. Fabulous post, Laura! Thank you! Congratulations on your upcoming newest book!

    By Mia Geiger on January 29, 2023 at 11:30 am

94. Thanks for the great post and suggestions. Your books sound wonderful, congrats!

    By Karin Larson on January 29, 2023 at 11:31 am

95. Thanks for the great post, Laura. It was especially helpful for me to see the page of your journal where you wrote a list of things that are scary followed by things that are not scary. Just seeing your hand-written words on the page (including the example of pirates and knitting, which brought me straight to Diana Murray’s book), really helped the brainstorming technique resonate for me.

    By Dawn Prochovnic on January 29, 2023 at 11:36 am

    1. I think Diana may have written the Storystorm post that inspired MONSTER BAKER!

       By Laura Lavoie on January 29, 2023 at 11:55 am

96. Thank you Laura! Your post has given me hope : ) I have no doubt I’ll see your latest book on shelves soon. What a fun, fun idea. Thanks again!

    By jbbower on January 29, 2023 at 11:37 am

97. Hi Laura, thanks so much for sharing this amazing ideas! I love the concept of pairing scary and non-scary concepts for a potential story idea, and trying to retrieve story ideas that we didn’t think were worthy of working on further. This tells us that one never knows how far this story idea can be developed, into a successful PB, some time in the near future!

    Best,

    Sharon : http://www.sharonoblumbergauthor.com

    By 4solivia on January 29, 2023 at 11:46 am

98. Laura,
    Enjoyed your post and letting your mind wander! Congrats on your book babies ❤️

    By Janie Reinart on January 29, 2023 at 11:48 am

99. Thank you, Laura, for this strategy to look through our old journals. Congrats on all your books!

    By tinamcho on January 29, 2023 at 11:48 am

100. Great suggestions, Laura. Back to the Island of Misfit Manuscripts to find new settings for some diamonds in the rough! Looking forward to checking out Monster Baker.

     By Joyce on January 29, 2023 at 11:49 am

101. What a fun post! I love your monster baker. Thank you for the suggestion of mining our old concepts and characters with a fresh perspective.

     By Christine Letizia on January 29, 2023 at 11:51 am

102. Fun!

     By MikAdventures on January 29, 2023 at 11:51 am

103. Thanks for the fabulous ideas, Laura!

     By Kim A Larson on January 29, 2023 at 11:53 am

104. YES! I have all of my old Storystorm ideas in a journal. Time to dust it off and get writing! Thank you.

     By Tara Cerven on January 29, 2023 at 11:54 am

105. Congrats and thank you for a great post!

     By Julie Reich on January 29, 2023 at 11:56 am

106. Such a great reminder to go back to those old idea notes. Congrats on all your books!

     By kerisagreene on January 29, 2023 at 12:01 pm

107. I have some scary ideas I might just revisit after reading that. Thanks!

     By Jud Ward on January 29, 2023 at 12:10 pm

108. Thanks, Laura. So many old ideas to root through. It’s a great tip.

     By mdk45 on January 29, 2023 at 12:19 pm

109. Laura Congratulations on your new book! Off to sift through old ideas – thanks for reminding us to use fresh eyes on these potential gems!

     By sue macartney on January 29, 2023 at 12:19 pm

110. I agree Laura, time and a fresh perspective = a creative mind. It’s time to let my mind wander.

     Suzy Leopold

     By Prairie Garden Girl on January 29, 2023 at 12:21 pm

111. Thanks, I have so many past Storystorm and PiBoIdMo ideas. I should have a mash-up party.

     By Dayne Sislen, Children's Book Illustrator on January 29, 2023 at 12:25 pm

112. Congrats on all your books!
     I like the concept in Vampire Vacation.

     By Linda Hofke on January 29, 2023 at 12:27 pm

113. Thanks for sharing your story. I am excited to rework a number of my ideas from last year’s Storystorm.

     VAMPIRE VACATION is an adorable book. Congratulations on your upcoming picture books.

     By Katie Marie on January 29, 2023 at 12:30 pm

114. Okay, Laura…I’m going to give my MUSTARD story another shake, and hope when I squeeze it for goodness, it doesn’t come out as runny and unappetizing as last time.😉

     By Cathy Lentes on January 29, 2023 at 12:41 pm

     1. I really hope to see it on shelves! The world needs a mustard book!

        By Laura Lavoie on January 29, 2023 at 3:48 pm

115. LAURA: THANK YOU for the INSPIRATION to go back and visit (HEY, WHY NOT for “National Plan Your Vacation Day”!!!) our Island of “Bad” Ideas and misfit manuscripts for second chances and hidden GEMS. THANK YOU for the reminder that we ALL DESERVE a second chance–SO do our ideas!

     By Natalie Lynn Tanner on January 29, 2023 at 12:46 pm

116. Thank you Laura! Will get your books – kids love puns!

     By Elizabeth Wilcox Saba on January 29, 2023 at 12:49 pm

117. Thank you, Laura! What a great reminder to spend some time in the “archives” and daydream. 🙂

     By Heidi Chupp on January 29, 2023 at 12:50 pm

118. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post with your humor and great suggestions. Thanks for sharing, Laura.

     By Cathy Stefanec Ogren on January 29, 2023 at 12:50 pm

119. I even have PiBoIdMo story lists that I look at once in a blue moon. You never know when the spark will be lit!

     By Cathy Ballou Mealey on January 29, 2023 at 12:56 pm

120. thank you for this great advice and for the peek into your process for the adorable books you have coming out!

     By Karen Gebbia on January 29, 2023 at 1:00 pm

121. So excited for Monster Baker! Congrats on all the upcoming books in the pipeline; so exciting!! And such a great reminder to circle back to old ideas and see if something new sparks 🙂

     By jmoudahi on January 29, 2023 at 1:04 pm

122. Great ideas! And congratulations on all of your stories!

     By Shirley on January 29, 2023 at 1:08 pm

123. Thanks for this whistle stop tour of your process — I’ve always thought that the problem isn’t getting good ideas: It’s letting go of them too soon! You’ve got me thinking about unlikely pairings . . .

     By jnorland on January 29, 2023 at 1:10 pm

124. repurposing old ideas is always a great place to mine new ideas! And yes I remember pairing “scary” with “not scary”! I’ll have to look at my old lists for new stories! Your books look fantastic!! I can’t wait to read them to my grandmonsters.

     By Laurel Ranveig Abell on January 29, 2023 at 1:13 pm

125. Talking about recycling ideas sounds very eco friendly! I like conserving the brain. I am pretty sure everyone is already doing this subconsciously and not even realizing it. Thanks for the article!

     By srkckass on January 29, 2023 at 1:15 pm

     1. ‘Conserving the brain” is a great way to put it!

        By Laura Lavoie on January 29, 2023 at 3:46 pm

126. I have a few notebooks with ideas that just haven’t gone anywhere, but maybe someday will “respark” an idea.

     By Danielle Hammelef on January 29, 2023 at 1:16 pm

127. I love looking back on old SS lists and finding something I can use/combine with new ideas. Thank you and Congratulations on your books!

     By Megan Whitaker on January 29, 2023 at 1:17 pm

128. This was so helpful! I love Vampire Vacation and cannot wait to read all of your other books when they are released! Congrats! Thanks for participating. 🙂

     By Ryann Jones on January 29, 2023 at 1:19 pm

129. I want to read your books. They sound so fun! I need to reread some old Storystorm posts. What a wealth of info.

     By mommamoocow on January 29, 2023 at 1:20 pm

130. Thanks for sharing!

     By Meredith Epstein on January 29, 2023 at 1:20 pm

131. I love this! Hope for all the unfinished ideas in my journal. I’ll try this. Thank you!

     By Adriana Gutierrez on January 29, 2023 at 1:26 pm

132. Such great examples — they really help me see what you’re suggesting!

     By beckylevine on January 29, 2023 at 1:31 pm

133. I like the idea of making lists. Thank you!

     By Pradeep Velugubantla on January 29, 2023 at 1:33 pm

134. The distance of time can be so helpful! I’ll dust off some of those old ideas and see what can be upcycled. Thanks for your post!

     By Allison Fleischman on January 29, 2023 at 1:35 pm

135. Congratulations on your books. I’m still laughing at Duck, Duck, Taco Truck and can’t wait to see what it’s about! And thanks for the inspiring post! I love that there’s still hope for those old ideas.

     By Katie Berner on January 29, 2023 at 1:37 pm

136. I love your monster baker idea. I have a bunch of monsters in my heart, too. Cookies might entice them to come out to play.

     By Carlie Cornell on January 29, 2023 at 1:41 pm

137. Oh my! I’m still laughing at “a story I wrote about mustard, which sadly died on sub”. This was such a fun and inspiring post. Thank you. I am going to go back and pull out all those old idea lists from previous Storystorms. Great idea to recycle/ repurpose…
     I cannot wait to see your little MONSTER BAKER!

     By Mary Zychowicz on January 29, 2023 at 1:42 pm

138. Good morning, Laura, I don’t have, (but will soon have),a mc named Fang on my KID LIT shelf. Your suggestions are invigorating! I love the combo…scary characters and not-so-scary hobbies. Congrats and Thanks.

     By madisu2021 on January 29, 2023 at 1:42 pm

139. Thank you for the post! I love the idea of mixing a scary idea with something not scary. I’m headed to my notebook now to scratch out some ideas!

     By Christy Matthes on January 29, 2023 at 1:45 pm

140. Great post.

     By Bethanny Parker on January 29, 2023 at 1:45 pm

141. Thanks for the reminder to go back to older ideas and try to shine a new light on them!

     By Andrea Mack on January 29, 2023 at 1:53 pm

142. Thanks for the tips, and congratulations on your publishing success thus far!

     By Lauri Fortino on January 29, 2023 at 1:55 pm

143. Yes! I revisit old ideas all the time and have had success with this technique.

     By Joy Wieder on January 29, 2023 at 1:58 pm

144. Thank you Laura and Tara! This was my first time participating in Storystorm, and my Google Doc of ideas is overflowing. Now off to visit my “misfit ideas” section at the bottom in hopes of an inspiration spark!

     By Bri Lawyer on January 29, 2023 at 2:02 pm

145. I love the idea of revisiting characters from your past stories and combining someone scary with a not-scary activity.

     By cbcole on January 29, 2023 at 2:04 pm

146. Thank you for the post!

     By Sylvia Mary Grech on January 29, 2023 at 2:05 pm

147. Well, that made me think about going back to my very long list of bad story ideas! Maybe I will see something new!

     By Carol Porter on January 29, 2023 at 2:09 pm

148. I’m headed back to last year’s list now to see what treasures I can find and revamp. I find I need a lot of ruminating/marinating time on these stories, and I appreciate the reminder to go back and see if my old ideas spark anything new.

     By Jess Burbank (@jburbank) on January 29, 2023 at 2:10 pm

149. Well, that makes me think I should go back and look at my very long list of bad story ideas! Maybe I will find a new idea that works.

     By Carol Peszko on January 29, 2023 at 2:13 pm

150. Thanks for the insight. Yes, the land of misfit toys.

     By Penny Taub on January 29, 2023 at 2:16 pm

151. Recycling characters and concepts is such a great reframing technique! As creators, we should definitely place them in their best situations in the sense they’ll have the most story pour out from them.

     By Earl @ The Chronicles Of A Children's Book Writer on January 29, 2023 at 2:17 pm

152. Great suggestions, Laura! It’s encouraging to think that older stories we’ve abandoned can still come back to life in new ways :).

     By Robin Larin on January 29, 2023 at 2:18 pm

153. Thanks for an inspiring post- I just dug up 2 misfit ideas I might re-use. Your upcoming stories sound fun and I look forward to reading!

     By Lisa Billa on January 29, 2023 at 2:23 pm

154. Love the scary vs not scary idea-that opens up so many other contrasting ideas as well! Great suggestion, too, to go through old Story Storm ideas and other notebooks. Congrats on your books. They sound adorable and so fun!

     By Sharlin Craig on January 29, 2023 at 2:24 pm

155. Hi Laura, Thanks so much for getting the recycling and re-engineering part of generating ideas on my radar screen today. How to breathe life into an old meh manuscript is a skill worth cultivating. Congrats on your picture book success! Thank you, Tara, for inviting Laura to write a Storystorm blogpost for all of us.

     By marty on January 29, 2023 at 2:25 pm

156. What a treasure trove of ways to rework old ideas (my misfit story file is overflowing). I also like the strategies to use two or more unlikely characters or settings to flip expected outcomes. Congratulations on your debut vampire book–can’t wait to check it out. Thanks for sharing how Storystorm led to your success, Laura.

     By Terry Talley on January 29, 2023 at 2:30 pm

157. I read and really liked VAMPIRE VACATION and look forward to reading your upcoming publications. Thanks for giving us a behind-the-scenes peek showing us some of how your books came about.

     By Christine Van Zandt, author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERPANTS on January 29, 2023 at 2:35 pm

     1. Thanks so much, Christine! I’ll need to check out your underpants book for my kids!

        By Laura Lavoie on January 30, 2023 at 4:31 pm

158. Duck Duck Taco truck!

     By biil jarcho on January 29, 2023 at 2:39 pm

159. Great ideas and your books look/sound so cute

     By nicolesalterbraun on January 29, 2023 at 2:40 pm

160. Great post, Laura! Thank you for giving us a peek at your writing process.

     I will definitely be going back through my computer file of 236 Storystorm drafts that I feel have “legs” (which were culled from my main Storystorm file) I tend to be a pack rat as far as my writing goes… I save EVERYTHING! So I will also be going through my files of characters that I have cut from my other manuscripts, along with my folder of odd ball sayings, quotes, settings, etc… etc and looking for tidbits that sparkle.

     By Sharon A Putnam on January 29, 2023 at 2:52 pm

161. This was the perfect assignment for me today! I have an old story that wasn’t quite working, I think partly because of the title. Coming up with a new title will be my first order of business. Then I’ll figure out what I’ll need to change in the plot. Thanks for the inspiration!

     By heatherstigall on January 29, 2023 at 3:03 pm

162. Recycling and repurposing ideas makes perfect sense. Thanks, Laura!

     By Kamalani Hurley on January 29, 2023 at 3:03 pm

163. Thanks for the ideas and the fun post, Laura. Congrats on your upcoming books 🙂

     By Alison McGauley (@AlisonMcgauley) on January 29, 2023 at 3:09 pm

164. Thanks for the tips, Laura. Congrats on your latest book and good luck with submissions!

     By Teresa Rodrigues on January 29, 2023 at 3:10 pm

165. Monster Baker sounds so fun. And you’re right it’s been a while since I looked at my old Storystorm (or PidBoIdMo) journals. Looking forward to what I might find back there. Thanks.

     By Maria Marshall on January 29, 2023 at 3:10 pm

166. So helpful!

     By Jessica Fries-Gaither on January 29, 2023 at 3:19 pm

167. Thank you, Laura! Fantastic reminder to relook, reuse and recycle. 🙂 Congratulations on all of your books!

     By saraweingartner on January 29, 2023 at 3:21 pm

168. I love your ideas and getting back to old Storystorm or PiBoIdMo drafts and notebooks and looking for new ones.
     THank you

     By Sheri Radovich on January 29, 2023 at 3:23 pm

169. Yes, I love the ideas of mixing/mashing unlike concepts together. Very ying/yang.

     By Annie Guerra on January 29, 2023 at 3:23 pm

170. Loving recycle, upcycle and pairing of opposites, thank you Laura!

     By Echo Roben on January 29, 2023 at 3:25 pm

171. I love this idea of revisiting old story ideas. Refocusing the story to something else! Everything that is old is new again totally works in this case.

     By Bridgitte Rodguez on January 29, 2023 at 3:25 pm

172. You have me wanting to peruse my old idea notebooks. Thank you, Laura!

     By Leslie Santamaria on January 29, 2023 at 3:26 pm

173. Great post! It makes me want to go back through my old StoryStorm idea lists. AND go back and read old StoryStorm posts from years past. Thank you!

     By jilltatara on January 29, 2023 at 3:29 pm

174. Thank you, Laura. Your books are so creative and clever. No surprise that your post is as well. And, yes, thank you Tara!!

     By Claire A. B. Freeland on January 29, 2023 at 3:31 pm

175. I have some ideas that I should revisit. Thanks, Laura!

     By Rona Shirdan on January 29, 2023 at 3:39 pm

176. This is my first year for Storystorm but certainly not my first year writing. I have piles of journals. I’m actually scared to go back and look at them. Thanks for the encouragement today and for sharing your hard one success story.

     By margaretsmn on January 29, 2023 at 3:44 pm

177. I think about the story I’m writing right now with my daughter. Five characters. So many more angles to explore!

     By Barbara Farland on January 29, 2023 at 3:45 pm

178. Aha! Ideas never die, they get recycled/upcycled! Thank you!

     By mhberg on January 29, 2023 at 3:46 pm

179. First and foremost, yes a big round of applause for Tara for makign all this possibe!!! Love the ideas especially putting two opposing things together.

     By bookfish1 on January 29, 2023 at 3:52 pm

180. excellent ideas! I’m from California, so we’re big into recycling here, LOL. Thanks for a great post!

     By Jilanne Hoffmann on January 29, 2023 at 3:58 pm

181. Upcycling stories sounds so fun. Thank you for sharing and getting the juices flowing.

     By Jess on January 29, 2023 at 3:59 pm

182. Thank you, Laura! I’m already a big fan of recycling and your spin on recycled ideas is perfect! Congrats on Monster Baker, can’t wait to see it!

     By suzanbh on January 29, 2023 at 3:59 pm

183. Amen!!! Such wise words you speak.
     I have revised one manuscript so many times, the only thing original is the MC ‘s name.
     Plus while waiting in submission limbo, I pulled another from the archives changing the characters from animals to children.
     Thank you

     By Meredith Fraser on January 29, 2023 at 4:11 pm

184. I’m a little scared to look up my old, rejected ms’s, but doing it scared has become my middle name, so… monsters beware!

     By rosiesartventures on January 29, 2023 at 4:14 pm

185. I like the idea of recycling an older (rejected) manuscript. Goodness knows I’ve got multiple to revisit! Thanks for sharing!

     By paulaobering on January 29, 2023 at 4:17 pm

186. Thank you, and congrats on your upcoming releases! I love going back and reading my old notes and seeing what jumps out at me. Most of the time I can’t remember where my train of thought was originally trying to go when I look back and it works in my favor because I’ve gained so much more knowledge since I originally wrote it and new ideas tend to jump out right away.

     By Sarah Blotevogel on January 29, 2023 at 4:17 pm

187. Congratulations on your forthcoming books, Laura. They look great. I put in a request last year to our library (in Australia) to purchase Vampire Vacation and they did! It’s so much fun. Time for me to scroll through my old ideas.

     By Kaye Baillie on January 29, 2023 at 4:24 pm

     1. Thanks so much for requesting the book, Kaye!

        By Laura Lavoie on January 30, 2023 at 4:27 pm

188. I can’t wait to get my hands on Vampire Vacation, it seems like such a fun book!

     By kathleenannajacobs on January 29, 2023 at 4:28 pm

189. Thanks for sharing your ideas, Laura. Your Monster Baker book sounds scrumptious!

     By kirstenbockblog on January 29, 2023 at 4:31 pm

190. Thank you for sharing this post!

     By Jennie H on January 29, 2023 at 4:32 pm

191. Great post! I was excited the minute I saw Vampire Vacation!

     By Elena Horne on January 29, 2023 at 4:39 pm

192. Thank you soooo much! I have an idea–switching a particular sidekick so that she’s the main character. I’ve no idea if it will work, but I’m excited to try. Thanks so much!!

     By Diane O'Neill on January 29, 2023 at 4:40 pm

193. I love Vampire Vacation, and can’t wait to read Monster Baker! Thank you, Laura, for the tips, and I’m already looking at my Storystorm notes from last year!

     By Steena Hernandez on January 29, 2023 at 4:50 pm

194. I’m definitely inspired to peruse my old journals and StoryStorm lists for ideas to revive. Thanks, Laura!

     By Gabi Snyder on January 29, 2023 at 4:52 pm

195. Can’t wait to bust open the old ideas and try a new approach! Thank you.

     By Angie B. on January 29, 2023 at 4:55 pm

196. Great suggestion to go back to the tucked away stories. Thank you for sharing and congrats on your books!

     By Aimee Larke on January 29, 2023 at 4:58 pm

197. Okay, that is the cutest picture book monster I have ever seen. I cannot wait to check out this book for my kids! Thank you for the amazing ideas, Laura! This is a post I know I will be coming back to when I need extra inspiration.

     By blairmoorebooks on January 29, 2023 at 5:07 pm

198. Thank you for your suggestions about looking at our previous story ideas and recycling them. I have a gazillion ideas in another gazillion notebooks and journals, so I think I’ll be Storystorming by myself for quite sometime, as well as writing my stories!
     Laura, I love your books, they look like lots of fun!
     Thanks, once again, to Tara! I’ve developed so many ideas and strategies from Storystorm!

     By Deborah Ishii on January 29, 2023 at 5:09 pm

199. I actually love seeing my old Storystorm lists for this reason!

     By midfreeman on January 29, 2023 at 5:09 pm

200. I always make lists – lists for everything! Now i have a couple more to make !!

     By migratingmoosegmailcom on January 29, 2023 at 5:12 pm

201. Laura, I noticed quite a few r words scattered throughout your post. I am a fan of alliteration, especially for children so I decided to add a list of r words to my Storystorm notebook. I particularly enjoyed rest and recharge.

     By seahorsecoffeeelektra79018 on January 29, 2023 at 5:15 pm

202. Thank you for the advice, as I have many, many ideas I can revisit. I will be looking for your books, as they sound wonderful.

     By Jennifer Weisse on January 29, 2023 at 5:21 pm

203. great advice, thanks!

     By jennaejo on January 29, 2023 at 5:25 pm

204. SUch a great post. Love the ideas of misfit manuscripts – that they can be repurposed, altered, made fresh. Off to look thru my old Storystorm idea journals for a nugget!

     By bevbaird on January 29, 2023 at 5:25 pm

205. Laura, I loved hearing how some of your ideas ended up working out in different ways from your original vision. It definitely pays to keep those old Storystorm lists. They’re full of possibility. Vampire Vacation and Monster Baker both sound terrific. Intend to give them both a read!

     By marty bellis on January 29, 2023 at 5:27 pm

206. Thanks for giving us several recipes we can use to spice up our stories!

     By Andria Rosenbaum on January 29, 2023 at 5:35 pm

207. Love these mash-up ideas! Thanks, Laura!

     By Heather Ray on January 29, 2023 at 5:39 pm

208. Yes! I’ve been rethinking a lot of my MSs recently and trying to reinvent them with these things in mind! Thanks for these tips to push my revisions a bit further.

     By brennajeanneret on January 29, 2023 at 5:45 pm

209. Great advice. It’s true that sometimes the minor characters are really the major ones with fun stories to tell.

     By Barbara Senenman on January 29, 2023 at 5:45 pm

210. Love visiting with my old misfits 🙂

     By Lauri Meyers on January 29, 2023 at 5:50 pm

211. Great post.

     Funny coincidence, splashing around today with kids a long forgotten title and story popped up!

     Time to revisit:)

     By calepage on January 29, 2023 at 5:51 pm

212. Awesome kudos to Tara for her long-ago brainstorm that continues serving up a storm of story ideas each year! I’ve already got more than 30!!! And a few of them are begging to be written — like NoW!! already 😉 Thanks, Laura, for this fabulous post! Congrats on your books, and thank you for brainstorming with us today! My previous 2 storystorm notebooks are handy. Gonna take another peek . . .

     By Tonnye Fletcher on January 29, 2023 at 5:56 pm

213. I’m scheduling time to go through my past Storystorm notes. I’m hoping to find some ideas that can be transformed.
     Congratulations on your upcoming books.

     By claireannette1 on January 29, 2023 at 5:58 pm

214. Love the ideas about contrasting items. The surprise factor in so many books make them favorites. Also can’t wait for your taco truck book.

     By Jodie on January 29, 2023 at 6:01 pm

215. Dear Laura
     Tara Lazar deserves a round of applause 365 days of a year, not only the 31 of Storystorm. WE OWE HER A LOT!
     Thanks for sharing your writing process and encouraging us to persevere, finding new ways. Upcycled stories certainly will replace recycled ideas, and hopefully will turn into aha! moments.
     I will go back to a story I wrote some time ago and has been sitting in a drawer. My critique group considered that there were two stories and I had to separate them.
     Thumbs up for Vanessa Morales, Tillie is so awesomely lovely!
     Looking forward to read your books and follow your blog!

     By Eva Felder on January 29, 2023 at 6:07 pm

216. I’ll take a look and see if an old idea sparks a new one. No doubt about it–I have a lot of them that didn’t work. But there is always a new way to look at things. Thanks and congratulations on your successes.

     By Judith Snyder on January 29, 2023 at 6:16 pm

217. I have looked into my slew of old ideas and manuscripts. I try to remember that they were sparked by a “brainstorm” and to realize that they aren’t dead; they just need resuscitation. Congrats on your success!

     By Marlena Leach on January 29, 2023 at 6:19 pm

218. I love that you are a go-getter! You’ve been inspired by Storystorm. You keep upcycling and editing plots, characters, titles, everything. And clearly, it has worked for you! Congratulations on the books! They sound charming. Thanks for giving me inspiration today.

     By Jennifer Mills Barnes on January 29, 2023 at 6:22 pm

219. Laura, What an instant grabber for a title–DUCK DUCK, TACO TRUCK. Kids will love this book before they even read it. Your recycling idea rings true for me. Dancing in my brain is a feisty female main character who sparked from a kidlit illustrator’s portfolio when I worked as an editor at an educational publishing house in LA. I’ve drafted two stories so far featuring her. You’ve encouraged me to keep her beside me as I think of new ideas. Sending you energy and inspiration for your continued success…

     By marshaelyn on January 29, 2023 at 6:28 pm

220. Back to the island of misfit manuscripts, I’ll recycle ideas and see what pops up! Love it!

     By Lisa L Furness on January 29, 2023 at 6:31 pm

221. This is a great idea! Surely something is salvageable from every misfit draft or story idea. I have two MS’s that come to mind that I can extract some pieces from. Thank you for this helpful tip. Congrats on your books!

     By Michelle S Kennedy on January 29, 2023 at 6:31 pm

222. Thanks for sharing this! Will be getting out my idea notebooks tomorrow to see what hidden gems might be there that I’ve overlooked.

     By Heather Dawn Torres on January 29, 2023 at 6:38 pm

223. Love the idea of matching up unlikely ideas. Thanks for a fun post.

     By Linda Staszak on January 29, 2023 at 6:40 pm

224. Thank you for the tips and behind-the-scenes insights! It’s helpful to see how they have worked for you, and encouraging to appreciate that something we’ve liked in the past can still perhaps have a home in a book in the future. Thank you! And congratulations on your books. They sound delightful.

     By JF Hall Writes on January 29, 2023 at 6:42 pm

225. I love your juxtaposition of ideas and punny humor, Laura.

     By Deb Gruelle on January 29, 2023 at 6:46 pm

226. Several of my ideas this year have been rehashed versions of previous fizzled manuscripts. It’s nice to know this isn’t just cheating…

     By Melissa Koosmann on January 29, 2023 at 6:46 pm

227. Definitely cheers for Tara!
     Laura, this was an amazing post! I’ve been scribbling ideas in my journal. I also have journals from previous years as well! Thanks for all of your terrific tips! 🙂

     By seschipper on January 29, 2023 at 6:54 pm

228. Love the idea of revisiting & exploring the twists and turns of our creative past!

     By juliehamptonc228d7b913 on January 29, 2023 at 6:55 pm

229. Such a fun post, thank you so much!

     By sylviaichen on January 29, 2023 at 6:56 pm

230. Great idea! Going to flip through my old notebooks now and see what can be upcycled!

     By Rebecca Grant on January 29, 2023 at 7:02 pm

231. I’ll check out my old Stormstorm ideas and see what happens. Thanks, Laura!

     By Ellie Langford on January 29, 2023 at 7:03 pm

232. Thank you for the reminder to look at past ideas.

     By Kris Hamblin on January 29, 2023 at 7:04 pm

233. Already looking through lists from bygone years!

     By kidlitgail on January 29, 2023 at 7:05 pm

234. I have boxes, reams, gazillions of sheets, scraps of paper, backs of menus, church bulletins, etc, I shall have to stir them up again and have another look! Thanks Laura!

     By 58chilihed13 on January 29, 2023 at 7:05 pm

235. A great reminder that all ideas can be helpful in one way or another!

     By Haley Thomas on January 29, 2023 at 7:06 pm

236. Some old ideas tap me on the shoulder, so I’ve been adding them to the new list, but definitely going to go through my old notebooks properly

     By Franny G on January 29, 2023 at 7:15 pm

237. Thanks for this great post. What a relief to think of all the ideas we already have that can be put to good use!

     By Cheryl Simon (@cmsimon18) on January 29, 2023 at 7:18 pm

238. Great post. I’ll be looking over some old ideas to see if I can give them a new life.

     By Linda B on January 29, 2023 at 7:32 pm

239. Laura, I loved reading about the evolution of your book ideas! Genius! I’m going to start going back to some of my earlier StoryStorm ideas!

     By Mary on January 29, 2023 at 7:35 pm

240. As per your suggestion, I revisited some old ideas, and re-worked one that was dead in the water. Thank you!

     By Krys Plate on January 29, 2023 at 7:44 pm

241. What old can be new again. Love it!

     By Ana Archi on January 29, 2023 at 7:50 pm

242. Thanks for the encouragement. Great perspective!

     By Gayle Veitenheimer on January 29, 2023 at 7:52 pm

243. Thanks Laura! I love the misfit manuscript idea – I certainly have a lot of those 🙂 and am curious to see if I breathe new life into any. I’m going to give it a try! Congratulations on your books!!

     By Laura Bower on January 29, 2023 at 7:57 pm

244. Fun!

     By Rochelle Y Melander on January 29, 2023 at 7:58 pm

245. Starting my scary/not scary list tonight! Thanks for re-sharing that!

     By laurenkeiperjo540 on January 29, 2023 at 8:03 pm

246. I’m always up for recycling! Will give those old journals a look-see.

     By Hollie Wolverton on January 29, 2023 at 8:08 pm

247. I love this because it shows all that work in the past might still there for a reason! Thanks for sharing some of your process.

     By Erica Jensen Shiflet on January 29, 2023 at 8:15 pm

248. I definitely need to dig up my old Storystorm lists and start scrolling. There has to be some story gold in there somewhere! Thanks for the idea, Laura, and congrats on your books!!

     By clairebobrow on January 29, 2023 at 8:18 pm

249. Thanks so much for sharing such a brilliant way to “recycle” existing ideas!

     By Aimee Hiura on January 29, 2023 at 8:20 pm

250. So agree Tara deserves all the credit for years of putting Storystorm so beautifully together we can glean the best from posts like today’s. Looking forward to reviewing my really early ideas. Thank you

     By Susan Eyerman on January 29, 2023 at 8:20 pm

251. Thank you for the notebook photo – so helpful!

     By Ali V. (they/them) on January 29, 2023 at 8:27 pm

252. Thank you for sharing! I love the idea of taking scraps of misfit ideas and putting them together to make a new and wonderful project!

     By Jennifer Shipkowski on January 29, 2023 at 8:29 pm

253. Thanks for sharing. Good luck with your books.

     By Chelle Martin on January 29, 2023 at 8:46 pm

254. I’m all for recycling! Thanks for the inspiring post.

     By Buffy Silverman on January 29, 2023 at 8:48 pm

255. It was so much fun to read about how your ideas went from Storystorm to book. Thank you for sharing!

     By tracyschuldthelixon on January 29, 2023 at 8:58 pm

256. Looking at ideas from earlier Storystorm, I am surprised to see that some of them appear more than once

     By Hélène Sabourin on January 29, 2023 at 9:11 pm

257. I bought a pretty notebook for ideas but haven’t used it yet. I think I may use it to rework my old Storystorm lists.

     By kyavorski on January 29, 2023 at 9:30 pm

258. Thank you reminding me that creatives should keep their minds open to new and used ideas. Take care.

     By Tarja Nevala on January 29, 2023 at 9:34 pm

259. Thanks for the great post and the reminder to revisit old ideas! The title Duck, Duck, Taco Truck cracks me up. Congrats on Vampire Vacation and your upcoming books!

     By Lisa Atkinson on January 29, 2023 at 9:46 pm

260. Great advice— thanks!

     By Margaret Lea on January 29, 2023 at 9:47 pm

261. Up-cycling/Recycling gives me hope for those once loved and revised (and revised) old story concepts or characters. I’m definitely going to take another look. Thanks!

     By ungracefulwanderer on January 29, 2023 at 9:50 pm

262. Thanks Laura. I too think ideas are like seeds. So much potential.

     By steveheron on January 29, 2023 at 9:52 pm

263. Laura, I love the upcycling idea. If a character doesn’t work in one story, maybe that character would fit in another story. Thank you.

     By Vanessa on January 29, 2023 at 9:57 pm

264. How fun to think of recycling bits and pieces of ideas from the past. Thank you for sharing, Laura! And thank you, Tara, for putting this together!

     By Kathleen Clark on January 29, 2023 at 9:59 pm

265. Oh great reminder. Thank you! And thank you for the peek inside your notebooks. So fun to see how others record their ideas.

     By sharonkdal on January 29, 2023 at 10:02 pm

266. I can’t wait to read your books! They look terrific. And your ideas are terrific as well. Thanks for the post.

     By Rosi Hollinbeck on January 29, 2023 at 10:11 pm

267. Tara does deserve a boatload of thanks for this and all the other StoryStorms she has organized. Tara, I look forward to this every January and it helps enormously to get my writing pumped up and rearing to go. Every post in January is like opening another Christmas gift.
     And thank you, Laura, for sharing your journey and sharing ways to recycle and rebirth stale and forgotten characters and details and titles. I will be reviewing the last two years of StoryStorm that I read and took notes from. I’m sure there’s lots there that will be useful.
     I look forward to reading your books and I wish you continued success with your writing.

     By Jeannette Suhr on January 29, 2023 at 10:40 pm

268. Recycling, taking things all apart and beginning anew with new ideas and approaches… I like it a lot! Thanks for sharing this process!

     By syorkeviney on January 29, 2023 at 10:41 pm

269. I love Fang and his story! Congrats on the upcoming titles!

     By Deena on January 29, 2023 at 10:42 pm

270. Great post – and so true! I love taking bits of old stories and pieces and mashing them together. Thanks.

     By cinzialverde on January 29, 2023 at 10:42 pm

271. This is my second head of SS and before I started I looked at my notes from last year so this is more encouragement to really look those over! Thank you!

     By Amy Mucci on January 29, 2023 at 10:44 pm

272. Great advice, Laura. I love the idea that no effort is wasted and our ideas can be recycled. Congratulations on your forthcoming books!

     By littleseedsread on January 29, 2023 at 10:52 pm

273. Thanks so much for the fabulous post! I’m ready to sift through Storystorms past and see what sparks inspiration. All the best for your upcoming book!

     By Mary Warth on January 29, 2023 at 11:00 pm

274. I’ll be sifting through old Storystorm ideas. Thanks for the reminder.

     By Linda Sakai on January 29, 2023 at 11:05 pm

275. Thank you, Laura, for sharing your writing journey. Congratulations on your books.

     By authordebradaugherty on January 29, 2023 at 11:08 pm

276. Laura, it always amazes me how stories grow, change and shift in all kinds of ways 🙂 Congrats on all your recycling! 😀

     By writersideup on January 29, 2023 at 11:10 pm

277. Thank you, Laura, for such great advice to not give up on those old ideas/manuscripts. Congratulations on your books!

     By Armineh Manookian on January 29, 2023 at 11:11 pm

278. Recycling is part of my life, so why not use it with story ideas, titles, characters, and places. Thanks for reminding me to take a look at past Storystorm notes.

     By mariearden on January 29, 2023 at 11:16 pm

279. Recycling! I love it. What a great way to breathe life into some stories that needed a little more “oomph”! Thank you so much for your great ideas.

     By Lisa M. Horn on January 29, 2023 at 11:21 pm

280. Thank you for this post, and for the encouragement!

     By Sophie Furman on January 29, 2023 at 11:33 pm

281. Laura, these were such good and valuable ideas to share! Thank you so much! I have often found the makings of poems and the beginnings of stories in my old notebooks too. Combining the bits and pieces is a great idea!

     By Elizabeth McBride on January 29, 2023 at 11:34 pm

282. Excellent post! Congratulations on your upcoming book babies 👍🏽🎉

     By Artelle Lenthall on January 29, 2023 at 11:36 pm

283. Yes! Time and a fresh perspective can be just the thing an old manuscript needs. I like the idea of upcycling old story ideas. Thanks!

     By hansenjc13 on January 29, 2023 at 11:44 pm

284. Pulling from other stories and reworking ideas has me sighing in relief. I’ve signed up for 12×12 this year, and though I think I can write 12 brilliant books by the end, I’m going to keep this in mind if I get stuck! Thanks!

     By smallforbig on January 29, 2023 at 11:54 pm

285. Thank you for your “revisit the old ideas” suggestion. I’ve never had one about mustard… but there are others. Good luck for continued success.

     By MDalphin Williams Creative.Com on January 30, 2023 at 12:04 am

286. Congratulations on your success!!! You go, girl!

     By Allison Green on January 30, 2023 at 12:23 am

287. I love Vampire Vacation! great ideas.

     By Alia K. on January 30, 2023 at 12:23 am

288. Thanks for sharing your process!

     By streetlynn on January 30, 2023 at 12:26 am

289. Recycle objects, recycle ideas. There could be a story there. Thanks for sharing.

     By Diane McBee on January 30, 2023 at 12:39 am

290. Thanks for a great post! I have to go write down some ideas now.

     By ritariebelmitchell on January 30, 2023 at 12:47 am

291. Yes, applause for Tara, Laura, and all the other writers and artists who are sharing their insights. Thank you!

     By Janet Frenck Sheets on January 30, 2023 at 12:55 am

292. Yes! Sometimes your story is in search of a more suitable character…and sometimes, your character is in search of a more suitable story! There are so many ways that our brain connects the dots once we learn to notice the dots! Thank you for sharing and good luck with our upcoming book releases!

     By Elayne on January 30, 2023 at 12:56 am

293. Wonderful idea to reread old journals! Congratulations on your upcoming PB’s and good luck with the ones on submission! 😊

     By Donna Rossman on January 30, 2023 at 1:13 am

294. Such great ideas! Thank you for sharing!

     By Janice Woods on January 30, 2023 at 1:27 am

295. Great advice Laura. Thank you for your blog. Good luck with your new releases. Looking forward to hearing good news about your yet-to-be announced book too 😉

     By Aly Kenna on January 30, 2023 at 1:42 am

296. Thank you for these great ideas! Congratulations on your books!

     By kristinscollins on January 30, 2023 at 2:04 am

297. Your post sent me digging through my story and idea files. I found some good possibilities to follow up on. Thanks!

     By lphunt on January 30, 2023 at 2:18 am

298. A wolf knocking at your door in the middle of the night is scary. A wolf teaching you to make an origami butterfly is….less scary.

     By 8catpaws on January 30, 2023 at 3:57 am

299. Thanks for the reminder… it’s about time I went through my old ideas again!

     By Elle Carlin on January 30, 2023 at 4:10 am

300. Thank you for letting us know some characters have a longer life than others for a lucky few. Tara has outdone herself this year. Thanks to both for providing everyone with ideas.

     By readmybook2002 on January 30, 2023 at 7:39 am

301. Thanks for the post,I like the idea of upcycling characters from prior stories that didn’t make the cut.

     By Hilary Mankofsky on January 30, 2023 at 9:09 am

302. This is great advice! Heading over to last year’s Storystorm notes right now … Thanks!

     By elisederstine on January 30, 2023 at 9:36 am

303. Going to go look for my past StoryStorm lists and noodlings. Thank you!

     By Debbie Austin on January 30, 2023 at 9:39 am

304. I will find my old Piboidmo/Storystorm lists and see what clicks. Thanks, Laura.

     By jimchaize1 on January 30, 2023 at 9:43 am

305. I love the idea of recycling a minor character into a starring role. Thanks Laura 🙂

     By Catherine Friess on January 30, 2023 at 9:47 am

306. Thank you for this post! I have some manuscripts that I keep going back to. Now I know there is hope!

     By Diana Murrell on January 30, 2023 at 10:06 am

307. So many up-coming books! Love the DUCK, DUCK, TACO TRUCK title. Congrats!
     I need a few more ideas, so I’ll mine through my old lists and see if I can find some treasures. Thanks!

     By Darcee A Freier on January 30, 2023 at 10:18 am

308. Yes! Validation for my electronic pack-rat proclivities! (I also aspire to write lists and notes as clearly readable as those in the notebook photo.) Thanks for the great post.

     By Russell Wolff on January 30, 2023 at 10:21 am

309. Challenge accepted. I have many Storystorm lists that can use a relook for a fresh take on the possibilities. Congratulations on your stories!

     By Jennifer Phillips on January 30, 2023 at 10:26 am

310. I love this! I’m excited to go back to my pile of forgotten stories and old story storm ideas to see what might be hidden in there.

     By azmh on January 30, 2023 at 10:34 am

311. I always forget to go back and revisit those old sparks and scribbles, thanks for the reminder.

     By Angela H. Dale on January 30, 2023 at 10:38 am

312. Thanks, Laura. Some wonderful ideas. When you think of the creative juices that go into coming up with interesting minor characters, it’s a shame that they somehow end up in our personal slush piles

     By Paul Brassard on January 30, 2023 at 10:59 am

313. Very inspiring thanks. So many ideas laying around just needing a little push maybe in a different direction.

     By gattodesign on January 30, 2023 at 11:00 am

314. Looking through old writing (from my school days!) while visiting family felt a little like this. Discovering old ideas is a great way to spark the new ones!

     By Melissa L Lettis on January 30, 2023 at 11:03 am

315. What a great idea to go back to my old marbled composition notebooks I use as my idea books during Storystorm (PbIdMo). So many ideas i hadn’t developed yet. Thank you!

     By Joan Swanson on January 30, 2023 at 11:04 am

316. Whenever I look back on my old Storystorm lists, I inevitably notice something new. Thanks for this reminder, Laura!

     By calliebdean on January 30, 2023 at 11:04 am

317. I love the idea that you tried to write about mustard! And thank you for the encouragement that it’s okay to have not so great ideas on our brainstorm list. I’ve been looking at mine, wondering if my brain is just frozen this cold January. But like you said, they may just be the spark of a rewrite or refurbish that sets me off on a winner.

     By elizabethdaghfal on January 30, 2023 at 11:08 am

318. Checking through my idea notebooks it now top on my to do list today!

     By Carol Gwin Nelson on January 30, 2023 at 11:09 am

319. Thanks for the encouragement and the new way of looking at our writing!

     By Krista Maxwell on January 30, 2023 at 11:16 am

320. I’m excited to revisit and retool some old ideas.

     By Lenora Biemans (@BiemansLenora) on January 30, 2023 at 11:20 am

321. Great idea to revisit old ideas. You never know where your next great storyline will come from.

     By dinatowbin on January 30, 2023 at 11:23 am

322. Your punny titles make me laugh! Thank you for your upcycled thoughts and ideas! You go, GIRRRL!

     By Jan Peck on January 30, 2023 at 11:29 am

323. That’s great. I’ve had so many new ideas come to mind while doing storystorm. I love it!

     By James Adams on January 30, 2023 at 11:49 am

324. What a great pist. I will be keeping my unused ideas on the back burner for recycling for sure 😁 thank you xx

     By Jeanette on January 30, 2023 at 12:03 pm

325. I CANNOT wait to read Monster Baker! Super advice to grab ideas from old notebooks.

     By Rebecca Guzinski on January 30, 2023 at 12:06 pm

326. Great idea! Every one of my old ideas have pieces I love.

     By Sarah Lynne John on January 30, 2023 at 12:08 pm

327. I love the idea of revisiting old ideas. I think all old pieces have a spark that can be ignited again in a different way.

     By Heather Riccio on January 30, 2023 at 12:25 pm

328. Yes! Sometimes one idea that goes nowhere even feeds into lines for another book. I love this!

     By DrZatHome on January 30, 2023 at 12:26 pm

329. Wonderful to put those “old” ideas to work! Thanks!

     By Sandy Lowe on January 30, 2023 at 12:29 pm

330. Thanks for the reminder to look at previous StoryStorm notebooks for ideas.

     By michellesteinberg on January 30, 2023 at 12:32 pm

331. “I wrote about mustard, which sadly died on sub.” Genius pun! Sorry that one didn’t work out for you, but congrats on your other successes. Great advice here. Thank you!

     By Erin Cleary (ClearyWriter) on January 30, 2023 at 12:37 pm

332. I love that you reminded us that we don’t even need 100s of ideas–just a fresh perspective or twist on our past ideas could spark a story. Sometimes I find myself overwhelmed with too many ideas, but none with sticking power, so this is helpful. Monsters + baking = Magic! Hope you have a lot of success with this one.

     By allyenz on January 30, 2023 at 12:38 pm

333. I’ll be dusting off my old ideas and concepts shortly, …excited about where that may lead. Thanks for sharing and congrats on your upcoming book! 🙂

     By claudia sloan on January 30, 2023 at 12:38 pm

334. Looking at old notebooks for bad ideas? Oh, honey, I’ve got ’em! BUT–maybe I can mash them up or concoct something sweet. Thanks for the inspiration and congrats on your upcoming books, Laura, and thanks for this fun, inspiring month, Tara!

     By Jane Heitman Healy on January 30, 2023 at 12:47 pm

335. Ha! I’ve been avoiding looking back at old Storystorm lists this month because I didn’t want to get stuck in old ideas, but you make a good point! Perhaps I could combine things or repurpose them or something. I’m going to try it.

     By Michelle Cusolito on January 30, 2023 at 12:59 pm

336. Thanks for the reminder, and congratulations on your recycling success!

     By Poupette on January 30, 2023 at 1:01 pm

337. Super duper helpful! Much appreciated.

     By cravevsworld on January 30, 2023 at 1:05 pm

338. Dusting off the old notebooks.

     By Dawn M. on January 30, 2023 at 1:13 pm

339. Thank you for this nudge to review old Stories!

     By Mary Beth Rice on January 30, 2023 at 1:18 pm

340. Great encouragement to look through my past Story Storm ideas. I’m sure there’s some “gold” there somewhere!

     By Jen Subra on January 30, 2023 at 1:21 pm

341. Time to dig through my old Storystorm files. Thanks for the suggestion!

     By Daryl Gottier on January 30, 2023 at 1:26 pm

342. Thanks, Laura! Your books are super cute. And I appreciate your encouragement.

     By Kathy Doherty on January 30, 2023 at 1:27 pm

343. after all, that’s why we are so fond of notebooks! lol

     By Sandra Wilson on January 30, 2023 at 1:28 pm

344. Thank you for this!! I’ve been doing a bunch of this repurposing/upcycling lately but not with enough intention or determination- this was so relevant and encouraging for me. Congrats on your awesome books, Laura!!

     By Danya Vasquez David on January 30, 2023 at 1:31 pm

345. Thank you for this great reminder to revisit our old ideas and to find new homes for our characters. Looking forward to reading your adorable books!

     By donnacangelosi on January 30, 2023 at 1:39 pm

346. Thanks for your inspiration. Like you, I use my kitchen as part of the creative process!

     By valerieschultz023gmailcom on January 30, 2023 at 1:42 pm

347. I just wrote a draft that I’m not super excited about BUT the idea of re-imagining/re-purposing feels sustainable (pun intended).

     By Ana Kelly on January 30, 2023 at 1:44 pm

348. Love this post! It’s been fun going through my Storystorm/PiBoIdMo notebooks from previous years and recycling some old ideas.

     By rgstones on January 30, 2023 at 1:45 pm

349. Recycling and reworking is an excellent idea!

     By Adriana Bergstrom on January 30, 2023 at 1:45 pm

350. I wrote a manuscript recently from a story idea that I originally had a couple of yeas ago. Sometimes it takes a while for an idea to fully germinate.

     By Keith R Harrell on January 30, 2023 at 1:46 pm

351. I still love some of my old ideas, so hopefully time will help me figure out how to make them work. Thank you for your post!

     By Amanda Perry on January 30, 2023 at 1:46 pm

352. Great tips! Time to go look back at some old idea journals.

     By Loretta Schrader on January 30, 2023 at 1:48 pm

353. Revisiting old manuscripts for minor characters who may be waiting to become major characters is a fabulous idea. I’m on it!

     By abby mumford on January 30, 2023 at 1:53 pm

354. I love your suggestion about recycling past ideas. As we progress over the years, we become better writers, so our improved skill might be able to resurrect an old idea into a new book.

     By pjaegly on January 30, 2023 at 1:57 pm

355. I’m a big fan of your recommendations – thank you for the reminder to implement them!

     By Beth Elliott on January 30, 2023 at 2:06 pm

356. Recycled writing! I love to recycle paper and compost old food. Why have I not thought of recycling characters? Great idea! TU!

     By Alicia Shawn Gagnon on January 30, 2023 at 2:07 pm

357. This is such a great post! I need to revisit my old ideas and take a glance at shelved manuscripts to see if anything sparks. Thanks for sharing, Laura!!

     By Jessica Milo on January 30, 2023 at 2:17 pm

358. I’m so glad your spunky little sidekick led you to her own story!

     By libbydemmon on January 30, 2023 at 2:23 pm

359. Some ideas/characters/themes just need to marinate a while before they’re ready. Thank you for the post!

     By Scott Wolf on January 30, 2023 at 2:28 pm

360. Some ideas/characters/themes just need a little time to marinate. Thanks for your post!

     By Scott Wolf on January 30, 2023 at 2:29 pm

361. love the scary vs not scary idea

     By colleenrkosinski on January 30, 2023 at 2:37 pm

362. Encouraging! I love some of my ‘old’ characters.

     By Trine Grillo on January 30, 2023 at 2:48 pm

363. Thank you, Laura! I do keep a box of scraps of ideas and a folder on a distant hard drive of randoms starts and stops…I DID (coincidently) pull it out the other day and some of the old scribbles sparked new ideas! Great advice! I’m looking forward to reading your books!

     By Katharine Emlen on January 30, 2023 at 2:49 pm

364. Looking at old ideas or manuscripts with fresh eyes helps tremendously! thanks

     By Leah Marks on January 30, 2023 at 2:49 pm

365. Nice! Duck, Duck, Taco Truck!

     By biil jarcho on January 30, 2023 at 2:50 pm

366. Thanks for the reminder to revisit old ideas. I hope to get a fresh perspective on my old notes!J

     By JoLynne Ricker Whalen on January 30, 2023 at 3:37 pm

367. Going to review some old storystorm lists now!

     By Keeping the Me in Mommy on January 30, 2023 at 3:39 pm

368. Thanks for the post.

     By Cindy S. on January 30, 2023 at 3:42 pm

369. So many great ideas! Thank you.

     By Maria Altizer on January 30, 2023 at 3:42 pm

370. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on recycling characters and old ideas. This is brilliant!

     By Suhasini Gupta on January 30, 2023 at 3:44 pm

371. Vampire Vacation was delightful! I can’t wait to read Monster Baker. Way to go Laura! Thanks for the tips.

     By Brittney Jett on January 30, 2023 at 3:51 pm

     1. Thanks so much—so glad you liked it!

        By Laura Lavoie on January 30, 2023 at 4:06 pm

372. Thank you! I need to re-visit some old ideas!

     By Susan Luchetta on January 30, 2023 at 3:56 pm

373. Great process, would love to see more of your notepads pages!

     By Rafael Macho on January 30, 2023 at 4:00 pm

374. Love this! My ugly sketch book (Storystorm ideas) has a future brilliant book. I just know it!

     By dedradavis on January 30, 2023 at 4:10 pm

375. Great post. Maybe some of those old ideas have aged better than I thought?

     By Christine Graham on January 30, 2023 at 4:24 pm

376. I love this, and that everything we create has something that might speak to us. It just needs to find its proper home.

     By msaraiva004 on January 30, 2023 at 4:26 pm

377. Thanks, Laura! Not only did I get a new story idea, but I’ve already started writing the first draft! 🙂

     By Sheri Dillard on January 30, 2023 at 4:26 pm

378. Yay for recycling!! Thanks for sharing this tip, Laura! Congrats on all your books!

     By Marci Whitehurst on January 30, 2023 at 4:36 pm

379. Thank you Laura! Sadly when a story doesn’t work I tend to squirrel it away and try not to think of it again…looks like I’ll be dusting off those nuts and cracking them open for new upcycle-able material. Congratulations on your up coming releases, and good luck on those manuscripts waiting in line.

     By tinefg on January 30, 2023 at 4:37 pm

380. Great ideas! Thanks, Laura! I look forward to checking out your books.

     By Suzanne Alexander on January 30, 2023 at 4:52 pm

381. What a wonderful post! Thank you for the inspiration!

     By nowthattherestime281137688 on January 30, 2023 at 4:55 pm

382. Thank you, Laura, for this encouraging post, sharing from your successes. That monster is cute! –Kim Peterson

     By naturewalkwithgod on January 30, 2023 at 4:59 pm

383. I’ve been contemplating getting out my old story storm lists. The encouragement I need to do that is sitting here.

     By Jennifer Rathe on January 30, 2023 at 5:06 pm

384. Upcycling elements from dead manuscripts or old storystorm ideas is so helpful. Thank you!

     By amckelle on January 30, 2023 at 5:13 pm

385. Thanks for this post. I have been wanting to write a silly book for a long time now without luck. Your post inspired me to play around with ideas and yesterday, I wrote an entire manuscript. I’m so excited about it!

     By nrompella on January 30, 2023 at 5:14 pm

386. Love that stack of notebooks – Going to pull mine out now!

     By laureannawrites on January 30, 2023 at 5:26 pm

387. Thanks for sharing!

     By Andrea Yomtob on January 30, 2023 at 5:56 pm

388. Thanks for the reminder…no decent idea should be wasted!

     By staceygustafson on January 30, 2023 at 6:14 pm

389. Laura, congrats on your books, and thanks for the reminder to revisit old manuscripts to see what might be useable in a future project!

     By Amy Newbold on January 30, 2023 at 7:27 pm

390. Cycle and recycle, there is always some good in all that rubbish.

     By Stephen S. Martin on January 30, 2023 at 7:56 pm

391. A fresh perspective on an old idea. I’ll be pulling up my past StoryStorm lists to see what glimmers may lie there. Thanks for the reminder.

     By Diane M. on January 30, 2023 at 8:05 pm

392. Duck, Duck, Taco Truck – giggle!! Love it! I also have many ideas from past storystorms still simmering… maybe one day.

     By Lorraine on January 30, 2023 at 8:23 pm

393. Thanks, Laura for this great idea. I’m a big fan of reducing, reusing, and recycling other things, so I’ll start applying that to writing as well! 🙂 Luckily, I have many abandoned/unfinished/just not great manuscripts to work with, as well as 3 or 4 years’ worth of story storm ideas. So many resources!
     Congratulations on your picture book success. I love humorous books!

     By michelerietz on January 30, 2023 at 9:05 pm

394. Super cute books! Congrats!

     By Annemarie Riley Guertin on January 30, 2023 at 9:12 pm

395. I have been revisiting old ideas and just recently was able to finish a picture book draft. I love that I went back to visit an old story idea with fresh eyes. Thank you for the post. Looking forward to revisiting more old ideas. -Lori Laniewski

     By ljtouche on January 30, 2023 at 9:31 pm

396. I have this recipe for Monster Cookies….

     By Christine Ottaviano Shestak on January 30, 2023 at 9:39 pm

397. Thank you for this post. I have so many ideas and characters that I loved but their stories didn’t work. I’m gonna go back and see if I can recycle or scramble around and see what I can do with it all.

     By jpeters6248 on January 30, 2023 at 9:51 pm

398. Lists and journals are some of my favorite things! What a great idea to plow through some old journals – may just light a spark! thank you

     By Penelope McNally on January 30, 2023 at 9:52 pm

399. I loved reading about your journey and how storystorm led to some of your success!

     By Melissa Trempe on January 30, 2023 at 9:54 pm

400. Laura, My agent just gave me as my homework assignment to rummage through my old stories drawer and see what I could upcycle! Thanks! Time to take y’all’s advice!

     By carmelamccainsimmons on January 30, 2023 at 10:08 pm

401. Your new book looks adorable and what a perfect illustrator you got for it! It’s so cute!

     By Amanda on January 30, 2023 at 10:11 pm

402. Great tips!

     By Ashley Sierra (@AshleySierra06) on January 30, 2023 at 10:18 pm

403. Congratulations on your beautiful books and thanks for the tips!

     By Shirley fadden on January 30, 2023 at 10:24 pm

404. Part of the beauty of this craft is that the stories are inside of us, waiting to be written, or waiting to be rewritten in a way that makes them shine. Thank you for the reminder that no story is necessarily “dead on the shelf”. It’s always good to circle back!

     By betsylehan on January 30, 2023 at 11:23 pm

405. Congrats on your publications Laura! Sometimes it is best to tuck things away for a while – you may have a brilliant idea when you dig it up after a while!

     By marthaej on January 30, 2023 at 11:27 pm

406. Great ideas! Thank you!

     By Sandy Belford on January 30, 2023 at 11:43 pm

407. Thanks, Laura. Congrats on all your books!
     I’m hoping something sparks when a dig out a few “misfit manuscripts.” At the least, perusing could be amusing.

     By Natasha on January 31, 2023 at 12:50 am

408. Great idea to use titles, concepts and characters from manuscripts that are not going to be books! Thanks!

     By Judy Sobanski on January 31, 2023 at 1:02 am

409. I can’t count the number of manuscripts that started as ideas, sat to marinate and then resurfaced much better!

     By JEN Garrett on January 31, 2023 at 1:38 am

410. Well I certainly have a lot more UNUSED ideas than used, so this exercise should be a treasure trove! Thank you!

     By wyszguy on January 31, 2023 at 2:22 am

411. I’ve recoiled and up cycled characters, themes, but there’s always more left behind to mine and see if a mixup or mashup work new wonders. Your hint to pair a scary sounding character with unscary hobby, or perhaps other opposites is a great way to push that!

     By bonnie fireUrchin ~ pb illustration & writing on January 31, 2023 at 3:32 am

412. What a great title—Duck,Duck,Taco Truck! I recently looked back through my StoryStorm ideas. Most entries made me think …. what in the world???! But there are a few hidden possibilities I think. Thanks for the post

     By Colleen Dabney on January 31, 2023 at 5:43 am

413. Thanks so much for this reminder to go back and look through my ideas notebook. I tend to neglect that part of things! Congrats on your picture books 🙂

     By Laura Purdie Salas on January 31, 2023 at 8:38 am

414. Nothing is ever wasted. I review my old notebooks at least once or twice a year. Great idea!

     By rebeccacolby on January 31, 2023 at 8:46 am

415. Yes! I have to go back to my old Storystorm ideas. On a train now, but a project for tonight. Thanks for sharing how this helped you!

     By Christine Fleming McIsaac on January 31, 2023 at 9:07 am

416. Great post, Laura! Lots of good advice here. This makes me think of what we do during #KidLitZombieWeek when we go back to old “dead” stories to find the good things we can revive. I loved Vampire Vacation and look forward to reading Monster Baker with my little ones.

     By Sarah Meade on January 31, 2023 at 9:53 am

417. Thank you for sharing your idea generating journey! Your method sounds fun and I like the idea of not giving up on some of the older ideas.

     By GOades-Sese on January 31, 2023 at 10:04 am

418. This is a great idea. I am sure I have some redeemable characters and concepts in my story graveyard and idea notebooks. Congratulations on your upcoming publications. Monster Baker looks so cute.

     By Jamie Bills on January 31, 2023 at 10:13 am

419. Reuse and recycle is a great concept for development using the parts you love. Thank you!

     By Jane Dippold on January 31, 2023 at 10:17 am

420. Laura, I love this idea to recycle characters and concepts. This is just the kick in the pants I need to return to all my misfit stories that are sitting around collecting cyber dust. I’m looking forward to reading your upcoming books. Thank you so much!! 🙂

     By Lindsey Aduskevich on January 31, 2023 at 10:17 am

421. Congratulations on your upcoming monster book and thank you for sharing all the ways you cook up creativity (sometimes using what you already have on hand!)

     By Nicole Loos Miller on January 31, 2023 at 10:24 am

422. Laura, I love the idea of scolling pics on my phone, and, yes, it’s time to go through my file of “dead-end” stories.
     Thank you!

     By Arlene Schenker on January 31, 2023 at 10:32 am

423. Upcycle, Repurpose, Re-Cast!

     By Ali Oxtoby on January 31, 2023 at 10:56 am

424. Thank you for sharing.

     By jms5880 on January 31, 2023 at 11:39 am

425. I’ve always found going back through old ideas and radically changing them can be SO helpful. Thanks for the post!

     By Rachel S. on January 31, 2023 at 11:49 am

426. I’ve just resorted to radically changing an idea I worked pretty deeply on but couldn’t ‘solve’. I really liked parts of the original idea but sometimes they just have to be rolled over.

     By Anne Young on January 31, 2023 at 12:09 pm

427. This is why we hang onto all our old idea notebooks. Crack it open and see what falls out.

     By Lucky Jo Boscarino on January 31, 2023 at 12:10 pm

428. I regularly mine my old Storystorm ideas…most are duds but some have been terrific. So, I totally hear you on this method!

     By Teresa 何 Robeson on January 31, 2023 at 12:51 pm

429. Laura, definitely been thinking about old stories/characters/concepts that died on the vine. One of them must be recyclable, right? Thanks for the inspiration.

     By Marilyn Wolpin on January 31, 2023 at 1:12 pm

430. I love you comments about going back to previous Story Storms and revisiting past ideas for some spark or different perspective.
     Thanks!

     By hodgeh77 on January 31, 2023 at 1:30 pm

431. You just reminded me how I could recycle an old story that’s been in my drawer for a while. Thank you.

     By R.G. Spaulding on January 31, 2023 at 1:33 pm

432. Going back into the old StoryStorm notebooks. That was a lot of fun. Great post!

     By Clement, Laura on January 31, 2023 at 1:54 pm

433. I love the idea of up-cycling old stories, characters, and ideas into a brand new ms. Thanks, Laura!

     By Kristi Mahoney on January 31, 2023 at 2:29 pm

434. Great post

     By Sue (Susan Uhlig) (she/her) (@susanuhlig) on January 31, 2023 at 2:49 pm

435. Congrats on your books! Those are seriously the cutest concepts.

     By Katherine Rea on January 31, 2023 at 3:01 pm

436. One of my best friend characters keeps begging for his own book!

     By Mara K Lansky on January 31, 2023 at 3:19 pm

437. Thank you, Laura, for the great inspiration. Ok, I REALLY need to meet Pierre du Monstére! Hilarious.

     By vgraboski61gmailcom on January 31, 2023 at 3:30 pm

438. Laura,
     Recycling is good for the environment of my story!!! 😃
     Thanks for a rest post!
     Lucy

     By Lucy Staugler on January 31, 2023 at 3:33 pm

439. I love recycling and upcycling – so it makes sense, I should do that with my ideas. Thanks for the great post!

     By sheilagart on January 31, 2023 at 3:37 pm

440. Love these tips and your books!

     By Patricia MacMillan on January 31, 2023 at 3:45 pm

441. Your post provided such a fun afternoon for me looking through old storystorm journals and notes. Thank you for offering this suggestion.

     By Johanna Peyton on January 31, 2023 at 4:14 pm

442. Thank you, Laura! Time and a fresh perspective has been so helpful to me and I love reading about your journey and the best pal who needed a new story. I also often think about my stories and the island of misfit toys (ideas). Thanks for inspiring me to look at them again!

     By Tess weaver on January 31, 2023 at 4:51 pm

443. A good reminder, Laura. Thank you. Often we’re so caught up in the next new shiny thing, we forget about the older treasures.

     By Kellie on January 31, 2023 at 5:23 pm

444. Thank you, Laura. I keep all the old stuff but seldom go back to it. Maybe this week while planning my vacation….

     By Nancy Ferguson on January 31, 2023 at 6:05 pm

445. Oooooh, I like the idea of pairing something scary with something, well, not so scary! I know that wasn’t the main point of your story necessarily but it sparked something in me and now I’m full of even more new ideas. Plus I appreciate the gentle reminder to go back and review old ideas. Kellie’s absolutely right in her comment: it’s easy to get caught up in shiny new things when there are treasures to be found all around us already. To the notebooks!

     By Caitlin on January 31, 2023 at 6:11 pm

446. Thanks Laura. I’ll be returning to those “misfit manuscripts” I have lying around. Here’s hoping!

     By Jane Baskwill on January 31, 2023 at 6:11 pm

447. Upcycling misfit manuscripts and recasting sidekicks into starring roles. Fun ways to play with old ideas. Thanks!

     By Angela De Groot on January 31, 2023 at 6:43 pm

448. Thanks for your idea to go dumpster diving. Something might just spark a story possibility.

     By shirley301 on January 31, 2023 at 6:46 pm

449. Great idea! I’m off to pull up some oldies but not such goodies to see what I can find. Thank you!

     By Ellen Leventhal on January 31, 2023 at 8:04 pm

450. Awesome work! Love hearing how all those ancient ideas resonated and percolated until the right time.

     By thelogonauts on January 31, 2023 at 8:24 pm

451. I’m a big fan of recycling. Congrats on your publications.

     By Nancy Kotkin on January 31, 2023 at 8:27 pm

452. I definitely need to try recycling more! Thanks for the inspiration!

     By Janet Halfmann on January 31, 2023 at 9:01 pm

453. I love your notebook page….and appreciate your ideas (and puns).

     By Susan Klaren on January 31, 2023 at 9:37 pm

454. Thanks for the motivation, Laura. I know just the story to revisit first.

     By jenfierjasinski on January 31, 2023 at 9:48 pm

455. I often find myself even subconsciously coming back to the same ideas over and over. I start to find patterns in my thinking and that’s when I realize the ideas that are dying to break free, then I start putting the pieces together in different ways until I find the winning combination!

     By Amanda on January 31, 2023 at 9:55 pm

456. A great idea to revisit old ideas!

     By Alexis_Bookdragon on January 31, 2023 at 10:47 pm

457. I didn’t know Vampire Vacation was a Storystorm idea! It’s always fun learning a book I enjoyed sprang from this month of chaotic creativity that brings so many of us together.

     By Jocelyn Rish on January 31, 2023 at 10:52 pm

458. Time to sift through those dusty ideas! Great post

     By Ben Jeder on January 31, 2023 at 10:53 pm

459. good idea to dive deep Kamilla Milligan, Writer (she/her) kamillamilligan.com

     By KamillaM on January 31, 2023 at 10:53 pm

460. Mustard on sub! Love!

     By maureenegan on January 31, 2023 at 11:31 pm

461. Oh my goodness the titles and art! LOVE!!!!

     By jennifer Hunt on February 1, 2023 at 12:03 am

462. Upcycling old ideas. Hmmm. I’ll have to dig up the old notebooks. Great idea. Thank you.

     By Cassie Bentley on February 1, 2023 at 12:34 am

463. Definitely time to take out my old Story Storm journals for another look, thank you for the ideas!

     By Dana Atnip on February 1, 2023 at 12:46 am

464. I love looking through old Storystorm notebooks. Thanks for the reminder to go check those out.

     By Maria Bostian on February 1, 2023 at 12:50 am

465. Here’s hoping my old ideas can become new again!

     By Megan McNamara on February 1, 2023 at 1:31 am

466. Thank you so much! This is my first Storystorm, but now I want to go through some of my old stuff and see what I can find!

     By amandalittleauthor on February 1, 2023 at 1:35 am

467. Going back through sketchbooks is always fun anyway!

     By Bhandi on February 1, 2023 at 1:38 am

468. Thank you!! Will definitely take a look at my old ideas and see if I get any fun ideas!

     By Acamy Schleikorn on February 1, 2023 at 1:39 am

469. Duck Duck Taco Truck in title alone is so tantalizing, and thank you for sparking ideas.

     By topangamaria on February 1, 2023 at 9:55 am

470. Thanks for sharing your process for these!

     By ryanrobertsauthor on February 1, 2023 at 10:20 am

471. Thank you for sharing your imagination with us. Lots to think about moving forward.

     By kdgwrites on February 1, 2023 at 12:14 pm

472. Thanks for sharing–very helpful!

     By Sara Matson on February 1, 2023 at 12:20 pm

473. So interesting how ideas may never go totally stale. I love this!

     By Ana Paula Fagundes on February 1, 2023 at 1:24 pm

474. Thanks so much for getting my brain thinking about how I can recycle pieces of old stories!

     By Shawna Tenney on February 1, 2023 at 1:57 pm

475. Hi Laura!!! What a fabulous post! I love your books (as you know) and I love this: “Time and fresh perspective can do wonders for the creative mind.”
     Big hugs!

     By LaurenKerstein on February 1, 2023 at 2:06 pm

476. Thanks for the great advice; a new way to recycle – with lots of possibilities!

     By susaninez0905 on February 1, 2023 at 3:34 pm

477. Thank you for the motivating and inspiring post!

     By Helen Lysicatos on February 1, 2023 at 5:30 pm

478. Thanks for this reminder to revisit our old Storystorm idea notebooks! Looking forward to reading all your upcoming books!

     By Melissa Stoller on February 1, 2023 at 5:49 pm

479. I love recycling. Maybe I can recycle some of my old ideas. It is sure is worth a try.

     By Christine M. Irvin on February 1, 2023 at 6:24 pm

480. Such clever ideas. I do love recycling. Maybe I will find a gem in the trash heap. Thanks for sharing.

     By debbiemoeller on February 1, 2023 at 6:39 pm

481. Like a TV spin-off. I like it. Cindy Williams’ recent death had me thinking about Laverne and Shirley. Some minor characters (and ideas) deserve center stage. Thanks for the great ideas. Congrats on the new books, Laura!

     By Laurie Seaford on February 1, 2023 at 6:59 pm

482. I have been yearning to back into my Storystorms past.

     By Melissa Hastings on February 1, 2023 at 9:17 pm

483. I like the pairing of scary with not so scary. It sparks some ideas for more opposites!

     By marybeningo on February 1, 2023 at 9:43 pm

484. I don’t know if this is quite in the spirit of Storystorm, but it’s… adjacent at least. Perusing old ideas (per this blog post’s suggestion) led me to a half-finished draft of what I THINK will be a short story (unless it gets out of hand, in which case… early chapter book?) that started its life as a PiBoIdMo picture book idea, until I realized it demanded a voice that couldn’t possibly be contained by 500 words. And I just wrote another few paragraphs on that story and think I know its direction moving forward.

     SO THANK YOU, Laura!

     By Elizabeth Metz on February 1, 2023 at 11:15 pm

485. This post reminds me that I have one or two old journals from college, filled with much-loved quotes, song lyrics, quips, sketches, etc. I’ve never thought about using them for story ideas, but I just might pull them out after so long and give them a fresh review.

     By Kristin Sawyer on February 2, 2023 at 12:51 am

486. This is my first year doing StoryStorm, but I immediately had an old idea come back to me that I wasn’t happy with and dropped, even though it had so much great potential! Thanks for bringing it back to mind.

     By Bethany Brown on February 2, 2023 at 11:20 am

487. These are great ideas!

     By Kaela Parkhouse on February 2, 2023 at 11:27 am

488. Not sure if I’m too late to comment. Every year I forget to comment on all the posts. I’ll post late this year and hope for the best. 🙂 Thanks for a great month Tara and guests!

     By Jes Trudel on February 2, 2023 at 1:50 pm

489. Fun Ideas! Thank you!

     By kaleegwarjanski on February 2, 2023 at 2:30 pm

490. I love the idea of pairing opposites. Thank you!

     By Mary Ann Blair on February 2, 2023 at 4:35 pm

491. Thanks for sharing, I need to find my journal.

     By jasminefang on February 2, 2023 at 4:51 pm

492. yes. yes. yes! This time around I had fewer ideas but many more tools and i’ve been eager to dig out my old notebooks to test them on. I can’t wait to see if anything there could be used to create something new. THanks!!

     By Joanne Roberts on February 2, 2023 at 5:12 pm

493. I try to look back at my old journals from time to time because I always find ideas I’ve forgotten about. Good reminder!

     By Susanne Whitehouse on February 2, 2023 at 9:32 pm

494. Yes! I love revisiting my old ideas. Without fail, I find some that I don’t even remember jotting down. It’s like finding little treasures in my notebooks. Thank you!!

     By Susie Sawyer on February 3, 2023 at 2:02 am

495. I love going through old sketchbooks to find ideas, thanks!

     By Ruthie Nicklaus on February 3, 2023 at 11:53 am

496. I am going to try this idea of going back and putting a new twist on the character. thank you!

     By Jean Martin on February 3, 2023 at 4:34 pm

497. I have been thinking about going back and looking at old ideas. I have learned so much since I started I think I would be able to look at this ideas with a new perspective.

     By juliannahelt on February 3, 2023 at 4:43 pm

498. Thank you for this exercise–it’s about time I revisted my old ideas. And thanks for giving us a glimpse into your notebook.

     By Brinton Culp on February 3, 2023 at 5:22 pm

499. Very interesting exercise, Laura. I can’t wait to hear about and read your story inspired by your Dad! 🙂

     By marias62 on February 4, 2023 at 9:34 am

500. Laurie, I ‘m glad I’m not the only writer with several stacked journals of tales & titles that didn’t quite make the cut! Sometimes the idea of “creating a new, fresh story” is intimidating and what we can do is simply flip through our older ideas with a fresh eye and heart. Love the art on the new Monster Baker book, too!

     By yangmommy on February 4, 2023 at 10:34 am

501. I love the idea of repurposing old, misfit ideas. I also loved the image of the island of bad ideas being something like the island of misfit toys, hee hee! Anyway, great, great ideas and inspiration and can’t wait to read your books, especially “Vampire Vacations!” What an adorably, scary idea!

     By Linda Silvestri on February 4, 2023 at 8:27 pm

502. Sounds like a great idea

     By Angela Turner on February 4, 2023 at 9:32 pm

503. I love recycling! Now I have more reasons to do so. I do have some characters that deserve being rescued. Thanks, Laura.

     By Zoraida Rivera on February 5, 2023 at 5:13 pm

504. This was such a great post. I love the idea of recycling our old ideas into something new. Thanks for sharing!

     By Ashley Bankhead on February 6, 2023 at 8:25 pm

505. Thanks. I love your idea of going back to old ideas. Something bubbled up! And I loved your idea of pairing scary things with no-so-scary hobbies. There’s so much play involved for us!

     By Yehudit Sarah on February 6, 2023 at 9:17 pm

506. Okay, going back to the well with upcycling in mind 🙂 Thank you!!

     By Stephanie D Jones on February 6, 2023 at 9:31 pm

507. Thank you Laura! I’d like to think that all those thoughts/ideas have a place somewhere! I love this idea of recycling old characters or ideas. Good luck with your journeys

     By Kelly Vavala on February 6, 2023 at 9:54 pm

508. Great post! 🙂

     By Rebecca Gardyn Levington on February 6, 2023 at 11:38 pm

509. Love it! I can’t wait to read Vampire Vacation. Thanks for the inspiration and tips!

     By Ann Page on February 7, 2023 at 6:37 pm

510. Good morning, Tara and/or wonderful staff,
     I was new to STORYSTORM, and am inspired by the wealth of information I was gifted by the talented people you showcased in January. I had to adapt my pace to absorb the information. What unfolded was:
     *January was spent reading the posts.
     *February follows your pattern of a repeat of the 31 posts plus a reread of January¡¯s posts.
     *It¡¯s expanded to drafts and revisions, and ordering books, and visits to websites and resources. But here¡¯s where I stalled ¡­
     *I ordered a few books from authors¡¯ websites, but before I order more,
     Did you post on site another way to order these precious books?
     Thank You, Susan Shackelford

     Sent from Mailhttps://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986 for Windows

     By madisu2021 on February 23, 2023 at 12:37 pm

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