by Nikki Grimes

Where did you get the idea for your story? That’s probably the most commonly posed question asked of authors. The truth is, no two answers are the same, at least not for me.

Some ideas are seeded by research. Years ago, an editor asked if I would consider writing a picture book about a little known Black historical figure. I didn’t have any in mind, so I took a stroll through my encyclopedia to see if there was any subject who interested me. That’s where I initially encountered Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman pilot. Delving into her story led to my picture book biography, TALKIN’ ABOUT BESSIE, illustrated by E.B. Lewis.

My research about Bessie revealed that her father was Native American, of the Choctaw Nation. That research note inspired my forthcoming picture book, STRONGER THAN, a story about a Black Choctaw character named Dante. The book is written in collaboration with Choctaw author Stacy Wells and illustrated by E.B. Lewis. (The background of this collaborative work is a story in and of itself, but that’s for another day.)

There are countless untold stories of remarkable men, women, and children available for the telling, if we look for them. Bonus? These stories come with built-in characters, plot lines, and time frames—perfect building blocks for solid storytelling. There are also seeds for stories found in history (CHASING FREEDOM, my picture book about Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, for example), science and nature (Joyce Sidmon and Jeannine Atkins often draw from these), and more.

Before you go digging into history, biography, or science though, remember that there are stories parading through your own mind, clamoring for attention, if you’ll only listen. My latest picture book, A CUP OF QUIET, was one of those.

I love the quality of quiet found in nature. I must have thought and spoken those very words a thousand times, over the years, without every stopping to notice the story possibilities nestled inside of them. But then, a couple of years ago, I finally did. On that day, I started digging, and that meant asking questions.

What was it about the quality of that quiet that I loved? What sounds created it? In what kind of spaces did I notice those sounds? How did that kind of quiet make me feel? Each question led to a myriad of answers, and I jotted them all down. Those answers led me to the doorstep of inspiration: Why not write a story about a child discovering the quality of quiet found in nature? Once I had that nugget, I was off and running.

The inspiration of A CUP OF QUIET had been patiently waiting inside my mind—and outside in my garden—all along. How many ideas are roaming around in your mind, waiting for your attention? What are some of the things you think, or say, all the time? When you think about it, chances are you’ll discover more than a few. Pick one and hone in on it. Ask some questions. Do some digging in the garden of your mind, and find the rose patiently waiting for you!

A nearby crow
caws “Hello! Hello! Hello!”
so sound, the other birds
fly away.
“Shoo! says Grandma.
but not before I scoop up
some of his sound.

 

—from A CUP OF QUIET

New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes has received the CSK Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for adolescent literature, the Children’s Literature Legacy Medal, the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, and the Coretta Scott King Award for Bronx Masquerade. Other titles include Printz Honor and Sibert Honor winner Ordinary Hazards, ALA Notable Legacy:Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance and picture books Southwest Sunrise, Kirkus Best Book Bedtime for Sweet Creatures, Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice, Lullaby for the King, A Walk in the Woods, and A Cup of Quiet. Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California. You can follow her on Instagram @poetrynikki and Bluesky @poetnikki.