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by Maria Marianayagam
Hey there, fellow writers and storytellers!
Doesn’t it feel like the quest for the next idea is a journey we’re constantly traveling? It feels like we’re always looking up, down, and around, searching for a spark to get us moving on our next story. Today, rather than looking around ourselves, I want to talk about looking within—using our own unique identities as the spark for our next literary masterpieces.
I’ll be sharing insights from my own upcoming works and shining a light on how our personal experiences and the beautiful mix of our identities can serve as the ultimate wellspring for new and captivating stories.
First, I like to think of the many aspects of my identity and make a list:
• Tamil-Sri Lankan • Canadian • Woman • Mom (Amma) • Daughter • Sister • Wife • Engineer • Writer • BIPOC Catholic • Recovered OCD sufferer • Immigrant • Traveler • Mom of mixed-race children • girl-mom • foodie • STEMinist • time-travel enthusiast • and more
Then I mash them up to see what story ideas I can generate. Here are a few examples:
THE AMAZING POWER OF GIRLS, illustrated by Skylar White (Sourcebooks eXplore, 2024)
- Identities: Woman x Engineer x STEMinist x girl-mom
My debut picture book, a STEM-based, girl empowerment personifies girls as forces of physics—gravity, friction, magnetism, and more—to explain the science of forces, as well as trying to showcase the wonderful characteristics of girls. As an engineer who worked in a male-dominated industry for a decade and a mom to young girls, I wanted a story that would embolden girls to consider a career in STEM.
CURRY MEANS MORE, illustrated by Geeta Ladi (Astra Books for Young Readers)
- Identities: Sri Lankan-Canadian x foodie
My next picture book delves into the cultural significance of food on identity. I was made fun of smelling like curry as a child and I wasn’t sure why. Drawing from my personal encounters, this story showcases what curry really is, while reflecting on its many meanings to a child.
WAIT TILL YOU’RE OLDER (Sourcebooks eXplore)
- Identities: Sister x Engineer x time-travel enthusiast
Another picture of mine focuses on a sibling relationship with a time-travel backdrop. I read a nonfiction book about time travel by Paul Davies in high school and it still remains one of my favorites. In this book, he explained how a person could actually travel time. I wanted to create a story that shared this information with the youngest reader, but in an approachable way. Using a classic sibling argument and the age-old adage of “wait till you’re older” helped spark this SEL/STEM mashup.
BABY VIRTUES BOOK SERIES, illustrated by Kat Uno (WorthyKids, 2024)
- Identities: BIPOC Catholic x mom
Finally, in 2024, my debut board books, BABY HOPE and BABY COURAGE, stemmed from two desires: (1) to distill these big values into simpler concepts that young kids could relate to and (2) to showcase diverse kids as Christians since I never saw this in books growing up. Thus, the Baby Virtues series was born!
Your turn!
- List your identities. Think about cultural and faith background. Think careers. Think upbringing. Think about your mental and physical abilities.
- List your passions. Ex. baking, traveling, STEM, soccer…
- Think about your WHY. Why do you want to write for kids? To inspire, educate, comfort, make a child feel seen…
- Mix and match identities and passions. Examples: OCD + STEM, sisters + baking, immigrant + traveling. Your WHY can help you come up with the scaffolding for the story. Ex. I want an immigrant, traveling story that inspires (the premise for an unannounced PB!).
I hope this blog post and exercise showcases just how powerful introspection can be in crafting meaningful stories for young readers. I suggest looking within to find your next story idea!
Maria Marianayagam is giving away a PB critique with career consultation (20 min Zoom).
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Maria Marianayagam is a Tamil Sri Lankan-Canadian children’s book author. Maria is a former chemical engineer who fell in love with children’s books (again!) after becoming an Amma (mom). Maria enjoys writing lyrical picture books centered on STEM, faith, and South Asian culture, as well as high concept middle-grade grounded in culture. The first two installments of her debut board book series, BABY HOPE and BABY COURAGE (WorthyKids/Hachette), and her debut picture book THE AMAZING POWER OF GIRLS (Sourcebooks eXplore) release in 2024.
When Maria is not writing, she can be found traveling the world, devouring books, and spending time with her wonderful family. She resides in Alberta, Canada, with her husband and two daughters. Sign up for her newsletter for more writing tips (and giveaways!) and follow her on Instagram @msmarianayagam.
by Teresa Ho Robeson
According to my “Ideas” notebook, I’ve been participating in Storystorm since 2014 (back in its PiBoIdMo days), though I swear I’ve been doing it for longer.
In those nine years, I’ve written down about 270 ideas from the random ones floating in the universe like dandelion fluff (according to Elizabeth Gilbert in her BIG MAGIC book).
Of those 270 I managed to capture in my notebook, I have drafted eight, thanks to 12×12, the other challenge besides Storystorm that help me keep my ducks writing life in a row.
Even though I haven’t sold any of those eight manuscripts, and nine other ideas have already appeared as books by others (Elizabeth was right!), I still find myself with an abundance of ideas on my list and not enough time to write them all. After all, even if I only took a month to write and polish one picture book from an idea, it would take me over twenty-two years to write all 270+ of them. And I keep accumulating more from doing Storystorm year after year.
But there is a solution of sorts! And I stumbled upon it unexpectedly.
I was recently approached by a publisher to write a nonfiction middle grade book for a fun concept an illustrator thought of. While drafting the book, seven story ideas from various years of brainstorming managed to show up at the party and became a part of that book. Also, two more ideas ended up in another nonfiction middle grade book (my own concept this time) I’m writing for a different editor! And I didn’t even realize I had included those ideas until I flipped through my notebook and noticed them after drafting both books.
That’s when I smacked my forehead and had a eureka moment.
Who said that each Storystorm idea had to lead to a single story? Surely not Chief Lazar of the Storystorm Police Department. Instead, why not consolidate two or more ideas into a single manuscript?
I had already done this, by accident, but now I plan to do it on and with purpose. When I’m wanting something new to write, I will read through my entire notebook of ideas and try to smash things together like an author cyclotron.
Sometimes I might put similar ideas with each other to create a thesis for a longer work (as in the NF MGs I mentioned above). But other times, I can randomly pair wildly disparate ideas to create really cool and unique plots or situations for fiction, too.
So, by the power vested in me by the State of (Writerly) Affairs, I hereby grant you permission to do the same! At the end of the year’s challenge, when you look back on all your wild and wonderful ideas, if single ones aren’t leading to worthwhile stories, smash a bunch of them together to create BIGGER MAGIC, and possibly better stories.
Teresa Ho Robeson is giving the winner the choice of either a signed copy of WHO IS TIBET’S EXILED LEADER? THE 14TH DALAI LAMA (Penguin Workshop) or a critique of a nonfiction picture book manuscript under 1,000 words.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Teresa Ho Robeson is an Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Picture Book Award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction books on science, nature, and her own culture, from her debut QUEEN OF PHYSICS: HOW WU CHIEN SHIUNG HELPED UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF THE ATOM (Union Square, illus. Rebecca Huang) to the upcoming CLOUDS IN SPACE: NEBULAE, STARDUST, AND US (MIT Kids/Candlewick; illus. Diana Renzina).
When not writing or teaching at The Highlights Foundation, SCBWI, and other conferences, she keeps busy with her family growing, and canning, much of their own food on 27 acres, as well as knitting, sewing, drawing, and sometimes making soap.
Visit her at TeresaRobeson.com or follow her on Bluesky @teresarobeson or Instagram @tmrobeson.
by Karen Kane
It’s Day 20, and we’re in the thick of Storystorm! Honestly, I could stay in this creative phase forever. Me and my notebook filled with ideas.
Add a cup of coffee and I’m in my happy place, with every story idea inside my notebook a world of perfect possibility.
But Day 31 will soon be here and then we make a choice. We keep those wonderful, perfect ideas safely tucked away in our notebooks.
Or we are brave and take one of those ideas and begin writing.
Now, once you take that perfect idea and put it on paper it becomes imperfect.
It becomes real.
Real can be scary.
Again, you must be brave. And you know who can help you be brave?
A friend. A writing friend.
That’s how I wrote ALPHABUDDIES: G IS FIRST!, with my writing partner Beth Bacon:
How do you start writing with a friend?
First, pick an idea.
Don’t pick your heart and soul idea, the heart and soul idea that you love so much you get teary-eyed whenever you give a five-minute pitch to someone who unwittingly asks what you’re writing.
Instead, pick an idea you can be open with. That you can play with. That you can hold onto lightly. At least in the beginning.
ALPHABUDDIES: G IS FIRST! began as a story I had written about a friendship between the letter e and the letter x. Beth read my manuscript and gave me feedback. My story definitely needed more work. However, I was new to writing picture books and not ready to revise.
A few years later, Beth was cleaning up files on her computer and found my old story. She asked if I wanted to collaborate on it.
I said yes!
I intuitively knew the picture book would stay unfinished unless I did something different.
My original idea became our bouncing off point.
Writing together, Beth and I transformed the story of the letters e and x into a story about the letters a and g, with g wondering why a is always first. When can g be first?
Not anytime soon!
Or start with a mentor text.
Pick a book you both love.
Map it out. Look at the structure of the book. Look at the beats. Look at what you love about it. Start to brainstorm. Start to play.
With a middle-grade project, Beth and I used Karen Cushman’s THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE as our mentor text.
We summarized each chapter to find the story beats. Starting with that mentor text, we wrote THE DOG OF SECOND CHANCES, about a boy and a dog both finding a second chance at an animal shelter.
On the surface, our book is nothing like THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE, yet underneath it has a similar structure and emotional resonance.
Beth and I met on Zoom, and we used Google Drive to collaborate. We took time to create the foundation of our stories. We took time to be creative and to play. We both worked on our own writing as well. And collaborating with Beth made me brave enough to reach out to my friend Jonaz and partner on a book with him.
Finally, don’t forget the joy is in the journey.
How do I know that? I wrote it in my journal, so it has to be true.
There’s something magical about saying to a friend, “Let’s write a book!” and you make it up as you go, together. You learn about the craft of writing, together. You learn what works and what doesn’t work, together.
Now there are two of you who both love this one book. Two people with different strengths, writing something they could have never written alone. And while you are waiting for that book to sell (see THE DOG OF SECOND CHANCES above), you have a friend you can wait with, together.
I would rather write a book and not sell it than to not write it at all.
Of course, I would really rather write and sell books.
Sometimes a project doesn’t work that way. That’s where the brave part kicks in.
But once you say yes and take the plunge with a partner, you don’t need to keep reaching for brave.
You just need to enjoy the journey and see what unfolds.
Then you get the best of both worlds. Your perfect notebook world and your imperfect real world, with real stories you have written.
As long as there’s coffee, both worlds are wonderful to be in.
Karen Kane is giving away two signed copies of ALPHABUDDIES: G IS FIRST! to two separate winners.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Karen Kane grew up in Rochester, NY and became a sign language interpreter before becoming a writer. A graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts, Karen is the author of the Edgar-award nominated book CHARLIE & FROG and its sequel THE BONEY HAND, ALPHABUDDIES: G IS FIRST! with Beth Bacon, and MONSTER HANDS with Jonaz McMillan (May 2024).
Visit her website at KarenKaneBooks.com or follow her on Instagram @karenkanebooks.
Karen and Beth will be discussing how they collaborate on Tuesday January 23rd at this free virtual event with the Baltimore Public Library.
by Julie Rowan-Zoch
“Oh, that’s my dream job!”
That’s the response I get every time I share with other authors that I am a bookseller. And I reply, “It’s a retail job.” My responsibilities and aching feet are not much different. But one advantage—beyond the danger of an employee discount—is the highlight of my week: STORYTIME!
I’ve lucked out over the years with two consistent daycare groups. I’ve learned their names, their likes and dislikes, and how fast that can change as they grow and move on to pre-school. I am challenged to change the content and themes every week, which also keeps me informed of our ever-changing stock to help customers too. Every week I read a LOT of books, looking for titles that will suit my purpose in read-aloud-ability and engagement. My acquired skills help, but I still bomb now and again (read below*)!
Here are some of the bigger lessons I’d like to share as each on its own may aide in the cultivation of ideas this month—and beyond:
READ A LOT: for the bookstore I read at least 20-30 a week (also to post recommendations for upcoming titles). My choices have to be engaging for the age-level, currently 2-3yrs old, and energetic enough to keep some of the babies from crying! Attention spans are very short if I make a mistake.
READ ALOUD: Before I read to kids I read aloud to myself first—it helps me notice which may have content or vocabulary above their level, and helps me gauge the meter and rhythm in rhyming books.
READ IN ORDER: I select 4-5 books for 20 mins of steady listening. I might be able to read more on a good day, but a bad day (windy days!!) will only allow for 3. I read the longest text first and try to balance the rest for pacing—just like in writing!
READ COMPANION TITLES: For efficiency I chose books based on a theme. It also allows me to explore what is currently available on the shelf and to see what the local library has to compliment. This is a writer’s practice too, right? I have found themes with barely any titles—a great prompt to write one myself!
STOP READING: time for fingerplay, food, games, or a craft related to the theme. I love this part because it exercises another area of the creative process and I get a ton of ideas based on their reactions. I like to have two things handy and often throw in 10 (!) rounds of a favorite finger play—they really do love repetition! “Again!!!” Please note: Pick crafts according to skill level and number of adult helpers available!
BE FLEXIBLE: an audience can change on any given day (esp school vacation!). One time I only had a set of grandparents with a baby, so I didn’t read, but we sang a LOT of songs! If older kids join us I can grab a more complex favorite off the shelf to start.
BE FLEXIBLE 2: Like I said, I bomb* occasionally! I may have chosen the wrong books for the mood of the day, or little Tommy just can’t stop crying and everyone else’s attention span is shot! I switch the order of books, change how I read them (will skip text if I must!) or drop ’em cold and go straight to activities. OR I grab a back-up title: ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE almost NEVER disappoint! It’s the DRAMA!
MAKE FRIENDS: with your local librarian(s)! I have learned so much from them about reading to a group. Heck, they are trained!!! They know it’s a hard-earned skill, they have sooo much knowledge, and surprise, surprise—they LOVE to help!
DON’T FORGET: to have FUN! The purpose of storytime is to engage but not to preach. It’s great to share concepts, exercise fine-motor skills (hanging socks on a clothesline is always fun!), and introduce kids to beautiful art, but storytime leaders are like writers too—we are connectors, inspirers, friends!
So, are there any other advantages to working at this retail job?
YES! And I’d love to come back some time for another chat—if you’re game, Tara? (YES, I AM!)
Julie Rowan-Zoch is giving away THREE prizes (to three winners in the US):
- One copy of LOUIS, written by Tom Lichtenheld, illustrated by Julie
- One copy of I’M A HARE, SO THERE!, written and illustrated by Julie
- One copy of NOT ALL SHEEP ARE BORING!, written by Bobby Moynihan, illustrated by Julie
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Author, illustrator, bookseller, and activist: Julie Rowan-Zoch grew up collecting freckles and chasing hermit crabs in New York, and spent years slicing rich breads in Germany before waking up to 300 days of blue Colorado skies. If she doesn’t answer the door, look in the garden! She is the illustrator of NOT ALL SHEEP ARE BORING!, written by Bobby Moynihan (G.P. Putnam’s, 2022), LOUIS, written by Tom Lichtenheld (Clarion, 2020), and the author-illustrator of I’M A HARE, SO THERE! (Clarion, 2021). Julie is on Instagram @julierowanzoch and her website: JulieRowanZoch.wordpress.com.
by Caron Levis
Sometimes I hide from inspiration.
Usually there’s nothing that makes me more present and joyful than collecting fresh drops of ideas. Tinkering with ideas—and working on the ones that trumpet, squawk, neigh, yawn, or cry the loudest—is what grounds and propels me through life. However, at times when mucky emotions overwhelm me, inspiration oddly feels exhausting, and I tend to stick my head in the sand. Once I hid so long, it seemed like my ideas had given up waiting and dried up. Scary. But uncollected inspiration never actually goes away and as Auntie Em says to elephant siblings Ely and Enid in MIGHTY MUDDY US, even during a drought “there is always water somewhere underground to sniff out and dig up.” Here are some ways I search for water on the tougher days.
Play in the Mud: One of the stickiest pieces of advice came from an acting teacher long ago. I had trouble finding my way to acting joyful if I felt sad. My teacher said, “start where you are, not where you want to be.” So, instead of trying to escape my current state, I allow myself to wallow, explore, get curious about it and see how it transforms.
Dig: Use writing prompts such as My Mud Is Made Of… or My Emotional Shape is… These can clear a path for inspiration or even give you some words, phrases, or ideas.
Roll the Ball: hope and ideas will follow. In Ida, Always, after the death of his friend, polar bear Gus hides with his grief in shadows. Eventually he begins to roll Ida’s favorite ball and his grief begins to take a new shape. Sometimes you need to act playful before you can feel playful. This concept of acting first, feeling later is one I turn to and play with a lot in my Act-Like-A-Writer workshops.
Dig: physically do something simple that brought you joy as a child or as an adult—even if you don’t feel like it. Get suggestions from friends too. (Thank you Tara for reminding me to discover new Absurd Words!)
“Be a Spy for Hope”: I have this (slightly abbreviated) quote from Katherine Patterson tacked to my bulletin board alongside the advice from Kate DiCamillo “Do Not Hope, Observe.” Spying and observing are actions we can take to find ideas.
Dig: Your mission is to walk, ride, or sit for twenty to forty minutes and collect one to five juicy images/sounds of hope. I once spied a child in a stroller fighting sleep as an ever-growing yawn took over. This was one of the raindrops for Stop That Yawn! Illustrated by LeUyen Pham.
Follow the Interrupting Ducks! I mean storks! I mean ideas! When I was looking for a new story for the feeling-friends collection with Charles Santoso, I got stuck for months working on one idea. One day my aunt sent me, “a cute video about ducks.” It turned out those ducks were storks with an incredible story. I allowed myself to take a break and follow the storks…all the way to Feathers Together. While we want to commit and be wary of sirens, sometimes the ducks can waddle you in the right direction.
Dig: When a new idea flies in at the “wrong” time, give yourself one hour, day, or week to explore it. If its pieces are coming together (and you aren’t in contract for the other!) keep going, keep it as your on-the-side project, or store for later.
Dedication Inspiration: In MIGHTY MUDDY US, Enid gets lost in a dust storm—and it’s by answering Ely’s call that she finds her way out of it. On dusty days, I think of someone I want to write for. This helps me generate a list of new ideas or find a fresh take on an oldie. The search for ideas that became THIS WAY, CHARLIE, FEATHERS TOGETHER, and MIGHTY MUDDY US was largely inspired by Charles Santoso and his heartfelt art. My niece and nephews are responsible for what I’m revising now.
Dig: Dedicate your daily writing or idea gathering session to someone you care about. Report back on what you came up with for them.
Enjoy your Mighty Muddy Storystorm!
Tooo-Weeee!
Caron Levis is giving away three limited edition prints of the characters in MIGHTY MUDDY US, created by Charles Santoso, to three separate winners.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Caron Levis (MFA; LMSW) is the author of several picture books including the award winning Feeling-Friends collection illustrated by Charles Santoso: MIGHTY MUDDY US, FEATHERS TOGETHER, THIS WAY, CHARLIE (Abrams) and IDA, ALWAYS (Atheneum/S&S) which the New York Times Book Review calls, “an example of children’s books at their best.” Other titles include Stop That Yawn! (Atheneum/S&S.) Caron is the Coordinator and a Professor for The New School’s Writing for Children/YA MFA program. She has over 20 years as a Creative SEL/Literacy skills educator and uses a blend of drama and writing techniques to create a variety of interactive workshops for children and adults. Caron was born, raised, and currently lives in New York City. One of her favorite adventures was flying in a hot air balloon at sunrise. Writing short things takes her a long time. Visit her at CaronLevis.com.
by Melissa H. Mwai
Happy 17th Day of Storystorm!
This past year, I worked on three non-fiction early readers for DK that required a ton of research. Through each book project, I rediscovered my love of research and refined my work process. And let me tell you, I found some true gems. Not only for the story ideas themselves…but how to do research in the future.
Here are five research gems, I want to share with you the next time you want to research a topic for a story:
1. THE FIVE Ws
Remember the “five Ws” you were asked to memorize in school: who, what, where, why, and when? The “five Ws” are sometimes called “journalist’s questions.” It’s a great place to start researching a topic. While researching for THE HISTORY OF JAZZ (Sept ‘24), I skimmed many encyclopedia articles focusing on the “five Ws” because they gave me a 50,000-foot view of 200 years of musical history! I had a path to follow as I worked out an outline.
Research Gem: Using the “Five Ws” can help map out a new research topic or simplify a complicated one.
2. ASK WHAT IF?
“What if?” is a powerful question to have in your toolkit when doing research. For example, Louis Armstrong had to be in my book on THE HISTORY OF JAZZ, but he didn’t become famous on his own. I asked myself, “What if I learned about the other people in his life?” That question turned into a profile highlighting the fabulous Lil Harden Armstrong, who was his bandmate, manager, and wife! So remember to ask, “what if…” as you are researching a topic.
Research Gem: Asking “What If” questions while researching can lead to angles that were missed.
3. VARY YOUR SOURCES
Do you recall learning about primary and secondary sources? Primary sources offer first-hand accounts of events like interviews or autobiographies. Secondary resources can give you summaries, commentary, and analyses. While working on A PUERTO RICAN CHILDHOOD (Mar ‘24), I had the challenge of researching modern-day life for kids. For primary sources, I used news reports, video bloggers, and even interviewed residents. My secondary sources included travel guides, art, and music. When you think outside the box for your research sources, you’ll never know what treasures you’ll find.
Research Gem: Unique sources can help you mine interesting or overlooked topics that can be worked into your story.
4. FIND YOUR ANGLE
Ideas are everywhere. That means stories are going to cover similar topics. But don’t let that scare you from making a story about it. Remember to ask yourself what’s unique about your story’s angle as you research. In A HARLEM RENAISSANCE (June ‘24), my favorite example of a unique angle is the sports chapter. Why? Because I didn’t see those mentioned in current stories published for kids. I learned the Harlem Globetrotters weren’t based in Harlem at all! Instead an amazing team called the Harlem Rens dominated the scene.
Research Gem: If you’re interested in a topic, it’s easier to dig up the bits that interest others.
5. DO A HEART CHECK
The last thing I do is ask whether my research connects with the heart. These questions applied to all of my books. Usually, the emotion was the piece I needed to carve out when writing and revising.
- How does the research highlight people’s emotions?
- How does the research connect with readers (so in my case—kids)?
- Does the research connect with something important to me?
And now that the books are done, I see those diamonds everywhere.
Research Gem: Mine your research for emotional moments and make sparkle in your stories.
Whether or not you’re a research enthusiast like me, I hope this post helps map out a path to the hidden gems for your next story!
Melissa H. Mwai is giving away a choice of one 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” Zoom or one picture book/early reader critique. The winner will also receive a copy of her upcoming book, A PUERTO RICAN CHILDHOOD out March 26, 2024.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Melissa H. Mwai is the author of STACEY ABRAMS (Nat Geo Kids, ‘21) and a contributing author/illustrator of GNOME AND UNGNOMES: Poems of Hidden Creatures (Writers’ Loft, ‘23). She also has several early readers by DK and Paw Prints coming out in 2024, 2025, and 2026. When Melissa’s not falling down research rabbit holes, she’s a freelance author and illustrator. Between projects, she spends her time playing board games with her husband and two kids. Visit her at MelissaMwai.com or follow her on Instagram/Threads at @me_mwai.
by Ruth Spiro
Guess what? You’re exactly halfway through Storystorm! You have fifteen days behind you and fifteen more ahead. This means you most likely have fifteen (or more!) ideas, with more to come. To borrow from Mary Oliver, what will you do with these wild and precious ideas?
Yes, an idea is precious, full of hope and possibility. If cared for properly, an idea can blossom into something surprising and wonderful.
Sometimes an idea is right in front of your nose…
My kitchen:
My office:
My living room writing/reading chair:
… but it takes a while for your brain to recognize it.
In the spring of 2021, I sat in my office revising a manuscript and glanced at the mini garden on my desk. I thought, “I should write a book about houseplants!” This was the closest thing to a lightbulb moment I’ve ever experienced.
Five months later I had a finished manuscript and a two-book deal with HarperCollins. About two years after that, I held the finished book in my hands. LOVE GROWS, illustrated by the amazingly talented Lucy Ruth Cummins, published in December.
The process from idea to finished manuscript to contract was quick, but that doesn’t mean it was easy! In the first two months there was a lot of back-and-forth with my agent. LOVE GROWS started as a counting book, but my agent felt it needed something more and she was right. Once acquired, there were more revisions. But with TLC my idea grew into what it was supposed to become.
How can you cultivate your wild and precious ideas? Here are a few similarities I’ve discovered between writing and plant parenthood:
They both need optimal growing conditions
When a plant isn’t doing well, you have to figure out how to help it. Does it need more sun? Less water? A larger pot? Sometimes a plant needs a sturdy framework like a trellis or moss pole to hold on to.
LOVE GROWS began as a simple counting book, but it needed more to stand out in the market and appeal to readers. By adding the human connection between a girl and her aunt, as well as switching to an epistolary format, it became a relationship story as the two bonded over their love of plants.
As you develop your idea into a story, consider a variety of options for the care, feeding, and frameworks that will help it thrive.
Propagation has its perks
When a plant gets “leggy” you can use a cutting to grow an entirely new plant. Place the cutting in water to grow roots and then you’ll have a new plant independent of the original.
My new picture book series, HOW TO EXPLAIN SCIENCE TO A GROWN-UP, is the result of propagation! After fielding requests from parents and educators for a slightly more advanced series for readers who’ve outgrown their beloved BABY LOVES SCIENCE board books, this concept was born. We took a snippet from the original, gave it a different framework, and popped it into a snazzy new container.
If you’re running short on ideas, till the soil of stories you’ve already written. You just might discover a bounty of ideas you can use to craft a story that’s entirely new.
Germination takes time
Even in the most perfect conditions, a seedling takes time to sprout. A cutting takes time to grow roots. A good gardener or houseplant parent knows this, and is patient.
ONE SMALL SPARK: A TIKKUN OLAM STORY is my personal interpretation of the Jewish concept that is commonly translated to “repair the world.” I first added this idea to my list about ten years ago. (Yes, ten!) I knew it had great potential, but spent years moving the idea from window to window. Did it want direct light, or indirect? A humid spot in the kitchen, or dryer surroundings in the den? It took much longer than expected but eventually I hit the perfect combination and the story flourished.
Have you participated in previous Storystorms? Look back at your previous idea lists and pick a few that didn’t pan out at the time but still cling to your imagination like ivy on a garden gate. Add those to this year’s list because they may be ready to germinate!
Ruth Spiro is giving away one signed copy of LOVE GROWS and one signed copy of HOW TO EXPLAIN CODING TO A GROWN-UP (U.S. addresses only) to two separate winners.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Ruth Spiro is the author of more than 30 children’s books. Her bestselling Baby Loves Science board books are the groundbreaking originals that introduce big ideas to the littlest listeners in an age-appropriate and engaging style. The enthusiastic response to the Baby Loves Science books inspired a new picture book series perfect for early elementary readers, How to Explain Science to a Grown-Up. Her other picture books include Made by Maxine, Maxine and the Greatest Garden Ever, and Love Grows.
Ruth’s work has been praised by the Los Angeles Times, NPR, TODAY, Bank Street College of Education, Purdue Engineering, and more. Fans who have publicly shared their love of her books include Gabby Giffords, Chelsea Clinton, and Chance the Rapper. She hopes her books inspire kids to observe the world, ask questions, and when it comes to their futures, DREAM BIG!
Visit Ruth at RuthSpiro.com and follow her on Instagram @ruthspiro and BlueSky @ruthspiro.bsky.social.
by Colleen Rowan Kosinski
I’ve always been a “treasure hunter.” I’ll comb through yard sales, estate sales, and thrift shops searching for that piece of overlooked “gold.” Sometimes the treasure is not obvious, but if you surround it with a cloak of mystery and mythology then that simple walking stick can become a staff that was carried to traverse a mysterious land by a wizened wizard. Why, that cracked tea pot sitting all alone on the shelf. It was used to serve Hollywood’s biggest movie stars. If only it could talk! There are so many nuggets of stories all around us!
I guess in a roundabout way I am talking about imagination. Seeing into an object and creating a world for it. And, I would guess my specialty is creating stories about inanimate objects.
My last book told the story of an origami crane and how its life changed over the years. I love circular stories and this idea fit perfectly. But, back to inspiration. My daughter-in-law had made me a little blue origami crane. I’d nestled it on top of a piece of furniture in my bedroom. One night I was looking at the crane and thinking “what was its life like?” Did it like being stuck in this room? Did it wish to be a real bird? Ultimately, that was not the story I told but “what ifs” are a great way to get the imagination going. I finally landed on the idea that a child had made an origami crane and it had become the child’s best friend. But as the child grew, that relationship changed (as do most relationships.) The crane was forgotten for many years as the boy was occupied with life—and a girlfriend. Eventually, the boy proposed to the girl and used the crane’s paper to write his marriage proposal. Now the crane was also prized by the girl. Then the boy and girl had a baby. The boy used the crane in a mobile for the baby. The crane was then also prized by the baby. Although, their relationship changed, the boy and his crane always had love. The book is called LOVE MADE ME MORE.
In my book previous to LOVE MADE ME MORE, my inspiration was also an inanimate object—a house. How was I inspired? Well, my children are all grown and have moved out, so my husband and I were talking about downsizing. When we told our kids they were sad. They said they couldn’t imagine not being able to visit their childhood home. I was very surprised that our grownup children felt such a strong connection to our house. One day, while sitting out back looking up at the house, I started imagining how it would feel if we left it. Would it miss us? Would it accept new owners? These “what ifs” grew into an entire personality being created for a house, and led to my story A HOME AGAIN.
My obsession with making inanimate objects speak continues. I recently signed the contract for my next book. And, it’s about the relationship between a little girl and a fallen star. My agent is also currently shopping another book—told through the eyes of a boat!
My challenge for you:
Find an object. It can be anything. And start asking “what ifs.” For example, a glass of water. What if it remembers a time when it was a million raindrops. Or, what if it remembers the excitement of rushing around rocks in a river. Perhaps that was scary? Exhilarating? The possibilities are endless. Have fun! Maybe you’ll find your next story under a rock—or maybe the rock will be the subject!
Colleen Rowan Kosinski is giving away six copies of LOVE MADE ME MORE to be awarded to six random commenters.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Colleen Rowan Kosinski writes picture books and middle grade novels. Her picture books include LILLA’S SUUNFLOWERS, A HOME AGAIN, and LOVE MADE ME MORE (2022). Her middle grade novel is titled A PROMISE STITCHED IN TIME. For the last year she has been working as an editor at Reedsy.com and teaching classes on picture book writing. She is also involved in her local chapter of the SCBWI, and the Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature. Colleen is a graduate of Rutgers University, as are her husband and sons. Her daughter followed the bright lights to work in the film industry in LA. Colleen works from her Cherry Hill, NJ studio with her canine assistant, Sage. Visit her online at ColleenRowanKosinski.com and follow her on Instagram @ColleenKosinski.
by Sharon Giltrow
Congratulations on reaching day 14 of Storystorm 2024.
By now I’m sure you have loads of picture book ideas.
But what if they aren’t all picture book ideas?
What if one of your ideas is in fact a middle grade book idea?
“Impossible!”
I hear you say.
“I’m a picture book writer. I write picture books.”
Well, you can be both.
Let me tell you a little story about how I became both a picture book and a middle grade book writer.
It all began during the storm of 2019. The Storystorm storm that is!
One of my ideas was ‘A Child’s Utility Belt’. I really loved the idea and at the end of Storystorm I chose to brainstorm it. I asked myself What would a child’s utility belt hold? What tools would a child want the most? Perhaps a tool… for time travel, endless supplies of lollies, to glow in the dark, invisibility, to fly. Or even better, a tool to overcome everyday challenges, such as a school bully.
Bingo!
I had my story. I started writing it in the only way I knew how, as a picture book.
However, when I shared the finished story with my critique buddy, she suggested it was more for an older reader. And asked, “Had you thought about turning the story into a middle grade book?”
My reaction was “Um, No! I can’t do that. How do I turn 500 words into 50,000 words?”
I put the story in the too hard drawer.
But I really loved the idea, and I couldn’t let it go. So… I looked in my own utility belt and found a middle grade course.
The course was a great success and by the end of 2019 I had turned my picture book story into a middle grade book: SAMARA RUBIN AND THE UTILTY BELT, illustrated by Thu Vu, published by Clear Fork Press, 2023.
My story doesn’t end with SAMARA though. I went on to write two more books in the series: TOBY KING AND THE UTILITY BELT and KAYA BELL AND THE UTILITY BELT, both to be released in 2024.
So, from one Storystorm picture book idea, three middle grade books were created.
My challenge to you, if you choose to accept it, is to take a close look at your Storystorm ideas. Can any of them be turned into a middle grade book? Or open your drawer of picture book stories and see if any of them will work.
Brainstorm the main plot ideas and scenes from your story and see if they can become chapters.
Examine your characters and see how you can develop them more. Especially their back stories.
Look in your own utility belt and see if you have the tools to help you.
I bet you do!
Sharon Giltrow is giving away two prizes to two separate winners: one copy of SAMARA RUBIN AND THE UTILTY BELT, and one Ask-Me-Anything Zoom chat.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Sharon Giltrow, an award-winning Children’s Author, grew up in South Australia the youngest of eight children, surrounded by pet sheep and fields of barley. She now lives in Perth, Australia with her husband and two children. Sharon has taught for all her career and now teaches young children with Developmental Language Disorder. Her humorous picture books include BEDTIME, DADDY, GET READY, MAMA! which is a SPEECH PATHOLOGY AUSTRALIA shortlisted BOOK OF THE YEAR and LET’S GO SHOPPING, GRANDMA! Awarded The Paper Bird Fellowship for Writers in 2019, Sharon used this time to write SAMARA RUBIN AND THE UTILITY BELT, book one of her debut early middle grade series, which released in August 2023. Book two and three are scheduled be released in 2024. Connect with Sharon online SharonGiltrowAuthor.com, Instagram @sharongiltrow1, and BlueSky @sharongiltrow1.
by Laurel Neme
Where do you store your ideas so that you can come back to them later? I used to jot mine down on scraps of paper to make sure I wouldn’t forget them. But inevitably they drifted from my pockets to who knows where.
A friend noticed and bought me a beautiful blank book for my birthday. It was the kind that feels good simply to hold. For about a year, it worked. Except that it ended up not being that useful. First, I only filled about 12 of the pages. Probably because I didn’t have the book handy when I got an idea. Those that did make it into the book were often too brief (I tended to write just a sentence or two), so they didn’t always make sense. And without any hint of where the idea came from (maybe an event or an article) or what I was doing, I couldn’t recreate my process and find my way back to it.
Worse was the fact that I couldn’t search it quickly. Rather, I would have to read each page to find an idea I was looking for—and typically gave up before I did. Eventually it sat on my shelf. Unopened.
In 2020, I took an Intensive Picture Book Workshop with Anastasia Suen and came away with what was for me a key takeaway—the idea of writing “zero drafts” on my computer. The basic idea was freewriting a draft before your first draft. With no expectations or editing. It was a way to get ideas out of your head and onto the page.
I loved the concept and soon expanded it into something bigger—a running journal of ideas. In essence, it was me stuffing my pockets with scraps of paper filled with ideas and inspiration. Except it was electronic, in one place, and easily searchable.
It started when my critique group did Storystorm together. We all shared a Google doc, and each day wrote down ideas inspired by that day’s post. We each had different “ink” colors, and would often comment and feed off each other’s responses.
The camaraderie deepened my thinking. But I also found the process itself helpful. Once I started jotting down ideas, the more I’d think of. Because I didn’t feel like I had to actually DO anything with them immediately, and they wouldn’t get lost, I couldn’t stop ideas from flowing. And in other areas my writing was benefiting from that.
When the month ended, I wanted to continue that regular brainstorming. But my critique partners didn’t have the time, and they wanted to develop the ideas they’d had.
So…I did it on my own.
Thankfully, I got a boost from Non-Fiction Fest—a month-long series of blogs about writing nonfiction for children. For me, it was perfect. Not only was it a continuation of blogs I could use for inspiration, but nonfiction is my jam. I write books and articles for kids and adults, and am also a freelance journalist for National Geographic and other media outlets.
I tried to recreate the same conditions and started another Google doc, just for me.
Each day, I got inspired by the NF Fest posts. And when it ended, I kept at it. Maybe not every day. But many of them.
I used the document as a placeholder for ideas.
Not just for picture book ideas, but ideas for articles, too. I’d cut and paste links and snippets from research papers or news items that I wanted to pitch to National Geographic. Or subjects I wanted to explore for a book. Or a topic I wanted to learn more about. Sometimes, it was a starting point for a volcano of ideas. And I let those ideas flow.
Other times, I knew I wouldn’t use it but it caught my attention. Like an article on Charmin updating its toilet paper to have a scalloped edge. It talked about the history of toilet paper and included a little info nugget that TP hadn’t changed much since 1857, except with the introduction of perforated lines to make it tearable in the 1890s, and again in 1930 to make it splinter free. It also said more than 7 billion rolls are sold in the US every year. Now, I don’t think I’ll ever do anything with any of that information. But I wrote it down.
The point is: I don’t edit myself. Who knows where an idea might lead?
Even as I write this post, I’m still intrigued by the history of TP and now I wonder about the history of other objects. Crayons? Remote controls? Shower steamers?
I like having a place where I can let ideas rip. It’s like a junk drawer that you never have to organize but that’s always easy to search and find things.
Here are some tips I’ve found useful for my own running catalogue of ideas—but try whatever works for you.
- Start each entry with the date and highlight it in blue. That helps separate ideas.
- Put key words or ideas IN ALL CAPS. That helps me notice the heart of an idea. It also can get me brainstorming additional related ideas.
- Highlight in yellow items you want to stand out. It might be ideas you want to work on first. Or keywords. Or a useful website.
- Every month or so, download the document and save it on your computer. That process will make you realize how much you’ve done and can do.
- From time to time, scroll through and see what inspires.
Where do YOU store your Storystorm ideas? Take this opportunity to start your own searchable catalogue of ideas. Happy Storming!
Laurel Neme will be giving away two prizes: one 30-minute virtual school visit and one 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” Zoom call to two separate winners.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Laurel Neme writes about nature and wildlife for kids and adults. She’s a regular contributor to to National Geographic and is the author of THE ELEPHANT’S NEW SHOE, about the rescue of a baby elephant who needs a prosthetic foot, ORANGUTAN HOUDINI, and ANIMAL INVESTIGATORS: How the World’s First Wildlife Forensics Lab is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species. She’s also writes for New York Times for Kids magazine and other outlets. Visit her online at LaurelNeme.com. Stay in touch via social media: Bluesky @laurelneme.bsky.social and Instagram @laurelneme.
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 