You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Author Interview’ category.
Shaping a poem
the body builder
pumps
flexes
tones and
tautens
as
snip
snap
snip –
the gardener
prunes and shapes
and
whoosh!
the very
clumsy clown
colours the sky
with brightly bobbing
balloons of
thought
© Kathryn Apel 2010
Playing with words to inspire creativity
I write poetry. And I write picture books. And this is a good thing, because poetry and picture books go hand-in-hand… beautifully!
If I’m stuck for inspiration or enthusiasm in my picture books, or I’m at that point of doubting that I’ll ever find ‘the’ perfect word (or any words, for that matter)—I write poetry. Poetry prompts me to play with words again.
We all know the cliché that writers paint pictures with words, but when I’m writing poetry, I get three distinct visual images—and they’re all of me! Let me put you in the picture, too…
The first is a bit of a joke, because in reality I can’t lift more than a bar of chocolate… BUT—I see myself as The Body Builder toning up by pumping poetry. Composing poetry flexes creativity. It hones vocabulary and encourages wordplay. It pinpoints weaknesses and forces me to focus on specific ‘muscles’. The more poetry I write, the greater my control of my writing muscles—of words. And that is vital when writing picture books!
As The Gardener, I am a topiary artiste, intent on pruning and shaping; looking at the bigger picture and trimming it into a recognisable form. There is a certain ruthlessness in laying bare a thing of beauty. Poetry is a lot like a topiary tree—each word carefully placed to create a sharp, clear image. Excess words snipped away. There is no room for clutter. Each word must earn its place. A lot like … a picture book!
And then I see myself as The Clumsy Clown clutching fistfuls of colourful helium balloons… but can she keep them all in her grasp? No way! Poetry has a way of releasing thoughts to, float, fly, drift and swirl like a bunch of brightly bobbing balloons. Thoughts that could become a poem… or even a picture book… For me, a tramp over paddocks (with notebook in hand) is the perfect time to release the balloons, where they can dip and sway and soar to greater heights in the vast, open sky.
When writing poetry, I am carried away by my imagination.
Come fly with me!
Kathryn Apel is the author of the rhyming picture book This is the Mud! published by Lothian/Hachette Australia in 2009 and read on ABC Play School in 2010. You can follow @KatApel on Twitter, or visit her website, katswhiskers.wordpress.com. Kat is also the co-founder of #pblitchat, the weekly chat for those who work in the picture book publishing industry. You don’t have to be on Twitter, Facebook or any other social media to join the chat. Read all about it at picturebooksonly.wordpress.com.
Whoa, that’s a long title. But it’s accurate! I asked some of my favorite authors and illustrators to pick three stand-out picture books of 2009. It wasn’t an easy task. I know because I couldn’t decide myself! So I dumped the job on them, just like New Jersey got dumped with snow this weekend. Except they’re a lot warmer than I am, cuddled up with good books instead of buried beneath a foot of the white stuff.
Check out their amazing selections and add a new book to your holiday wish list!
Boni Ashburn
Author of Hush, Little Dragon and Over at the Castle
Rhyming Dust Bunnies
by Jan Thomas
Beach Lane Books
January 2009
A simple, hilarious introduction to rhyming that is not only adorable to look at, but also invites audience participation and is a perfect read-aloud. That’s right, perfect.
You Never Heard Of Sandy Koufax?!
by Jonah Winter and Andre Carrilho
Schwartz & Wade
February 2009
Striking illustrations coupled with a fantastic voice–this book makes you FEEL baseball. Jonah Winter is a picture-book biography genius–I had a hard time choosing between this one and Gertrude Is Gertrude Is Gertrude Is Gertrude (which has an equally excellent voice!).
Egg Drop
by Mini Grey
Knopf Books for Young Readers
July 2009
Excellent humor of the dark, dry and deadpan sort, coupled with Grey’s gorgeous art.
This was impossibly hard! Three is too just too few. My “honor books” would be A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis, Monkey With A Toolbelt And The Noisy Problem by Chris Monroe and Thunder Boomer! by Shutta Crum and Carol Thompson.
Jannie Ho
Illustrator of The Great Reindeer Rebellion and Light the Menorah
Around the World with Mouk
by Marc Boutavant
Chronicle Books
November 2009
Last year when I was in France, all I could think about was getting my hands on this book (which was originally published in French), but only to find out later that Chronicle books were publishing it in the US this year. Marc Boutavant is one of my favorite illustrators; I’ve read his style described as “the modern day of Richard Scarry,” and I agree! With so many little details to look over, there is always something new to discover each time I open it.
Big Rabbit’s Bad Mood
by Ramona Badescu and Delphine Durand
Chronicle Books
March 2009
Another one from Chronicle! I can’t resist Delphine Durand’s illustrations–so many funny little details to look at. I own many of her books, and am obviously a fan…(even wrote her a fan email!) Even though this story is about a grumpy rabbit, one can’t help but smile when looking at her silly characters.
The Great Paper Caper
by Oliver Jeffers
HarperCollins Children’s Books
April 2009
I’m a great admirer of those who write AND illustrate their books. Oliver Jeffers’ illustrations are super cozy and serene, I want to live in that forest with the animals! Thumbs up to this quirky, winter mystery story.
Jacqui Robbins
Author of The New Girl…and Me
A Book
by Mordecai Gerstein
Roaring Brook Press
April 2009
Kirkus called it “Metafiction for the picture-book set.” A young girl who lives in the book with her family struggles to find her story, trying on different genres and marveling at the giant mushy faces (that’s us) looking in on her. It’s funny, it’s smart, and it is truly unique. Plus, we read it five hundred times in the first month we had it and I never tired of it.
Duck! Rabbit!
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Chronicle
March 2009
I was smitten with this book from the start. The concept is simple: is it a duck or a rabbit? Two voices argue. Giggling ensues. As I blogged in July, we get extra giggling in our house because my preschool son does not have the cognitive ability to see it both ways and so he thinks the point of the book is that some poor dope thinks that bunny’s a duck.
Okay, I would be lying if I didn’t pick Two of a Kind, by, um, me (and Matt Phelan).
Atheneum
July 2009
I’d like to be cool enough to pretend I didn’t dance like a four year-old fairy girl whenever I turn to the page with my name on it. But I’m not. And I do. More than that, though, I still love the story and the way it makes kids nod in recognition.
Patricia Storms
Author/Illustrator of The Pirate and the Penguin
It’s really hard to pick just three books! Being a Canadian, you might wonder if my choices are Canuck books. Yup, they are…and they are all very unique and engaging.
The Perfect Snow
by Barbara Reid
Scholastic
October 2009
Barbara Reid is a treasured Canadian talent who once again creates a visual delight with her plasticine illustrations. Reid creates a delightful story about the joys of creating snowmen and snow forts in the perfect snow of a winter day.
The Imaginary Garden
by Andrew Larsen and Irene Luxbacher
Kids Can Press
March 2009
Andrew Larsen’s The Imaginary Garden is a beautiful story about the special bond between a grandchild and grandparent, and the power of the creative imagination. Luxbacher’s illustrations are magical and bursting with colour.
The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear
by David Bruins and Hilary Leung
Kids Can Press
September 2009
And finally, The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear is charming and fun story about friendship, and celebrating the differences in others. Hilary Leung’s illustrations are bright and utterly adorable!
Michael Sussman
Author of Otto Grows Down
Spoon
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Scott Magoon
Hyperion
April 2009
Modesty prevents me from mentioning Otto Grows Down (darn, I mentioned it!) But I also loved Spoon, which—like Otto—was illustrated by the supremely talented and charming Scott Magoon. I’m always amazed at Scott’s versatility, and once again he has employed the perfect style for this sweet and quirky story. I also admire Amy, since I’ve tried unsuccessfully for years to come up with a picture book about an inanimate object. Not an easy task, and she makes it look simple.
Starring Lorenzo, and Einstein Too
by Mark Karlin and Sandy Nichols
Dial
April 2009
Mark, who is the author/illustrator of many fine picture books, including Mendel’s Ladder and Music Over Manhattan, has produced an endearing story which celebrates the importance of family and the power of the imagination. The cool, retro illustrations are superb.
Finn Throws a Fit!
by David Eliot and Timothy Basil Ering
Candlewick
August 2009
Finally, I’m wild about David Eliot’s Finn Throws a Fit! This book is hilarious, and it’s a model for writers striving to tell a compelling story in the fewest words possible. Timothy Basil Ering’s artwork is astounding. I don’t know of a more creative illustrator working today.
So what were your favorite picture books of 2009?
Please leave a comment!
Paula Yoo photo courtesy Jennifer Oyama, Audrey Magazine
30 picture book ideas in 30 days?
Are you CRAZY?
Oh wait. You’re a writer. OF COURSE you’re nuts! 🙂
And I’m a writer, too. Which means we’re both in the same boat.
Tara asked me to give you some words of advice as you hunker down for that final idea for Day 30 of the 2009 PiBoldMo–Picture Book Idea Month!
I thought I’d talk a bit about my “other” job to give you some ideal inspiration! In addition to my YA novels and picture books, I am also a TV writer. I’ve written for NBC’s The West Wing, FOX’s Tru Calling, and currently The SyFy Channel’s Eureka.
As a working TV writer in Hollywood, I have to come up with ideas every single day. In fact, I have to come up with DOZENS of ideas every single hour of every single day when I’m working on a TV show.
Here’s how most scripted TV shows work: several writers are hired to literally sit around in a room called “The Writers’ Room” all day long and come up with ideas for episodes. Each show is run differently, but the basic day usually involves the writing staff discussing what storylines should happen in each episode, along with in-depth dialogue about character development and themes. It’s a really fun job when you think about it–you’re getting paid to make up stuff!
At the same time, it’s also a really TOUGH job. You can get burned out very easily when trying to brainstorm episode storylines and figuring out which character does what and why. It’s often like solving a puzzle–there’s a ton of logic and plausibility that you have to consider when pitching ideas.
I’ve learned a lot from having worked in TV about how to brainstorm effectively when it comes to ideas. Of course the sky’s the limit when it comes to brainstorming–anything from a pebble on the beach to a squirrel running across the street to the cranky lady standing in front of you in line at the bank can lead to an amazing story idea for your picture book.
But a cool image, compelling character, or interesting conflict isn’t enough to create a fully-fleshed out idea. You have to combine all three areas–image, character, conflict–into one idea in order to have a viable story for a potential picture book.
As a TV writer, I was constantly told that story equals intention plus obstacle. Memorize this formula!
INTENTION + OBSTACLE = STORY
In other words, your main character has an INTENTION. But there is an OBSTACLE standing in your character’s way. This creates CONFLICT… which is another way of saying STORY! Ah ha! So STORY EQUALS CONFLICT! And how that character overcomes that obstacle reveals his or her journey towards that end goal.
As long as you can make this equation work, you’ve got yourself a viable story idea! It’s actually a fun formula to apply to published books, movies, and TV shows to break down a completed project to its very essence–the idea. Sometimes working backwards and analyzing published books and figuring out their basic idea can help you as you brainstorm your own ideas.
In other words, try this formula on published books or movies etc. as a “warm up” exercise before you begin your own brainstorming. For example…
In Mo Willem’s Knuffle Bunny, Trixie and her dad go to the laundromat. Trixie accidentally leaves her stuffed toy, Knuffle Bunny, behind. She is unable to speak in full words yet, so complications arise when her father has no idea what she’s talking about when she tries to convince him to take her back to the laundromat to rescue Knuffle Bunny.
So Trixie’s INTENTION is that she wants to return to the laundromat to get her toy!
The OBSTACLE is her inability to speak in words yet to communicate her thoughts!
INTENTION (Trixie wants Knuffle Bunny back) + OBSTACLE (can’t speak inwords yet) = STORY (Trixie must figure out how to communicate to her father that they must return to the laundromat to rescue Knuffle Bunny!)
And how Trixie overcomes this obstacle shows her delightfully feisty personality and inventiveness.
See how that works? Try seeing if you can simplify your favorite picture book down to this formula. It’s a lot of fun and a good warm up exercise to jump start your own imagination!
Then apply this formula to your own original ideas–if you can create a compelling character who has to overcome an obstacle to reach his or her goal, then you’ve got your 30th picture book idea for this year’s PiBoIdMo!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
And now that you have your 30 ideas, please join me this May 1-8, 2010 for the second annual NaPiboWriWee event sponsored by my website at http://paulayoo.com!
For more information on NaPiBoWriWee, check out this link:
http://paulayoo.com/content/natl-picture-book-writing-week-may-1-7-2009
NaPiBoWriWee is short for National Picture Book Writing Week where I challenge writers to write an entire picture book every day for a whole week–7 picture books in 7 days!
See, I told you we were crazy! 🙂
Best,
Paula Yoo
Paula Yoo is the author of the YA novel GOOD ENOUGH (HarperCollins ’08) and the children’s non-fiction picture books SHINING STAR: THE ANNA MAY WONG STORY (Lee & Low ’09) and IRA Notable SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY (Lee & Low ’08). She is also a TV writer, whose credits include THE WEST WING, TRU CALLING, and SIDE ORDER OF LIFE. She is currently a co-producer on The SyFy Channel’s series, EUREKA.
Tara’s Note:
Thanks, Paula! No one could have summed up PiBoIdMo better.
Everyone, stay tuned tomorrow for the PiBoIdMo pledge.
What’s the PiBoIdMo pledge? It’s your word that you have 30 ideas. I’ll ask you to leave a comment letting me know you’ve completed this month’s challenge. (Please note you do not have to submit your 30 ideas. Those are yours to keep!)
You’ll have until December 3rd to take the pledge, then on December 4th I’ll announce the randomly-selected PiBoIdMo prize winners.
Good luck!
Making a Difference with Diversity
by Tara Michener
I have been blessed to have my own informal mini-focus group for picture book ideas. I have been mentoring children alongside my husband Jason for over five years. If you listen really closely, kids will tell you what they want to read by the questions that they ask.
We work with a diverse bunch of young people and we often have heard questions like Am I pretty? and What am I? and Why can’t I be like everybody else? I provide answers to these questions in my first book Who I Am, Not What I Am.
Main character Janelle is bi-racial and finds that her classmates ask her lots of questions about her race, which in turn makes her question herself.
I had a great chat with a lady of mixed heritage at one of my book signings. She told me that she wished that she had seen more books like Who I Am when she was growing up. She mentioned that people always wanted her to claim a race and they did not understand her as an individual. The idea of being a part of more than one racial group boggled their minds.
Jason and I thought deeply about the types of books that we would want our future child to read considering we are an interracial couple. We also observed the bond of friendship in those we mentor. A child may not be happy or outgoing but when he/she finds that special friendship, something magical happens. That magic belongs in a book to show children how important it is to be a great friend. 100% Real, my second book, explores a friendship between Janelle and a newly-adopted child in her class.
Children need to see themselves in books and find the answers to their questions in regards to self-worth. They also need to have a greater understanding of those around them. This helps them to see the world from a diverse perspective and allows them to embrace those who are different from themselves.
How can you explore diversity in your writing?
Have you ever considered researching a neighborhood that differs from your own?
Be creative and remember that diversity is more than just race.
Think about reaching a demographic that is under-served in the kidlit genre.
Explore the shelves at the bookstore. Be active in outreach and community service and find out what is missing from those shelves by your best resource… the reader.
I am blessed to be able to be around so many young people to help but also to observe issues that may challenge them so that I can use the written word to help them through the tough times.
The best ideas come from thinking outside the box.
Read something great!
Tara Michener is an author and speaker who teaches children and adults the importance of diversity and self-esteem.
Putting Your Best Paw Forward
by Jennifer Swanson
Who’s an animal lover? Come on raise your hand. Do you own a pet now? Did you once? Besides being empathetic friends to us when we are down or energetic reasons to exercise, pets can also be great inspiration to aspiring picture book authors. What child doesn’t love to read about the crazy antics of the myriad of dogs in Go, Dog, Go by P.D. Eastman. And of course, who can forget the hours of enjoyment from The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess or even the best known hippopotamus friends, George and Martha by James Marshall. Animals or pets in general are found in abundance in children’s picture books.
So, why not use your own pets for inspiration? That’s what I did when I created my dynamic canine detective duo, Penny and Rio. My two real dogs (who are also named Penny and Rio) served as the creative map for my characters.
Luckily my real dogs had very distinctive personalities and were always doing crazy things. That’s what caught my imagination.
In this picture, Penny had just dug out our flower planter at the end of the deck. She used to lie in this for hours, just staring at the yard.
Naturally, this meant to me that she was a pet detective determined to solve a mysterious case. This is how I got my plot for my first book, Penny and Rio: The Mysterious Backyard Meeting.
For me a mystery was the logical choice as I have been a die-hard Nancy Drew fan since I first began to read, but you could have your pets do anything.
Perhaps your cat will become an astronaut and fly through space to land on a planet inhabited only by mice. Or your pet fish possesses super powers so that at night it flies out of the tank to save the lives of the Palmetto bugs living in your garage. Maybe the fireflies you catch at night are really beings from another planet and wish to take over the world.
Your imagination is limitless. So next time you are stumped for a picture book idea, take your notebook and observe some animals. Go to the zoo if you can. See how they interact. Then give them human characteristics and situations. Make the elephant set out on a quest for magic peanuts. Have the lion be a bus driver. Whatever you want? The more outrageous the better.
If you are still stumped, read the newspaper or the internet for articles on humans or animals. I’ve actually written several stories from the ideas I’ve seen in the newspaper.
Whatever you do, have fun and don’t forget to always, put your best paw forward.
Jennifer Swanson is the award-winning author of the Penny and Rio early reader series.
Jennifer is generously giving away a signed copy of Penny and Rio: The Locked Doghouse Mystery.
Just leave a comment to be entered. You do not have to be a PiBoIdMo participant to enter.
Winner will be chosen randomly at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo!
I am not like most writers. Ideas don’t just slam into me while I am out for a walk. I don’t get “Aha!” moments while luxuriating in a steamy tub. I have to work hard for my ideas. I have to dig deep to find them.
One of the ways I do this is by brainstorming with a partner. I find it so much easier to generate ideas when I can bounce them back and forth. It’s kind of like tennis. I can’t get a rally going without a partner.
Here is a sample of a very condensed brainstorming session with my partner, Becky.
ME: Jordan came home from school today with a new expression, “Flip Flop. Over the Top.” It’s how they learn to put their coats on. Catchy, huh? Love how it rolls off the tongue. What can we do with it?
BECKY: Hmm…over the top? The top of what? A fence? A wall?
ME: Could be a wall? What goes over? Football? Frisbee?
BECKY: How about a baseball. Two characters are playing baseball and one hits it over the wall. How do they get it back?
ME: Try climbing, scaling?
BECKY: Jumping on a trampoline?
ME: Shooting each other out of a cannon?
BECKY: Catapulting.
ME: Grabbing onto a bunch of balloons and flying over.
BECKY: All of the above?
We may use none, some, or all of the ideas in the end, but I am convinced that when it comes to brainstorming, the sum is greater than the whole of its parts. In other words, ideas will be triggered when we are together that NEITHER of us would have come up with if we had both brainstormed independently.
Give it a try sometime.
Can’t find a partner? I am always up for a collaboration!
And if you’re wondering how our characters get their ball back in the end?
They dig a hole…and go UNDER!
Corey Rosen Schwartz is the author of Hop! Plop!, an Eric Carle Museum Picture Book of Distinction. Her next book is due for release in 2012 (not soon enough in Tara’s opinion). She attended Brown University and has a Masters in Deaf Education from Gallaudet. Corey lives in New Jersey and spends a lot of afternoons at playgrounds with her five-year-old daughter, Jordan, and four-year-old son, Josh. Corey has no free time, but if she did, she would spend it scuba diving!
Brief Encounters of the Picture Book Kind
by Melissa Azarian
I think you can find a picture book idea in even the briefest encounter, and I’ll prove it.
Years ago, I celebrated my best friend’s birthday at Lucky Cheng’s, a Drag Queen Cabaret Restaurant. Lucky Cheng’s was not so lucky for me. All day long, I had a migraine brewing, and shortly after ordering dinner, I could not fight it off anymore. I ran downstairs to the bathroom, shut the stall door, and prayed to the porcelain Goddess of Migraines.
When I finally emerged from the stall, I realized I was not alone in the ladies room. A 6 foot 1 drag queen—6 feet 4 in those stilettos—was reapplying lipstick. He turned around, gave me the once over, and said, “Honey, you don’t look so good.”
As ill as I was, I had to smile. I don’t look so good? Certainly, I could’ve said the same to him. He overdid his makeup (such a pretty face didn’t need so much makeup), and that V-neck dress was all wrong for him! But why ruin the moment?
I told him that I’d had a lot of migraines and this was another doozy. He sympathized.
So how do you turn a migraine, a drag queen, and bathroom bonding into a picture book? Easy. Just view the whole scene from a child’s perspective. And tweak it a bit.
It could be a picture book about a girl who is excited to go to a party because she bought the perfect gift. She loses the present on the way, but she meets an unlikely friend, who makes her laugh and saves the day.
Maybe it’s about a quiet girl who gets paired up for a class project with a talkative, confident kid. She doesn’t think they can work together until she discovers that they each have something unique to contribute.
Or it’s about an outspoken child who is always hushed, but in the end, his outspokenness helps prevent a mishap at the park.
I could probably come up with ideas all day, based on this one incident. And it’s because, at its core, this is a story about a memorable character.
Think about someone you met briefly and have never forgotten. What quality makes this person so unforgettable? Maybe—if you tweak it a little—the brief encounter will inspire your next picture book.
Melissa Eisen Azarian is the author of The Amistad Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie (Enslow Publishers 2009). A former assistant district attorney, legal editor, and newspaper reporter, Melissa is now a children’s writer. She co-chairs her local PTO’s Visiting Authors Committee. Besides occasional migraines, Melissa suffers from revisophobia, a condition that causes her to write new manuscripts rather than revise existing ones. She is thinking of starting a support blog for fellow revisophobics.
What Is Your Voice?
by Jeannine Q. Norris
As we are in the middle of PiBoIdMo, ideas are flying fast and furious, right? And are you hearing voices in your head? Hooray for you! When writers hear voices, that’s a good thing. The tricky part is identifying the voice that will get you published.
With the tight economy and a tough picture book market, publishers are looking for a unique angle. Chances are good that your picture book idea has already been published. The challenge is finding a way to make it unique, and that often involves a different voice.
While you are brainstorming, and the creative juices are flowing, choose to look at your manuscript from a different perspective. A unique voice is how I landed a contract with Tonight You Are My Baby: Mary’s Christmas Gift (HarperCollins, 2008). Certainly, there are countless Nativity books on the market, and more every year, but the voice of a mother speaking to her baby was my hook. Christmas suddenly had a different perspective.
Look at your manuscripts and try to push the envelope a bit. Can you find a different voice? Something that sets you apart from the other fantastic books that have already addressed the subject. Perhaps you are writing about a cowboy. Can you write about the cowboy from the horse’s perspective? Picture book about the new kid in school? How about the new kid from the bully’s perspective? You get the idea.
Be open to new ideas, new voices. Sometimes you have to search. If you are lucky, they magically appear—like our dog, Harry Potter, trotting past me in a denim skirt and pink bandana. Our daughter had dressed him in her clothes, and he was proud and embarrassed at the same time. That was a eureka moment for me, and two picture book manuscripts were born. The voice, of course, is our long-suffering dog.
Good luck with your writing and listen carefully to those voices—they’re trying to sell your manuscript!
Jeannine Q. Norris comes from a family of authors—her mother and brother are also published. She’s a mother and an animal lover who wanted to be a veterinarian when she grew up. Jeannine and her husband created the At Least Kids Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to assisting children with brain tumors. ‘Tis the season for her debut picture book Tonight You Are My Baby, so she’s busy visiting schools all through December.
Inspire and Be Inspired: Volunteer
by Heather Ayris Burnell
Sure, inspiration is all around us, but it doesn’t hurt to give our inspiration arsenal a little boost. Going new places, having new experiences, and meeting new people are sure-fire ways to have ideas. How can we do these things without leaving on a long, expensive vacation?
By becoming a volunteer.
Don’t be fooled, the act of volunteering can be mutually beneficial. We certainly don’t have to limit ourselves, but since we’re picture book writers we might benefit most from volunteering at places we can interact with our audience–kids. Being around books doesn’t hurt either. There are two obvious places where we can volunteer: schools and libraries.
Schools are always in need of volunteers and right now cutbacks are making them even more appreciated. You might be able to help with the school’s reading program. My kid’s school has a HOSTS (Help One Student to Succeed) program where a mentor works with a child one on one for about forty-five minutes once a week. They read together, and it looks like they even have a good time.
School librarians might love some help with shelving books or perhaps could use a knowledgeable adult to help students find the type of book they’re looking for, whether it’s just for fun or for figuring out what books they are allowed to read according to their reading level. Major bonus: you will be surrounded by children’s books. Think of all the cover illustrations and back cover blurbs you will have the chance to take a look at!
Public libraries love volunteers too. Most have at least a weekly storytime for children. Volunteer to be a reader or an assistant. I know my library is always looking for more people to help with storytime. The Summer Reading Program is another fun kid’s program that your library might love help with.
Not feeling like interacting much? You can volunteer to shelve books or help with the book sale. I absolutely love shelving books, so many different books cross my path that may not have otherwise. As for book sales, they can be quiet events with lots of book sorting, but my fellow book sale workers and I have a running list of “The World’s Funniest Book Titles” that we add to every sale. Possible book sale bonuses: camaraderie and great book discussions.
Sure, writers can benefit from volunteering at other places like museums, art galleries, or wildlife preserves too. Find a place that appeals to you and give it a try. Don’t be afraid if you don’t have much time to spare, any little bit will be appreciated. Snippets of conversation, different points of view, fascinating or silly ideas, and looking at the world with the help of someone else’s perspective are all things we might be inspired by when volunteering.
If we go into it with our eyes, ears, and hearts open, we just might get back more than a good idea for a book.
Heather Ayris Burnell started volunteering at her local library because she was there all the time anyway. She has run the book sale, organized a storytelling festival, and put on an author fair, among other fun things. Her first picture book, Bedtime Monster (illustrated by Bonnie Adamson) comes out in 2010 from Raven Tree Press.
Everyone knows it can be tough coming up with story ideas. So, where do I get mine? Sal’s Literary Ideas & Auto Parts in South Boston. Sure, Sal’s prices are steep. But you can’t beat his 30-day warranty.
Seriously, folks. Where do ideas come from?
I concur with Robert Olen Butler, who writes that “art comes from the place where you dream. Art comes from your unconscious; it comes from the white-hot center of you.”
How can we gain access to this mysterious unconscious? The key is a relaxed and receptive inward focus. Allow your mind to wander, unhindered by critical analysis or judgment.
I find that I’m most receptive while walking, preferably in a natural setting. Any repetitive movement can help: jogging, bicycling, swimming, davening. A hot bath can also do the trick. Alternatively, just sit or recline in a comfortable position, allow your breathing to deepen, and enter into trance.
Sometimes what surfaces is a story title or the name of a character. I was walking along the Charles River when the name Wiggle-Me-Won’t appeared out of nowhere. This grew into a story in verse concerning twin brothers: Wiggle-Me-Won’t and Wiggle-Me-Will.
More often, an image will surface. I recently awoke with the image of a boy enveloped in a mattress, with only his head and feet sticking out. This image turned into The Sinkopedic 3000, a story about a boy who discovers a world within his mattress.
If none of this helps, consider purchasing my newly developed IdeaCatcher.
We’ve all heard that ideas are “in the air.” Employing the latest in windsock technology, my IdeaCatcher literally snags those suckers as they float by. For a mere $29.95, be the first in your critique group to own this revolutionary device!
Michael Sussman is a clinical psychologist and writer who resides in the Boston area. His debut picture book—Otto Grows Down—was published by Sterling, with illustrations by Scott Magoon. Dr. Sussman is also the author of A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy, and the editor of A Perilous Calling: The Hazards of Psychotherapy Practice.
Thanks to Debbie Ridpath Ohi for the IdeaCatcher illustration.
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 