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by Gabi Snyder
Hello, Storystormers! You’ve made it to day 24 and I suspect you’ve already collected several shiny new ideas. Hooray!
BUT, alas, what about those old ideas that won’t leave you alone, that haunt your sleep and follow you everywhere? Maybe you have one particular idea that’s near and dear to you. You’ve tried writing it three, five, fifteen different ways and nothing quite works. You’re tempted to bid that idea a forever farewell, and yet you know there’s a reason you keep coming back to it. There’s something there. But how can you discover the perfect way to turn that beloved idea into a stellar story?
Well…no promises but try these sideways approaches to discover a new portal into your story!
THE MIX AND MATCH APPROACH!
Compile a list of old ideas that you still love but have not yet been able to write into a winning story. Write each idea on a sticky note for easy mixing and matching.
Look at your list. Do you see any ideas that seem to go together, perhaps complement each other? If so, create a list of five ways you could combine those ideas into a new idea.
Now look for ideas that seem worlds apart from one another. What would happen if you combined those disparate ideas? Can you create something new and surprising?
THE UNEXPECTED APPROACH!
For a particular idea, create a list of at least five ways you could write the story in wholly unexpected ways – the stranger the better. For instance, if your idea is “octopus Houdini” inspired by the true story of Inky (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/160414-inky-octopus-escapes-intelligence), what are five unlikely or unusual ways to approach that story? For example:
- The octopus hypnotizes her audience, including the reader!
- Instead of focusing on the octopus’s amazing escapes, the story focuses on the octopus’s amazing appearances. She unexpectedly appears in surprising places.
- The unlikely friendship between the octopus and the person charged with recapturing her.
- The octopus escapes through a magic door and enters a world of mythical creatures.
- The octopus is actually another creature disguised as an octopus.
I imagine your list will be totally different. Have fun with it–play!
THE BALDERDASH APPROACH! (for a group)
“Balderdash” is one of my all-time favorite words (and it’s also on Tara’s list of 500+ Fun, Cool, and Interesting Words). Balderdash is also one of my favorite boardgames, and that’s probably because it involves making things up—but within parameters. During gameplay you invent answers to particular questions in an attempt to fool your opponents. For our StoryStorm purposes, let’s tweak the usual Balderdash categories into these three—
- Unusual words: You and your critique partners take turns sharing unusual, important, or intriguing words from your ideas or stories that you have not yet shared with each other. You know why a particular word is important to your story, but your CPs don’t. In guessing the why behind the word, your CPs might come up with potential connections you hadn’t considered!
- Characters: You might have an idea or story that involves a key character. You have an idea of who this character is. But your fellow players/writers aren’t familiar with the character, so when you give them the character name, they’ll make up completely new character descriptions. You might end up liking one of their descriptions enough to borrow it for your story!
{One of my favorite characters–the cat from TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE, illustrated by Robin Rosenthal!}
- Titles: If you have a story titled “The Bridge,” your critique partners would share one-line descriptions of what they think your story is about. And again, one of their ideas might inspire a new approach to your story. In the game of Balderdash, sometimes the simplest answer ends up being the right answer. If your story has become overcomplicated, you might find a simpler idea among your critique partners’ answers.
I hope these suggestions give you some fodder for play. Take what resonates with you and ignore the rest! Happy idea generating!
Gabi Snyder is giving away a choice between one 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” Zoom or one picture book critique. The winner will also receive a copy of her latest picture book, TODAY (out January 30, 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.
Gabi (rhymes with “baby”) Snyder is a fan of the unexpected and the author of several picture books including TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE, illustrated by Robin Rosenthal; LISTEN, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin; and COUNT ON US!, illustrated by Sarah Walsh. Gabi is also the author of the upcoming picture books TODAY (coming January 30, 2024) and LOOK (coming April 16, 2024).
Gabi studied psychology at the University of Washington and creative writing at The University of Texas. When she’s not writing, she loves taking nature walks and baking sweet treats. She lives in Oregon with her family. Learn more at GabiSnyder.com or connect with her on Instagram @gabi_snyder_writer.
by Gabi Snyder & Robin Rosenthal
Thank you, Tara, for hosting the cover reveal for TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE!
READY TO EMBARK ON A JOURNEY?
When the gate is left open, one dog escapes the yard for an adventure on tricycles, trolleys, and trains. This hilarious story counts up to ten and back down again as more pups join the fun—and one very determined cat goes on the chase!
Coming in May 2020!
We (author Gabi Snyder and illustrator Robin Rosenthal) “met” for the first time over video chat to discuss our experiences creating TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE, which is the debut picture book for us both!
RR: What inspired TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE?
GS: I’d say one part real-life and one part kidlit! The dog versus cat dynamic that plays out in the story was inspired, in part, by my childhood pets. I grew up with a cat we called Kinko (named for his kinked tail) and an assortment of dogs. Kinko was the undisputed boss. Now my family includes one dog and one cat. (They take turns keeping each other in line.)
As a kid, one of my favorite picture books was GO, DOG. GO! by P.D. Eastman. I must’ve read that book hundreds of times, anticipating the playful and action-packed dog party at the end. The silly dogs and sense of movement and fun in TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE are, in part, an homage to the P.D. Eastman classic.
GS: Speaking of silly dogs, I adore the characters you’ve created for TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE and your bold, colorful style! What drew you to the text?
RR: Thank you! Wow, I love hearing the backstory!
I loved this text when I first read it. It is so simple, and you leave such a generous amount of room for the illustrator to play. The joke is entirely in the illustrations. You really had to trust your illustrator to pull it off! It’s a true partnership of art and text.
RR: How did you make choices about leaving room for an illustrator? Was that hard? What, if anything, surprised you about my art?
GS: Tough questions! I didn’t make a conscious effort to leave room for an illustrator, but I did aim for spare. The text is very simple, but functions as both a counting book and an epic chase! As a counting book, it does specify the number of pups and mode of transportation for each spread, but the appearance and personality of the dogs and the setting were left open to interpretation. I did include a few illustration notes about the cat character and her story arc that’s not obvious from the title or the text!
The story escalates to “Nine daring dogs on a hot-air balloon.” But when we reach “Ten dogs,” there’s a revelation. That tenth animal is NOT a dog! And while my illustration notes made clear who that is, I did not specify where we are. Robin, your illustration there is hilarious and unexpected! I gasped in surprise when I saw it, and yet it seems like the inevitable “of course!” choice. Truly perfection. Thank you!
GS: The humor in your art is fantastic. I especially love the facial expressions and costume choices for the cat. What influences did you draw upon when creating this fun group of pups and one sneaky cat?
RR: When I read the text, I immediately knew that I wanted to create this cat character. In my head she was part Garfield/part Terminator: kind of aloof, but also with strong drive and purpose. I wanted the dogs to be happy, optimistic, and confident. I also wanted each dog to be different so there would be a surprise on every spread. I spent a lot of time getting the expressions right, as they need to convey the emotion of the story without any text to back them up. The clothing is a little bit 80s retro mixed with current kids’ fashion styles.
GS: Part Garfield/part Terminator—ha! I love the 80s retro vibe in your art.
RR: What was your experience like as a debut picture book author? Anything that surprised you about the process?
GS: I was delighted to have the opportunity to work with editor Meredith Mundy and the team at Abrams. The suggested text changes were pretty minor, but definitely strengthened the story. As a newbie, I didn’t know what to expect, but was happily surprised that Meredith kept me apprised of each new development with the art. It was such a delight to watch the characters come to life in your adorable illustrations.
Meredith recently asked me whether the book looked like what I’d imagined when I submitted the text. In truth, the book’s illustrations are even more adorable and humorous than I’d imagined in my head. The 80s retro vibe/wardrobing of your characters is very much in line with my aesthetic. The only big surprise was the “Ten dogs…WAIT!” spread (which, as I mentioned above, I ADORE). And then when I saw the full color illustrations—wow! It may sound clichéd, but there’s something magical about the picture book collaboration between an author and an illustrator. The whole is so much more than the two parts!
GS: What was your experience like as a debut picture book illustrator? Anything that surprised you about the process?
RR: So, first of all, that is so nice to hear! I appreciate that they keep the author and illustrator separate throughout the process, but it is also a little strange to not really know how an author is feeling throughout the process. Meredith would give me very nice updates—like “The author loves the character sketches!”—so that was helpful. I felt a big responsibility with your work!
I think the hardest part for me as a debut picture book illustrator was the pressure I put on myself. This is your first impression, DO NOT blow it! I had to keep reminding myself that the kids are my audience. Will they laugh? Will they love it and want to read it again? I tried to make that my focus.
Meredith and our art director, Hana Nakamura, were a pleasure to work with and they gave me a lot of freedom and great feedback. For the cover, we agreed we wanted to show our three main characters. I drew a lot of options and here are a few.
Meredith and Hana and the team at Abrams picked one and sent some feedback:
And here is the final cover! I’ve just heard they are going to foil stamp the blue type and the scarf stripes, so I am excited to see that when it is printed!
TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE is available for pre-order!
Gabi and Robin will give away one copy of TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE to a lucky commenter (to be sent your way when it releases in May 2020)!
Leave one comment below.
A winner will be randomly selected next month.
Good luck!
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 