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by Jess Keating
Heads up, Storystormers, because I come bearing gifts!
For the past month, you’ve devoted some of your precious time to diving into your own creativity.
You’ve even cuddled with writers block.
And now, as we wrap up these 31 days of experimenting, I’ve got one piece of advice for you:
Celebrate everything on this creative journey.
Celebrate today, yes. You’ve achieved an enormous goal! Celebrate the brilliant ideas, the friendships, and the magical moments of inspiration that found their way into your notebook.
But don’t stop there.
Celebrate the days you missed. Celebrate the bad ideas that go nowhere. Celebrate the hiccups, the fails, and even the rejections. (Especially the rejections!)
Why? Because you’re a writer, and being a writer means embracing the path that lies invisible before you. It means recognizing that success is tailored to you and failure is just another word for ‘research’.
We writers want to change the world with our words, but big changes aren’t made through big steps—they’re made through big thinking that accompanies small steps.
Small steps like cracking open your notebook. Eavesdropping a few moments of juicy of dialogue at the coffee shop. A goofy doodle or two in the margins of your life.
It all counts. Every word. Every idea. Every manuscript and character and deal memo you’ve imagined sharing on Twitter.
But do you know what’s even more important than the books you’ll write?
The person you’ll become as you write them.
At its heart, creativity is a form of self care. Expressing yourself—whether it’s in books or art or the making of extraordinary pies—isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. This goes doubly so for creatives like you, who see the world through story, characters, and entire worlds inside your own head.
And guess what? These Storystorm days are just the beginning.
Maybe our stories will end up on bookshelves. Maybe they end up in a drawer. The location of where your thoughts end up doesn’t matter—what matters is that we give them the chance to breathe. What matters is that we become the people we’re meant to be.
Your words matter. Your stories matter. Let them out!
And through it all, celebrate everything.
I’m rooting for you!
Want a quick way to celebrate today? Jess is giving away a free copy of Query Bootcamp to every Storystorm participant! Hop over to Query Bootcamp to get your copy of this amazing template with easy-to-swipe phrases to make your query shine.
Jess Keating is an award-winning author, illustrator, and creative coach who helps writers and illustrators play big in their creative lives and businesses. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, CBC, Global, Parents Magazine, Buzzfeed, and more. You can tweet her @Jess_Keating and get daily creative empowerment on Instagram @JessKeatingBooks.
Oprah-style—everyone gets a free download of Jess Keating’s Query Bootcamp!
Since this is our last un-official official day of Storystorm, leave a comment below with your biggest aha moment, favorite post, or a virtual high-five to all your fellow Storystormers! Happy storming, all!
by Jess Keating
When I first started writing about how to get inspired, I realized the truth: I don’t believe getting inspired is the answer. Instead, we need to be inspired. All the time. Don’t roll your eyes! I know it’s a lofty goal. But you’re a writer: you’re built to do this.
I find everything inspiring. But it takes work. Inspiration is a muscle, not a muse. The more you actively develop an attitude to suit your creative needs, the more it will come naturally. When your whole world is interesting to you, you don’t need to hunt for ideas. They grow around you organically and wait for you to pluck them out of your life.
So how do you become inspired all the time? You cultivate an attitude of inspiration. We’re talking about growing new eyes, new ears—a whole new set of senses here. Or rather, really turning on the ones you’ve got. No more autopilot.
What does this mean? Here are a few exercises that work for me.
1) Every day, learn something new.
This one sounds pretty obvious, but my rule is: if you haven’t written it down, it doesn’t count. Gone are the days of “oh, I’ll definitely remember this!” (You won’t.) You’re a writer, after all. Act like it, and write it down! The goal here isn’t just to get smarter (though that’s always a benefit), rather to go deeper into your own world.
That coffee in front of you? Do you know what part of the world it came from? What other uses could humans have for something like coffee? What’s the Swahili word for coffee? Take something that you enjoy that’s right in front of you, and challenge yourself to learn something new about it. Google it, ask someone smart, anything you need to do to grow a new connection in your mind. And when you’re done, write it down.
Creativity is born from two seemingly unrelated things suddenly making a new kind of sense together. This exercise will build your repertoire of “seemingly unrelated things”. Think of it like an encyclopedia of your life.
2) Never, ever censor or judge your own interests. This kiss of death for any project is when you think it’s something you should do. Leave the shoulds in your life to your bills, your taxes, and getting food on the table. Let your creative side tackle the things you want to do. Don’t box it in. Don’t expect it to be something it’s not. Do not compare your interests to those of anyone else. (That’s a biggie.) Their version of what matters most won’t match yours. That’s a good thing.
Let your true passions and interests breathe, no matter how quiet, untraditional, un-trendy, unsellable, or downright bizarre they are. Reminder: the things that make you strange are the things that make you memorable. Honor them.
You know how, when you’re house training a dog, you’re told to make a big, hairy deal every time they get it right and go to the door when nature calls? That is how you need to respond to your creative self here. Every time you feel that familiar buzz of energy that comes from learning, discovering, or contemplating a thing that excites you, make a gigantic fuss about it. Get excited. Praise yourself (“Ooh, I love this! Go, me!”), and again, write it down. This tells your brain and subconscious one very simple yet crucial fact: I will pay attention and I won’t judge you—send me more of this!
The sooner you get your brain on board, the better.
The way to be inspired all the time is to surround yourself, and your mind, with sources that feed it. Don’t discount a single thing that lights you up. Give it the time of day. Treat it like a special guest. Invite it in for a scone, and pay special attention. It has something to tell you.
3) One final tip? Open a dialogue with the world around you.
Too often, we bookish folks live in our heads. But the downside to existing only in your own head is you miss out on, oh…pretty much everything outside of it.
Something magical happens when you go about your day looking to have a dialogue with the world.
Meaningful, inspiring things have a tendency to find you. Why? Because you’ve made some space for them. The best way I’ve found to do this is by playing a little game with the world. Set yourself up to succeed here.
In your notebook, before you start your day, draw an empty box or a circle on your page. Write the words, “one amazing thing” above it and leave it blank. Then, walk away.
Challenge yourself to be on the lookout for one amazing thing that sparks your curiosity. Curiosity is your heart’s way of telling you to pay attention. The minute you give yourself this exercise, your awareness will go on overdrive. The forced “limit” of that little box is also incredibly freeing. You’re not asking yourself to solve world hunger. You’re just looking for one amazing thing to fill that little box.
Suddenly, your day takes on a different meaning. Maybe you notice the snow piling up in funny angles on the railing outside. Or the way the squirrels’ tails seem to floop around as they run. Or that tiny, shy grin the cashier at the grocery store gives the teen boy buying gum. (Is a new romance afoot?!)
Don’t look now, you’re actively looking at the world with that attitude of inspiration we were talking about! Go, you! You’ll know when you come across the thing that belongs in your notebook.
Do this for a week and you’ll notice some fun insights about what finds its way to your awareness. Do this for a year and you’ll need ten notebooks a day for all the amazing things you’ll notice.
Why are these three exercises so helpful to grow that inspiration muscle? Quite simply: what inspires you is what matters to you. By approaching what matters to you from several perspectives like this, you’ll begin to uncover some truths about what makes you tick creatively. Your viewpoint suddenly becomes amplified.
And, lucky you, you’ve written it down!
Everybody has themes to their lives, and they operate like hidden train tracks beneath our stories. These exercises will shine a spotlight on those emotional tracks so you can build stories that truly resonate with you. And that’s the first step behind creating something that will resonate with others.
This month, (and every month) don’t tell yourself you’re generating ideas. Instead, you’re waking up to the ideas that want your attention. They’re already there, waiting for you. Your job is to pay attention and create space for them.
So…what amazing thing have you noticed today?
As a zoologist and author, Jess Keating has been sprayed by skunks, bitten by crocodiles, and victim to the dreaded papercut. Her books blend science, humor, and creativity, and include the acclaimed My Life is a Zoo middle-grade trilogy, the picture book biography, Shark Lady, and the award-winning World of Weird Animals nonfiction series, launching with Pink is for Blobfish. You can find her on Twitter @Jess_Keating and on her website, JessKeating.com.
Jess Keating is a fiction and nonfiction writer who loves telling fun stories in any way she can. She also has a Masters of Science in Zoology, so she gets to throw around goofy animal facts a lot.
She is the author of several picture books including PINK IS FOR BLOBFISH, CUTE AS AN AXOLOTL and SHARK LADY. Her forthcoming middle grade novel, NIKKI TESLA AND THE FERRET-PROOF DEATH RAY is out July 2019.
Visit her online at jesskeating.com and follow her on Twitter @Jess_Keating.
At the conclusion of Storystorm, prize packs will be given away (books, swag, writing tools). Comment once on this blog post to enter into the prize pack drawing.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm participant and you have commented once below.
Good luck!
Bonus: quotes for sharing!
by Jess Keating
When I first started writing about how to get inspired, I realized the truth: I don’t believe getting inspired is the answer. Instead, we need to be inspired. All the time. Don’t roll your eyes! I know it’s a lofty goal. But you’re a writer: you’re built to do this.
I find everything inspiring. But it takes work. Inspiration is a muscle, not a muse. The more you actively develop an attitude to suit your creative needs, the more it will come naturally. When your whole world is interesting to you, you don’t need to hunt for ideas. They grow around you organically and wait for you to pluck them out of your life.
So how do you become inspired all the time? You cultivate an attitude of inspiration. We’re talking about growing new eyes, new ears—a whole new set of senses here. Or rather, really turning on the ones you’ve got. No more autopilot.
What does this mean? Here are a few exercises that work for me.
1) Every day, learn something new.
This one sounds pretty obvious, but my rule is: if you haven’t written it down, it doesn’t count. Gone are the days of “oh, I’ll definitely remember this!” (You won’t.) You’re a writer, after all. Act like it, and write it down! The goal here isn’t just to get smarter (though that’s always a benefit), rather to go deeper into your own world.
That coffee in front of you? Do you know what part of the world it came from? What other uses could humans have for something like coffee? What’s the Swahili word for coffee? Take something that you enjoy that’s right in front of you, and challenge yourself to learn something new about it. Google it, ask someone smart, anything you need to do to grow a new connection in your mind. And when you’re done, write it down.
Creativity is born from two seemingly unrelated things suddenly making a new kind of sense together. This exercise will build your repertoire of “seemingly unrelated things”. Think of it like an encyclopedia of your life.
2) Never, ever censor or judge your own interests. This kiss of death for any project is when you think it’s something you should do. Leave the shoulds in your life to your bills, your taxes, and getting food on the table. Let your creative side tackle the things you want to do. Don’t box it in. Don’t expect it to be something it’s not. Do not compare your interests to those of anyone else. (That’s a biggie.) Their version of what matters most won’t match yours. That’s a good thing.
Let your true passions and interests breathe, no matter how quiet, untraditional, un-trendy, unsellable, or downright bizarre they are. Reminder: the things that make you strange are the things that make you memorable. Honor them.
You know how, when you’re house training a dog, you’re told to make a big, hairy deal every time they get it right and go to the door when nature calls? That is how you need to respond to your creative self here. Every time you feel that familiar buzz of energy that comes from learning, discovering, or contemplating a thing that excites you, make a gigantic fuss about it. Get excited. Praise yourself (“Ooh, I love this! Go, me!”), and again, write it down. This tells your brain and subconscious one very simple yet crucial fact: I will pay attention and I won’t judge you—send me more of this!
The sooner you get your brain on board, the better.
The way to be inspired all the time is to surround yourself, and your mind, with sources that feed it. Don’t discount a single thing that lights you up. Give it the time of day. Treat it like a special guest. Invite it in for a scone, and pay special attention. It has something to tell you.
3) One final tip? Open a dialogue with the world around you.
Too often, we bookish folks live in our heads. But the downside to existing only in your own head is you miss out on, oh…pretty much everything outside of it.
Something magical happens when you go about your day looking to have a dialogue with the world.
Meaningful, inspiring things have a tendency to find you. Why? Because you’ve made some space for them. The best way I’ve found to do this is by playing a little game with the world. Set yourself up to succeed here.
In your notebook, before you start your day, draw an empty box or a circle on your page. Write the words, “one amazing thing” above it and leave it blank. Then, walk away.
Challenge yourself to be on the lookout for one amazing thing that sparks your curiosity. Curiosity is your heart’s way of telling you to pay attention. The minute you give yourself this exercise, your awareness will go on overdrive. The forced “limit” of that little box is also incredibly freeing. You’re not asking yourself to solve world hunger. You’re just looking for one amazing thing to fill that little box.
Suddenly, your day takes on a different meaning. Maybe you notice the snow piling up in funny angles on the railing outside. Or the way the squirrels’ tails seem to floop around as they run. Or that tiny, shy grin the cashier at the grocery store gives the teen boy buying gum. (Is a new romance afoot?!)
Don’t look now, you’re actively looking at the world with that attitude of inspiration we were talking about! Go, you! You’ll know when you come across the thing that belongs in your notebook.
Do this for a week and you’ll notice some fun insights about what finds its way to your awareness. Do this for a year and you’ll need ten notebooks a day for all the amazing things you’ll notice.
Why are these three exercises so helpful to grow that inspiration muscle? Quite simply: what inspires you is what matters to you. By approaching what matters to you from several perspectives like this, you’ll begin to uncover some truths about what makes you tick creatively. Your viewpoint suddenly becomes amplified.
And, lucky you, you’ve written it down!
Everybody has themes to their lives, and they operate like hidden train tracks beneath our stories. These exercises will shine a spotlight on those emotional tracks so you can build stories that truly resonate with you. And that’s the first step behind creating something that will resonate with others.
This month, (and every month) don’t tell yourself you’re generating ideas. Instead, you’re waking up to the ideas that want your attention. They’re already there, waiting for you. Your job is to pay attention and create space for them.
So…what amazing thing have you noticed today?
As a zoologist and author, Jess Keating has been sprayed by skunks, bitten by crocodiles, and victim to the dreaded papercut. Her books blend science, humor, and creativity, and include the acclaimed My Life is a Zoo middle-grade trilogy, the picture book biography, Shark Lady, and the award-winning World of Weird Animals nonfiction series, launching with Pink is for Blobfish. You can find her on Twitter @Jess_Keating and on her website, JessKeating.com.
Jess is giving away a picture book critique, available to redeem anytime, now or later.
Leave ONE COMMENT on this blog post to enter. You are eligible to win if you are a registered Storystorm participant and you have commented once below. Prizes will be given away at the conclusion of the event.
Good luck!
Bonus: quotes for sharing!
by Jess Keating
I can’t remember the exact time that Eugenie popped into my life. It feels like she’s always been there, alongside Jane Goodall, and other amazing scientists who changed the world, as well as my own heart. Back when I was studying zoology in university, I also knew that she was still kicking butt and contributing to science well into her eighties.
The road to SHARK LADY was a twisty one, for sure. One of my goals as an author is to always keep adapting and diversifying, learning new formats and picking up strengths here and there that play off my interests. When I first started writing for publication, I wrote nonfiction for magazines. After branching out into fiction with my middle grade series, I wanted to revisit my first loves and get more into nonfiction again. I’d started a funny expository series about animals, and I knew it was time to branch out. I wanted to create something different that still fit with my overall arc as an author and what I value.
Eugenie Clark
It was at that point that Eugenie crept back onto my radar. I recall reading an article online about her, and how she was still actively diving and sharing her love of sharks with students. Instantly, all of her work I’d read about in university came flooding back, and I knew in my gut that I was onto something. Genie was just one of those woman who inks an impression right on your heart with her passion, especially if you are a young, science-loving kid who wants to change the world.
As an author, I knew Eugenie’s story was perfect for this format, because of the strong, meaningful parallel between herself and the sharks she studied. She was underestimated, and so were her sharks! That’s a feeling that we can all relate to. As a scientist, I also can’t think of a better example of perseverance and the incredible role that curiosity can play in our lives. I wanted readers to be inspired by her story like I was, so I knew I’d have to tell it in such a way that really captured the wonder and excitement she carried for animals her whole life.
Fast forward a few months and dozens of revisions later, and SHARK LADY found it’s home with the same publishing house that gave me my first ever book deal! I’m thrilled with how it turned out, and every time I get sent a message or photo of a young reader enjoying the book, poring over the sharks on the page, I’m grateful that the path of my life overlapped even just a tiny bit with Eugenie’s. I hope it inspires young scientists out there to follow their curiosity wherever it leads. As for writers, nonfiction can be such a powerful force, and I’d love for this book to give you a little boost toward your dreams.
If you’d like to take a swing at nonfiction, I made a video sharing how I approach a new book or idea. It’s part pep talk, part how-to, and I hope it sparks something wonderful with your writing!
Thank you for sharing these valuable tips with us, Jess!
As a zoologist turned middle grade and picture book author, Jess Keating has been sprayed by skunks, bitten by crocodiles, and been a victim to the dreaded paper cut. Her MY LIFE IS A ZOO series earned two Kirkus stars, a Red Maple nomination, a Rocky Mountain Book Award nomination, and a spot on the LA Times Summer Book Pick List.
Her quirky nonfiction picture book series kicks off with PINK IS FOR BLOBFISH, with sequels to follow in 2017.
Jess is also the creator, writer and host of Animals for Smart People, a Youtube series about animals, science, and nature.
You can also check out her ‘Write with Jess Keating’ video series, geared towards inspiring young writers in the classroom.
Jess lives in Ontario, Canada, where she loves nerdy documentaries, hiking, and writing books for adventurous and funny kids. Visit her at jesskeating.com.
Jess is giving away a copy of SHARK LADY to one lucky blog reader. Leave a comment below and a winner will be randomly selected in a few weeks.
Good luck…and happy swimming in non-fiction waters! I hope you’re bitten by inspiration and your readers will gobble it up!
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 