Category: writing fun

Blogfests

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Don’t worry.

I have not been eaten by a bear.

Yet.

It’s just that we are in the middle of high-school-graduation-8th-grade-play-rehearsals-and-performances-baby-shower-shopping-8th-grade-graduation-ceremony-and-party-planning-and-shopping-wedding-related-hysteria-vacation-planning-along-with-the-general-busy-ness-of-daily-life so I’m finding it a little hard to keep to my schedule… 🙂

I hope you all had the opportunity to read at least some of the entries in Cally Jackson and Rachel Morgan’s tension blogfest.  I thought it was really fun to enter, and to read all the other entries (although this morning, it was practically impossible to vote on a winner!)

It was such fun that I’d like to do a blogfest, too!

But not tension, because that’s been done 🙂

So here’s my question:  what do you think would be a fun blogfest?

300 words about character? Or setting?

One-paragraph plot synopses?

A one-sentence pitch contest?  (Ooh – that sounds like a good one!)

A limerick contest (maybe on a certain topic)?

A segment of dialogue?

Other brilliant suggestions?  (But remember, this is a children’s writer blog, so all ideas should be appropriate for kids, MG, or YA.)

Please let me know what you think would be fun, and what you might consider entering.  (It’s more fun with lots of entries!)

I’ll look forward to your responses!

P.S.  If you’d like to join me in hosting the blogfest (as Cally and Rachel did it together) please let me know that, too 🙂

Why Writing Is Fun :)

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Today is all about gratitude, and some of the things that make writing fun 🙂

Anyone who is a writer will tell you writing is hard work.  You put in long hours with no guarantee that anyone besides you will ever read the words you struggled to get just right.  Hopefully you’re not in it for the money, because in children’s publishing it will probably be a while before you can quit your day job.  But if you’re lucky, your stories will go out into the world and you’ll have some moments like these.

Today I want to share three things that have happened in the last three weeks that make all the long hours and at least some of the rejection letters worthwhile 🙂

1.  A librarian in California whom I have never met, wrote me this note about Can’t Sleep Without Sheep and sent these pictures:

I finally got to share your beautiful book with the kids and they loved it. Thanks so much for the link to the coloring pages. I took pictures of some of the kids having fun coloring them and thought I would share them with you. Thanks so much and I can’t wait to read more of your writing in the future.

Wasn’t it so nice of her to take the time to write this note and send pictures?

2.  A mom who bought Can’t Sleep Without Sheep took time out of her busy schedule to send me this note:

I have not in recent memory had my daughter beg for a book more and laugh harder than she did with this book. The chickens that make such a concerted effort to scale the fence and very comically fail makes her laugh so hard that her 5 year old little face turns bright red and she actually tears up. I was forced to re-read that page 4 times tonight. 

There is really nothing better than ability to make a child happy; maybe only making MY child happy :-).  Thank you

Knowing they liked it makes me happy!

3.  I visited a school last week and yesterday received a packet of letters – one of my absolute favorite things about school visits.  It doesn’t happen that often, but when it does, it’s priceless, and I cherish the notes and pictures that young readers took time to send.  Here are a few of the letters about April Fool, Phyllis!:

He’s referring to Phyllis’s song 🙂
…and here’s his picture of me with my Phyllis puppet singing 🙂
Awesome handwriting, no? and I would love to do another book about Phyllis!
Someone who appreciates effort 🙂
A budding artist (with great taste in books :))
This is one of my favorites!  Short and sweet!  I think this is me, sitting in the chair, reading 🙂
Me, too!
So sweet!

So there you have it – the little things that make my days!  For me, knowing that even one child enjoyed one of my stories is what it’s all about.  (And you may all feel free to remind me of this the next time I’m fretting about rejection letters :))  Thanks for letting me share 🙂

Sing A Song of Story

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Today I will share a little known fact about me:  I’m a closet songwriter.

(Although I have to confess, I’m playing it fast and loose with the concept of “songwriter”!)

I cannot write music.  But I do like making up words to other people’s songs.  Hence, Phyllis and Woolliam and Captain Bright and the Train Engineer all have songs to go with their books.  (The Train Engineer doesn’t have a name, by the way, and I think that needs to be remedied!  She looks like Peppermint Patty to me, so that’s how I think of her.  But I digress…)

Phyllis’s songs are cleverly titled The Groundhog Day Song #1 and The Groundhog Day Song #2.  Catchy, no?  Woolliam’s song is The Counting To Sleep Song (can you guess what it’s about?), Captain Bright’s song really isn’t his – it’s called “I’m A Little Airplane” (bonus points to anyone who can guess the tune) and the Train Engineer’s Song, much like the Train Engineer herself, doesn’t actually have a name, so feel free to suggest one.  It’s about an engineer driving a train – not a great leap since that’s what the book is about 🙂

Making up songs serves two purposes.  #1 it gives me something fun to do with the kids when I go on school visits.  Kids are very willing to join in the fun of a silly song.  #2 it makes me feel multifaceted as a writer if I can claim (however inaccurately) to be a songwriter, and a little self-esteem boost never hurt anyone right?

I may be able to just squeak by passing myself off as a songwriter, but I could never pretend to be a singer.  So I let Phyllis and Woolliam do the dirty work.  No one seems to mind if a groundhog or a sheep have less than pleasing voices.  In fact, it just adds to the fun 🙂

Feeling inspired?  Suggest a name for the Train Engineer and/or her song!