by Tara Lazar (with Deb Lund) Over the holidays, I caught an NPR broadcast on secular Christmas music. Immediately struck by the rich voices of Perry Como, Judy Garland, and Nat King Cole, I listen…
Source: Storystorm Day 8: “Sing Along to the Classics” by Tara Lazar
Can we learn from and be inspired by the classics? You bet! That’s why they’re classics!
by Jennifer Arena A year ago last autumn in Chicago during the Architecture Biennial, one exhibit captured my imagination. Situated in the middle of a large room were several dozen waist-high stand…
Source: Storystorm Day 7: “Be Big! Be Small! Be Any Size at All!” by Jennifer Arena
Need fresh ideas? Change your perspective! Can you see those tiny people sitting on a mountain of chips?
by Hannah Barnaby Novels were my first love—as a children’s literature graduate student, as an editor, as a bookseller, and then as a writer. I loved long descriptive passages, the rising ten…
Source: Storystorm Day 6: “Switching Sides: How a Novelist Became a Picture Book Writer” by Hannah Barnaby
by Dan Moynihan “DON’T THINK. JUST DRAW.” That’s what I’ll tell you in one of my collaborative story-making events. That’s our motto as we set forth to create a wild batch of picture book stories i…
Source: Storystorm Day 5: “Don’t Think. Just Draw.” by Dan Moynihan
Don’t think – just go. Allow the creative juices to flow and see where your story takes you! Thanks, Dan!
by Tammi Sauer I am a huge fan of Storystorm (formerly known as PiBoIdMo). Many of my books started right here! YOUR ALIEN, my book with Goro Fujita, for example, first appeared on my 2012 PiBoIdMo…
Source: Storystorm Day 4: “What’s the Big Idea? Ask the Big Question!” by Tammi Sauer
Oh, this is good stuff, writers! Beautiful strategy for getting those ideas and storylines flowing! Thanks, Tammi (and Tara)!
by Josh Funk Yesterday, Tara told us to be mindful and also to daydream. Mindfulness and daydreaming may seem like opposites; pay close attention to the world…and pay attention to only what’s…
Source: Storystorm Day 3: “Eye Loaf Otter Car Wrecks” by Josh Funk
This great post by Josh Funk encourages us to salvage those autocorrect disasters and mine them for future writing projects! Way to go, Josh!
The American Library in Paris is offering English- speaking writers of any nationality the opportunity to work in Paris for a month or longer with a Visiting Fellowship. Writers should be working o…
Source: Get paid to write in Paris …sweet dreams are made of this…
Oh, how much fun this would be! Anyone care to join me? Sigh…
Storystorm! A month of brainstorming, learning, making friends, writing – all centered on picture books. Come on, writers, let’s go!
by Tara Lazar Amidst the chaos and confusion of the past year, a Zen movement gathered steam, gently simmering in the background of our harried lives and minds. You may have noticed—albeit fleeting…
Source: Storystorm Day 2: “To Mind or Not to Mind” by Tara Lazar
My January writing activities include Storystorm! Thanks, Tara Lazar!
by Guest: Deb Lund
I’ve been restless lately. Uncertain. Wondering what to work on next, but not taking action. Growing up in northern Minnesota, the outward version of that was an approaching storm—…
Source: Storystorm Day 1: “The Calm Before the Storm” by Deb Lund
Deal of the day: Coloring books!
This is a big deal. I know they’re all the rage right now, and are you not glad? We grew up with coloring books. Not the adult sort that is popular, but books featuring cartoon characters and now-iconic movie themes. Frosty, Rudolph, Tom and Jerry, Barbie…the list is quite long. And I’ve probably had at least one coloring book for each character.
Christmas and coloring books go hand in hand. Opening that freshly minted box of unbroken and pointy tipped crayons and deciding which picture to color in first – that was one of our growing up years Christmas traditions.
Our stockings always had an orange, an apple, and nuts. Add some assorted hard candies, never enough chocolate, small toys, coloring books, and crayons! I’m not sure we had the coloring books and crayons every year, but often enough that I associate them with Christmas morning and full stockings!
I carried on the tradition for our two children when they were young. Coloring books, crayons, chocolate, and candies. For some reason, I dropped the fruit and nuts, though now at my mature age, I view them as synonymous with Christmas stockings.
During college (yes, waayyyy before adult coloring books hit the market), my college friends and residents of the dorm I lived in often sat in the hallways with coloring books and crayons, happily coloring, visiting, and enjoying much-needed stress relief.
As an adult, I still have coloring books. I recently found a lovely nature-themed adult coloring book. I also have a journaling Bible, complete with multiple illustrations ready for me to color.
And today, I purchased old-fashioned coloring books – Rudolph, Frosty, and Santa. I just need crayons, apples, oranges, and nuts.
Because now I can pass along the coloring traditions to the grands.
Love, Laughter, and Life 