For picture book writers, January equals Storystorm!
Storystorm, an adventure in brainstorming new picture book ideas, is Tara Lazar’s kicking-off-the-new-year-of-writing-picture-books project. I can’t even remember how many years I’ve been doing Storystorm, but it is worth every second. And I have the dog-tagged notebooks to prove it.
Thanks, Tara, for planning this creativity-inspiring month of posts for building a bank of picture book ideas. Let’s go, 2022!
I’m a Storystorm winner!
Storystorm is a month-long brainstorming project for writers of picture books organized and hosted by Tara Lazar. Mark your calendars for January 2020 when Storystorm will blast off the new year with daily posts, ideas, tips, and interactions with other writers. It’s that good.
Everyone who participates in Storystorm is a winner. I have a full notebook of ideas from this past month of Storystorm and previous years of Storystorm. I just began my second notebook. Those notebooks are gold mines for writers of picture books. Really!
I can’t tell you my ideas. They are SECRET. For now. Let me tell you there are some real gems lining those pages.
Whoop!
What do you do to brainstorm?
Oh, I’ve had my share of embarrassing mistakes. Now if I only had the courage to remember them and transform them into stories…
Thanks, Doreen and Tara!
via STORYSTORM 2018 Final Day: Doreen Cronin Makes Embarrassing Mistakes (and you can, too!)
Collecting those ideas is just like gathering eggs. You have to watch where you’re walking, keep your eyes peeled, and collect those golden orbs of inspiration and place them in a sturdy basket to incubate for hatching up a great story.
Thanks, Jane and Tara!
via STORYSTORM 2018 Day 29: Jane Yolen Cultivates the Wild Idea
Way to prime the pump! Thanks, Stacy and Tara!
Ideas wait for no clock. It’s now or never, baby! Write down those great ideas, whenever they appear!
Thanks, Josh and Tara!
via STORYSTORM 2018 Day 27: Josh Nash is Always on the Clock
I’d love to come home and find ideas on my deck, just waiting for me. But usually all I find are dead mouse parts and fluffs of bird feathers (no bird attached).
Thanks, Jeanette and Tara!
via STORYSTORM 2018 Day 26: Jeanette Bradley Invites You to Tea
This post is full of wonderful tips for staying the course in writing picture books for kids. AND Vivian shares suggestions on where to collect new ideas for future projects!
Thanks, Vivian and Tara!
via STORYSTORM 2018 Day 25: Vivian Kirkfield Kicks Back and Kicks Butt
It’s OK to be WEIRD! Whew! I was sweating that one. Now I can look back on my childhood and find those things that made me weird and use them to come up with story ideas. Use your gifts, right?
Thanks, Kerri and Tara!
via STORYSTORM 2018 Day 23: Kerri Kokias Embraces the Things That Made Her Weird as a Kid
Food for thought. Ha-ha! Get it? Add food to any story you are working on – be it the main character, a walk-on part, the conflict, or part of the setting. I can see, I mean taste it now…a maple oat nut scone walks into a coffee shop…
Thanks, Robin! Thanks, Tara!
via STORYSTORM 2018 Day 22: Robin Newman Has Food for Thought
Love, Laughter, and Life 