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!
winter freeze equals
locked in place, stuck in RV
special escape tool
stuck by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
I’ve always been a pantser. That’s a writer who creates stories by the seat of her pants, just jumping off the cliff and writing whatever happens next. This is a very exciting way to write. You never know what is going to happen next. Because. Well. You haven’t planned anything.
In November and December, I suddenly found myself desiring to plot new stories. I wanted to try being a plotter, a writer who makes a plan before writing. This of course helps with story arc, characters, setting, and all of that stuff. Well, it’s not like I said, “I want to be a plotter,” but one day I noticed my Debbie Ridpath Ohi picture book thumbnails template and thought it would be fun to try.
And wow! Two picture books written by actual plotting. For these two stories, the plotting plan worked perfectly. (Heh-heh, I love alliteration.)
I’m sure I will continue to be mostly a pantser because I love running with a story idea that begins with a title (which happens quite often) or a phrase or a character. But on occasion, I might just dig out that template and put on my plotting pants.
Who’s with me?
Thank you, Debbie Ridpath Ohi! You can find her picture book templates (and tons of other great info) on her website: debbieohi.com
Writing Tip: Always add kitties to help you write. Works for plotters OR pantsers. (Or snugglers.)
T – Thankful thoughts and prayers for overflowing blessings
H – Home filled with love and family
A – Answered prayers and wishes
N – Needs fulfilled
K – Kindness extended (and accepted)
S – Security of faith
G – God who provides
I – I AM
V – Victorious life
I – Inconceivable joy
N – Necessities in abundance
G – God who saves
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4 NLT
Wishing you a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving Day filled with love, laughter, and gratitude.
Thanksgiving Words by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell
Ahtanum Mission, Yakima Valley
snow, ice, sunshine, warmth
orange green red harvest decor
fall and winter friends
two seasons clash in
popularity battle!
yet time marches on
die, rest, rebirth, grow-
to repeat again, cycles
chase each other home
two seasons clash by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley, WA
wet drippy wander
way off road and tummy growls
pop forest popcorn
forest popcorn by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell
Oak Creek Road, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Pacific Northwest
NOTE: This is not really popcorn, though it looks as if popcorn grows on trees, er, shrubs. I’m not sure if it’s edible. Do not eat this popcorn!
The Chickens Are Coming!
Written and illustrated by Barbara Samuels
Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2019
I was sitting in my she shed the other day and heard a nearby rooster crowing. Very nearby. Just a note: we do not have chickens OR roosters.
Though our neighbors do. So we often have feathered guests running around the pasture. But I’ve never heard the crowing this close.
I carefully tip-toed to the window and looked out. Sure enough, there was a handsome fellow and his girls right outside the door! They happily pecked and picked, enjoying free range exploration and snacking.
They make me laugh, those chickens. Seeing them made me remember a picture book I had just read to my grandson, The Chickens Are Coming!.
This is such a fun picture book. A brother and sister who live in a large city see a sign about chickens needing a new home. Pretty soon they are the owners of a delightful group of hens, each with a name and personality. The story continues as the siblings hope for eggs, but no eggs are found.
Why I Like This Book:
~ the chickens have personalities
~ the story line is fun: discover chickens need a home, adopt the chickens, learn about chickens, try to help the chickens get ready to lay eggs, try to find eggs, try to find chickens
~ plenty of detailed and engaging illustrations – my first grader was captivated by all of the things he could see on the pages
~ chickens in the city!
~ chicken dance
~ free range eggs (a personal favorite of mine)
Feeling like a good chicken story or adopting a hen or three? The Chickens Are Coming! will give you plenty of good reading and/or help you learn what you need to do when your chickens arrive.
October’s color
orange, furry, smooth, soft, warm,
purr, marmalade girl
orange girl by Angie Quantrell
Seattle furry friend, Daisy
fall bounty shines bright,
a feast for the eyes and soul
drink in the colors
drink by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
I’ve been wanting to try a blackout poem for quite some time. And then I found this falling apart, old copy of Pippi Longstocking and decided to give it a try. The thinking and imagining is quite different when one is removing words instead of adding them. It’s a fun challenge!
Love, Laughter, and Life 