This month, I’m taking on another kind of writing challenge. In case you didn’t know, November is also time for Tara Lazar’s annual Picture Book Idea Month or PiBoIdMo. The challenge is to generate 30 picture book ideas in 30 days. You don’t have to turn any of the ideas into actual manuscripts or share your ideas with anyone. You simply go to Tara’s blog: and sign up.
She always has an amazing line-up of guest bloggers to share their picture book idea generating tips and tricks. (Have you ever wondered where Jane Yolen gets all of her picture book ideas? She’ll be on Tara’s blog November 13th to share!) Registration for PiBoIdMo runs until November 7th. By registering, you are eligible for really cool prizes, including agent critiques and feedback.
This is my third year participating in PiBoIdMo. Over time, it has turned into more than a month of creativity, but an online creative community through an active Facebook page.
Like NaNoWriMo, PiBoIdMo is a way to turn on the faucet of creativity without judging your ideas. It’s a time to go for it and see what pours out. It’s also a time to keep your eyes and ears open for ideas zinging around the universe and catching them on the sticky paper of your choosing. I sat down with a stack of index cards yesterday, my preferred PiBoIdMo sticky paper, and reflected on things I heard from my kids over the past week in preparation for Halloween. By the end of a 60 minute brainstorming session, I jotted down about eight ideas. Mind you some of them are absolutely, positively blech. But there were three in my pile that made me feel like I could turn them into something worthwhile in December.
So, if you are interested in writing picture books but aren’t really sure where or how to start, consider signing up for PiBoIdMo. Because getting inspired is always a good way to get started.
If you write picture books, how do you capture ideas zinging around the universe? Is anyone doing PiBoIdMo and what do you think of it so far?
-- Kellie DuBay Gillis
Showing posts with label kellie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kellie. Show all posts
Monday, November 4, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
Writer Reunion
A few Saturdays ago, I had a chance to catch up with a lovely group of writer friends that I met last year through the Northern Ohio SCBWI annual conference. Many of us are now friends on Twitter and relished to have the chance to talk to each other in more than 140 characters at a time.
I think I stayed at the dinner table with most of them for about six hours!
All of us are on different points in our writing journey. Some are querying. One is one the verge of representation. A few of us are on sub. Some have had only one agent. A couple of us are in our second agent partnership. A few of us are still working on the same manuscript we workshopped at last year’s conference and others have written at least two new manuscripts. (I won’t tell you which category I fall under.) But no matter where we are, it is all various degrees of fascinating and frustrating and wonderful and mind-boggling.
At one point, a member of our group said, “It’s funny to see how our perspectives change with time. How decisions we’d make as newer writers on this journey aren’t decisions we’d make today.”
It was an interesting point. In three years time, I do feel like I’ve grown up a lot in my writing journey. I’ve mellowed out. I’ve learned not to obsess so much over things that are out of my control. I’ve figured out when to write an email to my agent and hit SAVE DRAFT rather than SEND. And how to be ok with my own process rather than trying to make someone else’s process work for me.
I’m sure this feeling of maturity and wisdom will evaporate when I enter uncharted territory. But for now, I like the fact that I’ve gained some perspective through the ups and downs of being a newbie in the world of publishing. I’m looking forward to hearing how careers and insights have changed during next year’s writer reunion. Until then, I’ll keep tabs on everyone’s journey from a distance, usually documented in 140 characters or less.
How has your perspective of writing/publishing changed from year to year? Is there a group of writers with whom you collectively mark the passage of time?
-- Kellie DuBay Gillis
I think I stayed at the dinner table with most of them for about six hours!
All of us are on different points in our writing journey. Some are querying. One is one the verge of representation. A few of us are on sub. Some have had only one agent. A couple of us are in our second agent partnership. A few of us are still working on the same manuscript we workshopped at last year’s conference and others have written at least two new manuscripts. (I won’t tell you which category I fall under.) But no matter where we are, it is all various degrees of fascinating and frustrating and wonderful and mind-boggling.
At one point, a member of our group said, “It’s funny to see how our perspectives change with time. How decisions we’d make as newer writers on this journey aren’t decisions we’d make today.”
It was an interesting point. In three years time, I do feel like I’ve grown up a lot in my writing journey. I’ve mellowed out. I’ve learned not to obsess so much over things that are out of my control. I’ve figured out when to write an email to my agent and hit SAVE DRAFT rather than SEND. And how to be ok with my own process rather than trying to make someone else’s process work for me.
I’m sure this feeling of maturity and wisdom will evaporate when I enter uncharted territory. But for now, I like the fact that I’ve gained some perspective through the ups and downs of being a newbie in the world of publishing. I’m looking forward to hearing how careers and insights have changed during next year’s writer reunion. Until then, I’ll keep tabs on everyone’s journey from a distance, usually documented in 140 characters or less.
How has your perspective of writing/publishing changed from year to year? Is there a group of writers with whom you collectively mark the passage of time?
-- Kellie DuBay Gillis
Monday, August 26, 2013
Writing and a Bicycle Built for Two
Most people who know me, know that I’m obsessed with vintage purple Schwinn tandem bikes.
Some of you know me and some of you don’t. For those that have heard me go on and on about the vintage purple Schwinn tandem, please indulge me.
On my little piece of Internet real estate, I tell a story about a purple Schwinn tandem that lived in the garage of my neighbor’s house but belonged to every kid on the street. We all knew there was magic in that violet paint, those white gripped handlebars, those funky shaped seats.
Talk to any kid who spent their childhood on Sixth Street circa 1980s and say the words “purple tandem,” then stand back and watch what happens. We are transformed. We are transported.
No one knows what became of the mean purple machine that cruised up and down Sixth Street and beyond. But I’ve always known that if I couldn’t track down the exact purple tandem from my childhood, I wanted one find one just like it. I think having that tandem is a way to stay connected to my little kid glory days and a way to pass the magic of that shared neighborhood experience to my own kiddos.
In recent years, the purple tandem has taken on new meaning for me. It has become a symbol of my writing. On my little piece of Internet real estate, I say that writing for kids is like riding a tandem bike…you can do it alone, but it’s more fun when you have someone to share the ride. After several years of working on my writing craft and learning about publishing, I realize that sharing the ride isn’t just fun, it’s absolutely necessary to succeed.
This summer, two really spectacular things have happened. I found the elusive 1964 purple Schwinn tandem on Ebay. And I won it!
When that happened, I knew without a doubt that the stars were aligning for something big.
And I was right.
Because, as of last week, I accepted an offer of representation from Danielle Smith of Foreword Literary. So, I have a new purple tandem and a new partner to share the publishing ride!
There were many times I almost gave up my search for the purple tandem, or settled for something less than what I wanted because it would be easier (let’s just say finding vintage blue or green Schwinn tandem bikes is much easier than finding a purple…almost as difficult as finding an agent!). But I stuck to my vision and didn’t stop looking. The same goes for my agent search.
Despite this exciting news, I have work ahead of me. My vintage purple Schwinn tandem needs quite a bit of restoration before it’s ready to ride. And, with Danielle’s help, my picture book manuscripts need some fine tuning. Both should be ready to roll soon!
What’s your symbol that embodies your writing and your writing journey?
 |
| Purple tandem in the 1965 Schwinn catalog |
On my little piece of Internet real estate, I tell a story about a purple Schwinn tandem that lived in the garage of my neighbor’s house but belonged to every kid on the street. We all knew there was magic in that violet paint, those white gripped handlebars, those funky shaped seats.
Talk to any kid who spent their childhood on Sixth Street circa 1980s and say the words “purple tandem,” then stand back and watch what happens. We are transformed. We are transported.
No one knows what became of the mean purple machine that cruised up and down Sixth Street and beyond. But I’ve always known that if I couldn’t track down the exact purple tandem from my childhood, I wanted one find one just like it. I think having that tandem is a way to stay connected to my little kid glory days and a way to pass the magic of that shared neighborhood experience to my own kiddos.
In recent years, the purple tandem has taken on new meaning for me. It has become a symbol of my writing. On my little piece of Internet real estate, I say that writing for kids is like riding a tandem bike…you can do it alone, but it’s more fun when you have someone to share the ride. After several years of working on my writing craft and learning about publishing, I realize that sharing the ride isn’t just fun, it’s absolutely necessary to succeed.
This summer, two really spectacular things have happened. I found the elusive 1964 purple Schwinn tandem on Ebay. And I won it!
When that happened, I knew without a doubt that the stars were aligning for something big.
And I was right.
Because, as of last week, I accepted an offer of representation from Danielle Smith of Foreword Literary. So, I have a new purple tandem and a new partner to share the publishing ride!
There were many times I almost gave up my search for the purple tandem, or settled for something less than what I wanted because it would be easier (let’s just say finding vintage blue or green Schwinn tandem bikes is much easier than finding a purple…almost as difficult as finding an agent!). But I stuck to my vision and didn’t stop looking. The same goes for my agent search.
Despite this exciting news, I have work ahead of me. My vintage purple Schwinn tandem needs quite a bit of restoration before it’s ready to ride. And, with Danielle’s help, my picture book manuscripts need some fine tuning. Both should be ready to roll soon!
What’s your symbol that embodies your writing and your writing journey?
Monday, July 15, 2013
What I Learned From My Summer Reading
When I’m working on a project, the books that I happen to read for entertainment start to do a funny thing. They teach me and remind me about important things that I must do (or not do) in my own work.
Lately I’ve read (and re-read) novels by the wonderful Linda Urban. Specifically, A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT and her latest, THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING. I’m particularly fond of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING because of how Linda Urban crafted the character of Ruby Pepperdine, a twelve year old who recently lost her Gigi and is hanging her hopes on one wish and an essay about her town’s founder and inventor of the donut. One thing that really impressed me about this book is that it’s told from close third-person and weaves between past and present tense. It took me a while to read THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING because I found myself engaged in “How did she do that?” with every chapter.
And in a story filled with great lines, there was one that jumped out at me because of its meaning to the story and the meaning for novel craft. You can find it on page 137 in the chapter entitled “The Hole that Turns Things Inside Out.” Ruby and her friend Nero are at the library researching a torus and how it changes. During this scene, Nero tells Ruby, “The hole is what lets it change.”
And I thought….BAM. There you go, Linda Urban. Teaching me something important about my own story. I have a character who is missing something very important in her life and without that hole, there would be no way for her to change. And, as we all know, transformation of our characters is key to a strong story.
What have you read lately that entertained you as well as taught you something new about your craft? And are there any lines from a novel that stay with you because they remind you something important about your approach to writing?
Monday, February 11, 2013
Kellie DuBay Gillis: Making an Entrance
Please excuse the glitter in my hair and the streamers stuck to my socks. I’m cleaning up from my daughter’s whirlwind birthday party weekend. She’s the one I alluded to in my lie for the Operation Awesome Mystery Blogger reveal. When I said that I single-handedly delivered a baby in less than 50 minutes in a bathroom, most of that was true. Five years ago, I did deliver my daughter in less than 50 minutes in our 2x3 powder room off the kitchen, but I had the help of five EMTs and one queasy husband. (The only thing I did single-handedly was dial 9-1-1.)
I always joke that the way my daughter burst onto the scene says a lot about how she approaches life. Her nature. Her character. And that got me thinking about our characters and how they make entrances and introductions in our stories. What does it say about them and how they approach their life on the page?
As a picture book writer, nothing makes me more giddy than having a dozen five year old girls come over for a party. These are the kids I write for and about. It’s a perfect opportunity to swim around in their kidness and absorb as much as possible. While I painted nails or led a party game, I watched and listened. You never know when something will spark a new idea or help spit-shine an old one.
But what I found really fascinating was how each girl made their entrance. Some bounded through the door oozing with confidence and excitement, ready to show off their party clothes and eat up whatever I was dishing out. Others were very reluctant to have the group flock to the door upon their arrival and wanted to slip into the party without a bunch of hoopla. Some didn’t want to see their parents leave and others ran in without saying good-bye. I thought I knew most of these girls pretty well, but how many of them made their entrance surprised me. And, like any good character, many of these girls had a transformation at the end of the two hour party. Some found their voice (literally on the karaoke machine), others helped put a new friend in the spotlight.
We are told that we should really know our characters and that they should have a life beyond the page. I’m taking this to heart as I strive to write interesting, multi-dimensional characters. So, if your main character was about to walk into a birthday party, what sort of entrance would he or she make? Consider this your MC’s formal party invitation and feel free to write a line or two from your MC’s POV in the comments about how they’d make their entrance. If you supply the guests, I’ll bring the cake. I have a lot left to share! Looking forward to posting every other Monday on the ups and downs of writing picture books and middle grade with the fans of Operation Awesome. Thanks for reading!
-- Kellie DuBay Gillis
I always joke that the way my daughter burst onto the scene says a lot about how she approaches life. Her nature. Her character. And that got me thinking about our characters and how they make entrances and introductions in our stories. What does it say about them and how they approach their life on the page?
As a picture book writer, nothing makes me more giddy than having a dozen five year old girls come over for a party. These are the kids I write for and about. It’s a perfect opportunity to swim around in their kidness and absorb as much as possible. While I painted nails or led a party game, I watched and listened. You never know when something will spark a new idea or help spit-shine an old one.
But what I found really fascinating was how each girl made their entrance. Some bounded through the door oozing with confidence and excitement, ready to show off their party clothes and eat up whatever I was dishing out. Others were very reluctant to have the group flock to the door upon their arrival and wanted to slip into the party without a bunch of hoopla. Some didn’t want to see their parents leave and others ran in without saying good-bye. I thought I knew most of these girls pretty well, but how many of them made their entrance surprised me. And, like any good character, many of these girls had a transformation at the end of the two hour party. Some found their voice (literally on the karaoke machine), others helped put a new friend in the spotlight.
We are told that we should really know our characters and that they should have a life beyond the page. I’m taking this to heart as I strive to write interesting, multi-dimensional characters. So, if your main character was about to walk into a birthday party, what sort of entrance would he or she make? Consider this your MC’s formal party invitation and feel free to write a line or two from your MC’s POV in the comments about how they’d make their entrance. If you supply the guests, I’ll bring the cake. I have a lot left to share! Looking forward to posting every other Monday on the ups and downs of writing picture books and middle grade with the fans of Operation Awesome. Thanks for reading!
-- Kellie DuBay Gillis
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