I wrote earlier about questions that have helped me think about voice over the years. (That was the original post on persona voice questions.) I know there are others I find interesting, particularly as an author, so I decided to share some more. I am basically picking just a few from the next section of…
One of my heroes: “Denver the Dapper Dog with the permanent tuxedo and the cool bow tie.” Note: The dog to the left is my dog, who was my inspiration, but is nothing like Denver. Thankfully imagination works like that. A story idea that came from an icebreaker speech at Toastmasters (used with permission):…
About 10 years ago, I came up with a list of questions to get me unstuck. Some of them are personal (so they wouldn’t apply). Some of them reference trademarks (and I don’t want to get sued). Today, I reviewed them, though, and I thought some of them might help you. 140. Trial and error. That’s…
Almost 30 years ago I read an article about voice. The author, Carl Leggo, had 100 questions about voice. Then in February I attended a webinar by Candy Fleming in which she talked about voice and persona and crafting your persona/voice until it was clearly yours no matter what you wrote. I have used the…
2020 has some special days in it. One of those is today. It is leap year. What kind of pb story can be written about leap year? I really enjoyed one about someone’s 16th birthday … She was in her 60s.
an experiment “I don’t see writing as communication of something already discovered, as ‘truths’ already known. Rather, I see writing as a job of experiment. It’s like any discovery job; you don’t know what’s going to happen until you try it.” –William Stafford a struggle “Writing is a struggle against silence.” –Carlos Fuentes an illusion…
Who Wet My Pants? was written by Bob Shea and illustrated by Zachariah Ohora. The front cover says, “It’s not the crime… It’s the cover-up.” I found it shocking. No, not the crime. No, not the cover-up. What was shocking is the fact that you can use the borrowed-from-the-French-wholesale “vis-a-vis” in a children’s book! Apparently there is…
Yesterday I wrote about Candy Fleming’s idea that we should sharpen our writing persona. I said I was going to go through my stories to see what elements I repeat. I thought I would have alliteration, repetition, and questions. I went through all my completed or mostly completed picture books and wrote down the writing…
Candace “Candy” Fleming did a webinar for the 12×12 challenge. One thing she said that really made me think–again and again–was that you need to “stake your identity” by building on the unique characteristics of your voice and sharpen them. Practice them. And, while she didn’t say this, I would add, perfect them. She also…
Stick and Stone, written by Beth Ferry and illustrated by Tom Lichthenheld, was published in 2015. It is the story of two lone creatures who become friends. Obstacles include a bully, a storm, and needing help. There are a few delightful language plays and a fun mathematical transformation.
