Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)

Getting into my new way of eating. I've gone Vegan folks. Boys ate grilled cheese and tomato soup tonight. This is not going to be easy.

So, I have gone to my distraction, ta da, the net and found a great article by Mark Ury on using music to set the tone of your writing. Writing for Kids (While Raising Them). This is one of those "Duh!" moments.

I have used music in creating my art for years. When I sculpt a humorous animal, it's Lyle Lovett or Jalan Crossland. If I'm throwing on the wheel, it might be a country song or some hard core classical. As the sun is setting and I'm winding down, on goes the jazz and blues. So, why not bring that to my writing.

I have a major battle, t the end of my book series, and my mind is already wrapping around the problem of getting into the right mood for it. I've been writing in quiet or to CNN (it's on a lot). But, in four or five years, it's going to be something like Vagner or Wagner or Verdi.

In the meantime, I'm working on book two, MOON TREE MADNESS, and need to find some Charlie Chaplin movies for humor.

So, check out Tara Lazar's site for PiBoldMo and quit melting that cheese. Gosh, it smells good!!

It's one of those Senior moment days

Since I cannot seem to remember how to answer a comment, I'll do it here. I am troubleshooting my website with my site owner. The site refuses my updates. So, I probably would not have gotten around to posting anyway.

But, YES, I am doing PiBoldMo. Check my links for this great Picture book idea think tank. While I have to admit I got involved and did not finish it last year, I have about half a month of great ideas for Picture and other books from last years contest.

I heartily recommend it.

IQ, Beans, half a brain and MENSA

Do you remember those IQ tests they used to give when you were like in sixth grade? My brother ranked MENSA. I ranked about three points below MENSA. And, I am living proof that those stupid tests do not mean a hill of beans.

Just exactly what would you do with a “hill of beans” anyway? Oh, my gosh! An idea for PiBoIdMo. Hold on, gotta type it down.

Digression over: After I took the IQ test, I was moved into an “advanced” class. The teacher was wonderful, it was challenging, I did homework until midnight every night, I began falling asleep in class and I was only in sixth grade. And, my grades went from being straight ‘A’s’ to C’s. I did not recover until I went to college, some twenty-five years later.

The reason I say those tests mean nothing though, is that sometimes I can be so stupid.

Take, building my website. (Insert Groucho eyebrows and cigar here.) That’ll be two-forty for the site and do you want me to wrap it? Obviously, I am till sleep deprived.

First: If I would have just taken the time to learn CSS, I could have saved a ton of aggravation. I know just enough to know that my links, which I have to continually go in and change on each and every page, could have been done, all on one page.

Second: My status is: Twenty-four graphic pages down, six graphic pages to go and twelve text only pages done, with twelve text only pages to go and I make the bright decision to go ahead and start putting it up on the web. Then, I discover that I have continually forgotten to do the description and keywords and change the Title. All important for people finding you. Meaning, I am now on my third round of uploading all those corrected pages.

Third: I have just now figured out about the only way I can get my illustrations reduced to manageable size without degrading.

Yes, I am so bright, I did a lot of my own illustrations.

A true renaissance woman, with half a brain and three points from MENSA!!!!

Great resources and a contest on the web

The web site is going pretty well now. If I knew CSS better, I would probably be done by now. I cannot wait to be done, as I have been very neglectful of my blogs, twitter, etc and I am constantly tired, as I am waking up in the middle of the night and spending an hour writing on book two. Hey, it's when I get my ideas.

On the non-website side, I have been internet networking more. I just caught up on ideas on Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) and got a great news flash on We Interrupt Your Ideas for a Special Announcement « Writing for Kids (While Raising Them). Those who have 30 ideas by the end of the month, will be in a random drawing for a neat grand prize.

TA DA!!!! Jill Corcoran of Herman Agency - Representing Professional Artists, Authors, & Children's Book Illustrators and Lauren E. MacLeod of The Strothman Agency, LLC Advocates for books that matter. will each take one of the winners and read five of the winner's one sentence fleshed out idea proposals. Cool, huh??

And, on to the second great thing: I have a 1000 words of my YA novel in with Miss Snark's First Victim for some critiquing and was checking up on her site and found out that one of her follower/entrants, Lisa and Laura Write: Spread the Love, Win a Kindle, used the feedback they got on that site to revise their manuscript and score an agent.

Their book A Kate Lowry Mystery: The Haunting of Pemberly Brown (sorry, the link would not work) is now being published. And, they are celebrating by giving away a Lisa and Laura Write: Spread the Love, Win a Kindle KINDLE!!! (same link, so shoot me). But, and this is a cool link about their journey to publish their first book. Lisa and Laura Write: The LiLa Publishing Timeline.

We've all been waiting a lifetime for that, Right??? So, go to their site and enter to win a Kindle and read a neat blog. And, check out PiBoldMo, get 30 ideas and have five sentences ready for an Agent's review.

A writer who is not social? Who would a thunk?

I am not a joiner. I am not running off to meetings and volunteering to head committees. While I have no fear of speaking in public, even to very large groups, I have never been one to "socialize." I never coffee klatched.

During my painting career, I loved to do demonstrations and talks, but I hated art receptions. Making small talk, with a glass of wine in hand, was never comfortable. I did it, because that is what you need to do but I did a lot of grumbling before hand.

Sometimes an idea comes along that is just too good to pass up, and, hey, being on an Internet group is not the same as getting in your car and going to schmooze. Still, I was a bit reluctant to join PiBoIdMo. It was a commitment, you know!

I have to say. I am thoroughly enjoying this one. Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) is hosting a Picture Book Idea month, and I just now realize that it is NOT PiBoldMo, which I thought was rather weird, but easier to say (Pie-Bold-Mo) but that the L is actually a capital I.

Gotta get those cataracts fixed soon, I hope. I digress, but I am a wee bit young to have cataracts and am definitely not enjoying them.

What I am enjoying though is all the wonderful ideas for ideas, that are being shared by various children's book writers. My picture book ideas list is up to seven and I have not even tried for two days.

It's all about looking around and thinking. How can I put this to use in a way I might not have before. It's a big "WHAT IF!" for book ideas.

I said it once before, so I will say it again: Give it a try. It's fun and you do not have to dress up and get in your car to join. However, I could use a cup of coffee right now.

Join PiBoIdMo

A wee bit off my usual genre here, but writing is writing, and given you do your homework and practice, practice, practice, you could turn your brain and fingers to Picture books.

This month PiBoIdMo is Here! « Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), has a neat challenge going. She is giving you you an inspirational idea every day, during November. Let your mind, wander, investigage and imagine and come up with an idea for a picture book.

It will get your juices flowing. There will be guest bloggers and give-a-ways. So, get busy, check it out and write.