new posts in all blogs
Viewing Blog: Writing Your First Children's Book, Most Recent at Top
Results 1 - 25 of 212
A New Writer's Journey to Publication
Statistics for Writing Your First Children's Book
Number of Readers that added this blog to their MyJacketFlap: 1
I'm coming down to the wire, but I couldn't miss Susanna Hill's annual Holiday Story Contest!
Rules: Write a children’s holiday story (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) using the basic format/concept of The Twelve Days Of Christmas! Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 300 words (I know! So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest
) (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful , you are welcome and encouraged to write shorter, but no more than 300! Title not included in word count.) The field is wide open! Have fun! The more creative the better! No illustration notes please. Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between right now this very second and Monday December 12 at 11:59 PM EST.
Without further ado (and because I'm going to run out of time!) here's my entry at 299 words:
My Trashman Gave to Me
My Daddy worked hard all day throwing bag after bag into that old garbage truck. We didn’t have much money, but he made sure our house was merry during Christmas.
On the first day of Christmas my trashman gave to me a toaster in disrepair. It couldn’t make toast, but it sure made Christmas cards pop!
On the second day of Christmas my trashman gave to me two black rain boots, which held way more than a regular stocking.
On the third day of Christmas my trashman gave to me three dented pots, and I drummed a lovely beat.
On the fourth day of Christmas my trashman gave to me four hula hoops which became the coolest wreath in town.
On the fifth day of Christmas my trashman gave to me five curtain rings which made my wreath sparkle in the sun.
On the sixth day of Christmas my trashman gave to me six empty frames, perfect for my reindeer art.
On the seventh day of Christmas my trashman gave to me seven bouncing balls hanging as giant ornaments in the front yard.
On the eighth day of Christmas my trashman gave to me eight smiling dolls to make my own nativity.
On the ninth day of Christmas my trashman gave to me nine shining night lights to brighten every room.
On the tenth day of Christmas my trashman gave to me ten Christmas ties draping over the fireplace.
On the eleventh day of Christmas my trashman gave to me eleven serving spoons glittering on our Christmas tree.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my trashman gave to me twelve pillows already ripping, with enough fluff to fill our living room with snow!
People sure throw out a lot of decorations, but Daddy knows treasure when he finds it.
Hope you enjoyed this fun holiday story. Wishing you all Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!
It's a BOOtifully dark and dreary day to write a Halloween story. Get on over to Susanna Hill's internet house to post yours or get spooked out reading the other entries! This is the sixth year for the contest and my fifth year entering...I'm feeling a bit nostalgic!
From Susanna:
The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words, children here defined as 12 and under), using the words spider, ghost, and moon. Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that’s part of the fun and the challenge! We got nearly 150 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!) Also, you may use the words in any form – e.g. moon, moons, mooned, spidery, ghostly, whathaveyou No illustration notes please! Post your story on your blog between right now this very second and Monday October 31st by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list on her site.Here's my 100-word entry. Happy Halloween everyone!
Spider’s Home
By Lauri Meyers
Ghost whooshed to Spider’s basement home.
Spider cried. “The girl saw me. I’m outta here.”
Ghost drooped. “Don’t go. Try the kitchen.”
Ghost poofed to the kitchen.
Spider ate his web in shaky gulps. “That cat licked his lips all day.”
Ghost’s eyes popped out. “Don’t go. Try upstairs.”
Ghost whizzed into the bathroom.
Spider was packed. “It smells dangerous here. Goodbye.”
Ghost rippled with worry. “You’re my best friend.”
Ghost glowed excitedly. “Grab your web. Follow me up these stairs.”
“Plenty of bugs.”
“Few visitors.”
“A view!”
Spider started spinning in the moonlight.
“And my best friend lives here.”
I’m headed to NJ SCBWI summer conference this weekend, well, today actually.
I love this conference! It is like a party with all your best friends who share a love of writing. There are friendly agents to crush on and editors to share dinner with. There’s an ever-flowing fountain of coffee and just a bit of wine. And there’s the opportunity to network with total strangers.
No matter how much I practice my pitch for the agent pitch, someone in the bagel line will ask,
“What are you working on?”
This question always knocks me on my heels. I feel like the only thing I am working on is remembering to breathe.
Uhh...I’m installing a butterfly garden in at my daughter’s school. I’ve been studying tree identification for a sign installation at the park. I painted a gigantic map of the US on the playground which was significantly harder than I imagined. I have a big Girl Scout beach party Monday. (Shoot, I forgot to buy cups!) I work on laundry a lot.
These are the things that pop in my head. Keeping them from popping out of my mouth is very challenging.
First, I have to breathe. Then, I have to remember they really mean, “Tell me about your current writing project. Give me a sense of your voice. How do you stand out in your genre?”
If you are struggling with your pitches and answering this horrendously challenging question, I have a few recommendations.
1. Take a shower. One pitch came to me there, and I was forced to write it in steam on the shower door.
2. Relax. A second pitch was worked out during a pedicure yesterday.
3. Exercise. A third pitch was worked out during yoga – I got the word order I needed, though the process did make my Awkward Chair Pose even more awkward.
And all those other things I’m working on? Well, I’ve been thinking about a blog page about “Creativity when I’m not Writing.” There are so many interesting things I’ve been up to this year, which weren't writing but were creating. I think all creation breathes life into your writing!
If you are heading to NJ SCBWI, I’ll see you soon. (Well, tonight!)
If you are a SCBWI member, you can participate in the new Write This! monthly prompt. Here's the details:
Write This! April Contest: This month, you have 100 words to portray a scene where your character hears a suspicious noise coming from the closet. Create a mood. Surprise us!
Deadline: April 20th
Guidelines:
You must be a current SCBWI member to submit to Write This!
Entries must be inspired by the prompt in some way.
Please no italics or bold fonts. 12 point text size.
E-mail subject line must be titled as follows: Write This_First name_Last name.
Each member may only submit one entry per prompt word.
E-mail your entry IN THE BODY OF THE E-MAIL, please no attachments to: [email protected] TIP: Tweet, Facebook and Instagram your submissions! #scbwiwritethis
(this is not how you submit your writing, it's just an extra way to promote your work)
My entry for April is a poem I've been working on for awhile, tightened up to the 100 word limit. This story is inspired by some freaky ghost hunting I did in my own house when I was little. I would use Dad's stress test scrap paper to graph the sounds I heard coming from our attic stairs closet.
Attic Dwellers
By Lauri Meyers
Pressed against the door,
Father's stethoscope captures
The attic dwellers noise.
Thump, thump, whooooo, thump, screech.
I decode the message:
"We have what you seek."
The skeleton key grinds in the rusty metal lock.
Hinges groan apart.
Cold air rushes past me.
Darkened stairway looms.
Creak.
Gulp my fear.
Creak.
Cobwebs tickle my nose.
Creak.
Reach through darkness.
Pull the cord.
Click.
Spirits shrink to the shadows.
I grab the treasure-
Father's army cap.
Breathe in his strength.
Shadows grow impatient.
Lights out.
Run.
Stumble into the light.
Turn the key.
Listen.
Thump, whoo, thump, whoo, creak.
"See you again."
I had to clean up this morning, but I'm rewarding myself with some writing! Some of you who are also have an aversion to cleaning may need this helpful lesson I put together.
How to Sweep the Dining Room Floor
Step 1: Move the chairs out of the way to allow access to all the abandoned Rice Krispies and dropped noodles.
Step 2: Build a chair fort
Step 3: Sweep quickly because you are missing out on all the fun.
Step 4: Help create the world's first Reading School for Bunnies.
Good luck with your Spring Cleaning!
The Contest: Write a Valentines story appropriate for children (children here defined as ages 12 and under) maximum 214 words in which someone is grumpy! Your story can be poetry or prose, sweet, funny, surprising or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes someone grumpy (can be the main character but doesn’t have to be) and is 214 words max (get it? 2/14 for Valentines Day) You can go under the word count but not over! Title is not included in the word count. No illustration notes please!
Here's my entry coming in at exactly 214 words. Happy Valentine's Day!
The Three Billy Goats Valentine's Gamble
By Lauri C. Meyers
Billy Goat, Baby Goat, and Mama Goat have valentines to deliver in the sweet green valley, but a hungry troll guards the bridge.
“I have an idea,” Baby Goat says. The goats huddle to hear the plan.
 |
Baby Goat & Billy Goat
(img; Loretta Humble, freeimages) |
Baby Goat scrambles up the bridge.
“Who’s trip-trapping over my bridge?” Grumpy Troll growls. “I’ll eat you right up!”
“Don’t eat me! My meatier brother is coming soon.” Baby Goat skips to the valley.
Billy Goat hoofs up the bridge.
“Who’s trip-trapping over my bridge?” Grumpy Troll roars. “I’ll eat you right up!”
“Don’t eat me! My sweet mama is coming soon.” Billy Goat gallops over the bridge.
Mama Goat climbs the bridge.
“Who’s click-clacking over my bridge?” Grumpy Troll asks. “I’ll eat you right up!”
“Hi, I have a valentine for you,” Mama Goat says with a wink.
“What a glittery heart,” Grumpy Troll says. “It sparkles like your pretty shoes.”
“Would you like to deliver valentines with me, Mr. Troll?” Mama Goat asks.
“I’m busy guarding this bridge,” Grumpy Troll says. “Would you join me for a snack on your way back?”
“Of course!” Mama squeals. “Happy Valentine’s Day!” She click-clacks down the bridge.
Grumpy Troll jumps under the bridge and starts cutting hearts for a valentine and whispers, “I could eat her right up.”
 |
She is a beauty!
(img; Colin Bamford, freeimages) |
I have pine sap on my fingers, flour on my shirt, and strings of popcorn everywhere...it must be time for Susanna Leonard Hill's Annual Holiday Contest!
The Contest: Write a children's story beginning with any version of "Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop." Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words No illustration notes please. Your entry should be posted on your blog between right now this very second and Friday December 11 at 11:59 PM EST.
I must have been feeling stressed about entertaining when this idea developed, but I *think* my parties have a better track record than poor Squirrel's. (Though I did make a dreadful crunchy hummus once.)
Happy Holidays everyone and may all your entertaining go well! See all the other rocking entries at
Susanna's site.
Squirrel’s Famous Winter Feast
By Lauri Meyers
“Rocking around the Old Pine Tree at my famous winter feast,” Squirrel sang as he hung decorations on every branch.
“My dear friend, Deer, you’re the first guest of course. Here put on these reindeer antlers!”
“Thanks, I guess,” Deer said putting the reindeer antlers on top of his deer antlers. “So, about tonight, some of the guys might go scavenging at the campground.”
“Oh, I couldn’t. Everyone loves my famous party!” Squirrel said. “Here’s some partygoers now. Hey, Skunk and Fox!”
“Who’s ready to find some marshmallows!” Fox said.
“Fox, you’re hilarious! Forget marshmallows.” Squirrel sang, “Later we’ll have some pinecone punch-”
Crunch. Fox said, “Ugh. Have you tried this punch?”
“Look, it’s the Quail family ready to party down,” Squirrel said. “Happy Winter Mama Q, Sally, Sara, Samuel, Siena, Salina, and Little Joe.”
“We’re on our way to warbling lessons,” Mama Q replied.
Squirrel sang on, “And we’ll do some caroling! But first anyone for a slice of minnow pie?”
“Mama Q,” Little Joe whispered, “the pie is staring at me.”
“Hello, Big Bear,” Squirrel said. “Be careful, you’re under the mistletoe!”
“Your decorations stink,” said Big Bear.
“I spent all morning stringing those brown berries,” Squirrel said.
“I don’t think those are berries, Squirrel,” Deer whispered.
“Um, I should really be hibernating,” Big Bear said.
“We should be warbling,” Mama Q said.
“Pfffffft,” Skunk added.
“Now your party really STINKS!” Fox snickered.
“But I burnt my tail roasting pinecones. I pricked my finger stringing decorations. This song is stuck in my head. And I love spending tonight with all of you!” Squirrel scurried up the Old Pine Tree.
The friends looked around uncomfortably.
“Let’s be jolly,” Little Joe warbled slowly. “Deck the halls with boughs of holly.”
“Can I wear your antlers?” Fox asked.
“Sure! Just let me grab some pinecone punch,” Deer said.
“Ooh, minnow pie is my favorite,” Big Bear said.
“Stinky berries so nice,” Skunk added.
“Rocking around the Old Pine Tree at my famous winter feast!” Squirrel boogied down the branch and jumped on Deer’s antlers. “Have a happy holiday everyone!”
After my 5-year-old showed me up earlier with her writing efficiency and mastery of tension building, I finally finished my entry in Susanna Hill's 5th annual Halloweensie contest.
The rules: 100 words, which must include creak, pumpkin and broomstick. It went a little wicked, but it is Halloween after all. Why resist a good scare?
The Bully Spell
 |
| @alekksall via freepik |
By Lauri Meyers
Great Great Grandma Thistle
Would cast a wicked curse
To cover children’s bums
With boils, cysts, or worse.
Great Grandma Narcissus
Improved a couple rhymes
To pluck the eyes from kids
For cauldron stealing crimes.
Grandma Oleander
Enhanced the evil spell
With rotten pumpkin seeds
To make the youngsters smell.
My Mama Mistletoe
With broomstick held up high
Declared, “Annoying boys
Will turn to booger pie!”
I threw in creaking bones
And jangly teeth for spite.
So, say you’re sorry now
For teasing me tonight.
That's right all you Halloween bullies out there better behave, because this spell keeps getting better and better with each generation:) Happy Halloween!
Hi! I'm struggling here with my Halloweensie revisions for Susanna Hill's annual contest, so I asked my 5 year old to help. I gave her the rules: 100 words, use pumpkin, broomstick and creak.
Well, she really showed me up writing and illustrating a fabulously scary story in about 20 minutes.
It all started with this:
(OMG! The door just creaked. What is going to be behind that door!! p.s. Note the strategically placed pumpkin and broomstick, um, because they disappear...)
(Oh the tension!!)
(AGH!!! It's a ghost!)
"Are you nice?"
"Well, my name is Friendy, so yeah."
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm getting ready to play with my new best friend!"
"Who?"
"You!"
THE END
Wow! Look how easy that is! Tension! Complex emotion! Fully fleshed characters! All in 38 words. And I thought this was hard:) Happy Halloween!
Whatever your views are about the Common Core, I have to say there is definitely a lot of focus on writing! My daughter’s first grade class had Writers Workshop and even had a special event for parents to hear their opinion pieces. (I learned A LOT about why Minecraft is awesome and how beautiful cardinals are.)
This focus sparked some questions from a pal of mine.
“Miss Lauri, can kids write books?”
“Anyone can write a book.”
“Yeah, but can 7-year-olds write books?” |
My illustrations when I was a kid are
not as good as Josie's! |
“I happen to know some very cool kids who write. Like
Erik Weibel, who is 13 now, but used to be 9 when he started blogging and well, I’m sure he was 7 before then. His sister
Josie is an illustrator and his friend
Felicia wrote a book, or well her pets did.
“We had an author visit the school which was so cool!”
“Yeah, that was totally cool. Erik and Felicia interview real authors in videos at
The Write Chat. Sometimes they are ridiculously silly. Isn’t that so cool??”
“So cool, but how do I become a writer?”
“You write.”
“Miss Lauri, I mean really.”
“First, you need an idea. There is a cool
Kids are Writers Summer Camp which will have daily prompts. Prompts are like little idea starters.”
“I’ve got a million ideas!”
“Okay, okay, just start with one. Then figure out what happens. My friend Carrie has a worksheet to help you figure out what happens. She calls it her
Plot Connector. It’s really easy to fill it in with ideas.”
“Done!”
“Let me read it. The dog wants more than anything to see his friend Chipper the chipmunk but his owner won’t let him out. So he tries to sneak out, break the door, and bark really loud, but it doesn’t work. Then…he says please and the owner lets him out! Oh, this is quite good.”
“I know. Thank you. It was pretty easy.”
“Would you like to read this story again and again?”
“Well, I dunno. I already kind of know what happens.”
“Hmm. Well, then this is called a first draft. I have some ideas to help you edit. Would you like to hear them?”
“Oh yes, and give me a huge stack of paper please. And sharpen this pencil. And are there any goldfish to eat?”
“Yes, yes, of course.*scurries around house for a few minutes* Okay, the first tip is to find the right word and be specific. So instead of dog, you might say Woofers the dog. Or Woofers the Great Dane. Or Tiny the Great Dane.”
“No, no, no. His name is Charming the Chihuahua!”
“Oh, yes that’s very good. Chihuahuas are always funny. That brings me to the next tip. When you want to think of something really good, write down seven ideas. By the time you get to the seventh it will be the best one. Do you know why I picked seven?”
“Because I’m seven!!”
“No, because it’s my lucky number. Now, go practice those tips until that Chihuahua really comes to life.”
“Okay, Miss Lauri. Can I bring my goldfish?”
“Yep, just get out of here, I’ve got a million ideas I need to write down.”
Happy Summer and Happy Writing everyone!
We got 10 visitors for my daughter's birthday – caterpillars! Just like in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, these critters start out tiny as a pin head and are huge (in a small sense) within a week.
Then the calls from down the stairs begin, “Mom, one is in j-formation! J-formation!” So you watch and you think you will catch it spinning its chrysalis, but you get distracted and when you come back it’s all tucked inside its new apartment.
 |
| "J-FORMATION!!" |
We observed all of the caterpillars do this. Well, not all. Not George. He just kept climbing around, maybe wondering why no one would answer his request to play croquet. Maybe he just wanted to be a little fatter. Maybe he was the shy one and enjoyed having a little space to explore without his sister giving him caterpillar wedgies. Maybe.
Or maybe George had a case of Metamorphosis Procrastination.
He would worry about not knowing how to make a chrysalis. “What if I accidentally do it upside down and then I can only fly with my head down for the rest of my life?”
He would shiver with the thought of being a pupa. “Pupa? Like I turn into Poop? Ack!”
George would declare, “I never wanted to be a butterfly anyway. No thanks. You guys fly around for a few days until a blue jay snaps you up for lunch.”
He would question nature. “But I’m perfect just the way I am. Lady Gaga told me so.”
 |
George is in the left container,
crawling around the top. |
This continued for two days in the quiet solitude of the caterpillar enclosure. I can’t imagine how creepy it would be to crawl in and out of the stoic, hanging forms of all his friends frozen in time. Alone. Surrounded by other caterpillars poo balls.
But this morning the calls rang out again, “George is in j-formation! He did it!!”
And I said, “But George, I thought we were going to hold out on this! Tell nature to shove it. We were going to explore the world together, me on my two feet and you on your, um 32 or something. Baby, you were born this way!”
George just said, well, he couldn’t say anything because he was all j’d up. Plus, he’s a caterpillar, and you know they can’t actually talk. But I think he would have said, “I was pretty good at being a caterpillar, but I will be excellent at being a butterfly.”
So what have you been procrastinating? Well, take George’s lead and get on it with it! (For me it’s writing my pitch for this weekend’s NJ SCBWI Conference…yay!)
I have been lax on my blog this year, but I’ve never gone a whole month without posting…and it’s May 31st! A true procrastinator like me just can’t resist the challenge of a deadline.
I was considering the other day why I always gravitate towards boy characters. After all, they say write what you know, and I don’t have a Y chromosome. I don't even have boy kids. I have girlie-girls. I mean, seriously, my dryer lint looks like glittery hot pink Peeps.
I was, however, a bit of a tomboy growing up. Perhaps it was my duty in life as the second girl child born in the family to somehow fill the void of the hoped for boy.
So I helped my dad build things. I got muddy, and my knees were always skinned. I could belch the alphabet. I formed excellent attack formations playing He-man. My favorite summertime activity was lining up all my cars at the top of the little hill on my driveway and conducting races. (Though in a nerdiness wholly my own, I also charted the results and statistically analyzed future race winners.)
But what really made me a tomboy?
I think it was the way I spit-shined my hair. My hair was in a ponytail a lot, which probably caused the little fly-aways that surrounded my head like I was producing my own static electricity.
This was quite unsightly. I knew girls should look tidy, but the thought of having to take a break from setting the world record of times rolled down a hill in row to brush my hair was ludicrous. So, I would spit on my hands and wipe them across my head. Voila! Nice smooth hair.
Last weekend I was working with a friend putting in a butterfly garden at the elementary school. It was hard work and after a couple hours I looked just like my 5-year-old self wearing a halo of crazy hair. But I’m mature now, and I wouldn’t think of licking my hair. So I just poured some water on my hair. Voila! Nice smooth hair.
Do you have a character gender preference? I’m curious if other writers have subconscious biases too.
For my 7yo, hearing she couldn’t go to Take Your Child to Work Day at daddy’s office until she turned eight was, well, horrifically painful, soul-torturing, complete and total devastation. Everyone was doing it. She turned to me for options.
“Can I stay home with you and write?”
“Well, I hardly write on Thursdays, because your sister is home.”
“Can I stay home with you and write?”
“No, you can’t stay home to watch me not work.”
“Can I stay home with you and write?”
“Do you have potatoes in your ears?”
“I don’t like potatoes.”
“Right. Well, I was going to write tonight. If you get your homework done, I’ll take you to work with me.”
“Like in the office?”
“Yes. Like. In the office.”
Then I realized if I was going to make it legitimate, I needed to be able to explain what I do. The truth is, well, squishy. I spend a lot of time writing in my head while staring at the swan across the street. Sometimes writing means just banging my head on the desk. Often it just looks like me pacing around muttering, “Swayed? No. Shimmied? No. Sashayed? No? Skippidoodliedooed? No! Argh, what is the perfect word???”
I decided to save that reality check for when she tells me she wants to be a writer. For today, I would keep it simple.
So in honor of Take Your Child to Work Day, here is what I do:
I could have gone super: idea, write, make it better, and blam-o—a finished book! But I wanted to be more accurate and at least include the idea of drafts which they learn about in first grade (yes, that’s true!) and critique which is such an important part of the process.
Happy Take Your Child to Work Day!
4 Signs a Writer Hasn’t Been Writing
1. Butt cheek indentations missing in writing chair.
2. Spring cleaning nearly done, and it’s still winter.
3. The laundry is done. All of it.
4 Writer can be found dressed as bacon while playing Subway Surf.
I’ve snapped these pictures the last few weeks as my Lazy Writeritis has grown out of control.
BUT I told myself I could not post them until the problem had been solved...
So seeing them here is GREAT NEWS!
I had an awesome writing day yesterday, and here I am writing a blog post today even though more *lovely* *glistening* *please tell me it’s almost over* snow is eminent. (Really we should all be happy this post didn’t look like a page of The Shining.)
More good news: Today is my 3 year Blogiversary!
WOW! I’ve gone through so many writing stages and so much growth in the last three years. I know call tons of writers my friends. I’ve helped other writers by sharing resources, critiquing and regularly laughing at myself.
This year is going to be all about Enjoying the Growth. I’m going to let a little publication-pressure roll off and just relish the days of letting my pen flow and becoming a stronger writer.
Write on! Man, I could really use a few pieces of bacon...
Tuesday was a hard day.
Both kids were sniffly.
There was a snow delay after a snow day, and the walls were closing in on us all.
My little one fell in the garage and busted her lip. Have you noticed lip booboos bleed with the shocking ferocity of a sword wound?
And my hermit crab in the Angry Birds shell passed away. RIP Hermie.
Are you playing your tiny violin for me yet?
 |
| (image by Nazreth via freeimages.com) |
Some days call for shopping. With the promise of an ice cream cone and escalator ride, my bruised baby recovered.
She is a tough little girl and as sweet as (fill in with your own cliché – honey, apple pie, marshmallow fluff, a winning lotto ticket.) I’ve never heard her say one of those rude things kids are known to say. No “Why are you so fat?” or “Why does that man have one eyebrow?” or “Why don’t her shoes match her purse?” So I was floored when she looked down the escalator at a woman with very gray hair and said,
“She looks like she’s almost dead.”
When you become a mother, you learn to feed the baby and don’t shake the baby and use a car seat….blah blah blah. But there’s no lessons on how to not laugh out loud when something inappropriate but hilarious happens.
I bit my lip, I nearly swallowed my tongue, and with quivering cheeks, I squeaked out, “Hmm.”
Then the writer-me started to study my daughter’s facial expressions as she stared at the woman with a horrified expression which can only be described as “watching a trainwreck.” I think she truly expected the woman to take her less breath and then tumble down the rest of the escalator. Perhaps she was worried about having to step over her lifeless body at the end. Maybe she wondered if she would instantly turn to bones.
I could see her imagination running loose. It was exciting and inspiring! I knew then I needed a break from my long focus on revision. My muse wants to have a little freedom.
Have you let your imagination run wild lately?
I’ve had a touch of stinkifunkitis in 2015. (No this isn’t the same as the funkysmellitosis I’m also suffering from after a very sweaty yoga class.)
My word of the year in 2014 was REVISE. And I revised my patootie off.
But this January my revision brain is on vacation. I tried to work it with
ReViMo, with medium success. I tricked it into revisions by rereading and analyzing manuscripts when not in front of the computer. Unfortunately, none of the changes are getting finalized into nice final drafts.
I have a confession to make.
Lately, I've been plagued by doubt, fear, and nonsense talk.
I found myself yelling, “OMGollygee, ME TOO!!”
Misery loves company, and boy does it feel good to know I’m not the only one facing a lot of self-doubt.
But this ain’t no Pity Party.
Nope… This is a Persistence Party. After we pin the illustrations on the picture book and crack open the slush pile piñata, we give eachother a big hug and say, “get back to work.”
 |
"I will break this pinata open if it's the last
thing I do." |
Because, like Romelle, I find creative writing for children incredibly fun, motivating, and inspiring. What a great job to have. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to write a NEW draft. Because it’s okay to let revisions wait a little bit while I nourish my brain with the bright orange glow of creativity.
I haven’t posted in a few-ish weeks (yikes!) I’ve started a bunch of posts but they just didn’t finish them.
I wanted to tell you how I brought the unwrapped Christmas presents down too soon from the attic and put them in my closet. My 6yo discovered these very quickly. When I told her not to go in there, she cried,
“BUT IT’S ALWAYS JUST BEEN A CLOSET! I DIDN’T KNOW!”
Luckily she bit her tongue and didn’t tell her little sister what she saw.
I wanted to tell you about how when I needed to get a revision done, I let my kids tattoo me for 15 minutes. They were surprisingly prolific. Sidenote, temporary tattoos stay on for a long time!
Then
John Cusick’s blog post yesterday kicked me in the pants. I just needed to start a post with whatever blergh came out of my brain. If I worried so long about what I was trying to accomplish with my post I was sure to accomplish nuthin’.
I need to tell you all about when I submitted to an agent in December and got a response that the agent was closed for submissions as of yesterday. Ack! Reminder: Read the submission guidelines one more time before you submit, even if you just did it a few days ago! I also got a no thanks from an agent but with helpful personal comments, so all was not lost.J
I started my 2014 accomplishments post as I was reading the flurry of posts after New Year’s. I haven’t finished it yet, but I did count up all the critiques I did in 2014:
62
Wow. I love getting critiques, but it feels really great to know I've contributed to 62 stories which may one day make their way into the world.
I also read a brand new subversive picture book called
While You Were Napping by Jenny Offill and illustrated by Barry Blitt. I realized I had no idea which category it fit in from my
subversive research in the fall. This delicious picture book features a big sister explaining to her little brother all the things he missed while he was napping in a way that only a real stinker of a big sister can do. It’s terribly inappropriate (babies light fireworks), but so good.
Two lovely bloggers nominated Lauri’s Stories for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Please visit their fabulous sites. If you like MG and YA,
Leslie Zampetti is a librarian who does great video reviews. If you like people who spell their name's L-A-U-R-I then you have to visit
Lauri Fortino's Frog on a Blog. Thank you ladies!!
Ahhh. This post was rambling and disjointed, but it was a start! Here’s to a 2015 with lots of action and less worry about whether the action is the perfect one for this moment.
Ho, ho, ho!
It's time for another fun year of Susanna Hill's Christmas Story Contest. She's come up with a doozy this year.
The Contest: Write a children's story (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) in which wild weather impacts the holidays! Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words. Stories must be posted by Friday December 12 at 11:59 PM EST.
Here is my entry in 348 words. The original idea was ReindeerNado...but then the toys got mixed in, and here's where we ended up. (Note: This story is fictional and any resemblance to persons living or not is purely coincidental!) :D
Jimmy Cantore Steals Christmas
By Lauri Meyers
Jimmy Cantore tightened the last nut on the Weatherstation 2000 Wind Turbine. His plan was simple. The machine would create enough wind to sweep over the block. All the presents Santa delivered would be blown right to Jimmy’s porch!
He flipped the switch.
Whirr, whirr.
Fwhoosh!
A remote-controlled racecar! Winner!
Shwoosh!
A telescope – out of this world!
Whoosh!
An X Box! Game on!
Whish, swish, plop!
A dragon! A train! A pee-pee doll?
The toys came faster and faster from every direction and buried Jimmy. He climbed over a rocking horse and pushed out a bouncy ball.
Fwooth!
“Oh-sugar-cookies!” a voice called.
Thunk.
A fluffy white beard flew right into him.
"Why, hello, Jimmy. I hope you enjoyed the Understanding Weather Kit I brought last year."
"Um, yes. I've learned a lot," said Jimmy.
"Perhaps too much."
Jimmy's cheeks turned red.
Santa shimmied through the hole and pulled Jimmy out.
“I must be on my way. It’s a busy night for me.”
"But all these presents have to go back," Jimmy cried. Santa hiked up his red trousers.
"I didn’t mean for so many presents to fly here,” Jimmy said. Santa stroked his beard.
“Maybe if I flip the wind direction the gifts will fly away. But how will they get back to the right places?"
 |
| (Old Santa Claus by Alcide Nikopol via freeimages) |
“I’ll take care of that,” Santa said.
Jimmy flipped the switch. A tornado of presents lifted into the air. Santa laid a finger aside of his nose, and the gifts flew down chimneys and magically snuck through keyholes.
“I’m sorry, Santa,” Jimmy said, but no one was there. “Ho, ho, ho!” echoed through the sky.
Jimmy was surprised to see a present from Santa Christmas morning. He opened it slowly knowing it would be coal. His eyes lit up when he read the box – Deluxe Snow Making Kit.
“Wow, if I hook this up to the wind turbine, I could create a blizzard!” Just then a jingling bell reminded him to read the card.
Jimmy, I trust you’ll figure out how to use this, but please use only as directed. - Santa
My 6yo and I GEEKED OUT last week.
Over 2 days, we leveled our personal library following the Fountas & Pinnell system her teacher uses. In her first grade classroom, books are in tubs with a letter on them. Kids know their letter levels, and they get to pick from the book boxes for independent reading.
The Fountas & Pinnell system creates a gradient of text levels, assigning a letter to the text difficulty from A to Z. The system uses word count, vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, content, etc. to assess how accessible books are to young readers.
 |
Image by Anissat via freeimages.com |
I started wanting to help my new reader. It turns out I learned quite a lot about picture books in the process. I also discovered my daughter (who can be a handful at homework time) loves doing analytical things as much as I do! When I was pooping out, she would bring down "just one more" stack of books. Now, most of our books have a lovely hot pink post it note with the letter on it.
You don't have to do your whole library to get the feel for how the system works. Here are the resources we used:
Scholastic Look Up - Scholastic has a website and an app which covered many of the books. The best place to start. If you have a school age child, you will start to notice the levels listed for many books in the scholastic flyer.
Lexile Scores Look Up - If a FP level isn't listed, you may still see a Lexile score. Use a conversion charts to turn it into FP.
Bound To Stay Bookstore - This bookstore site had a good number of AR Levels. Use the conversion chart to turn it into FP.
Some Easy Readers have the levels listed on the back. Also, some publishers, like Peachtree, have levels listed on their websites.
What if you can't find the levels for a book? Well, I asked my cousin who is a second grade teacher, and she said "After a while of leveling books, you can tell just by reading them and comparing them to similar titles." I thought she was just being a stinker J, but I have to admit after going through the exercise you do start to see it.
I realized I had pushed books where the content was appropriate (i.e. The First Day of First Grade) but the reading level was way off. We also had an easy reader shelf; however, half of those books were really second grade readers which weren't accessible to my daughter. Now, she can easily find books right for her, and she can celebrate when she's read something a few levels up.
Have you leveled books before? Please share any insights in the comments.
First Grade targets levels D to J. Here's our library to "K" to give you some perspective on how books level out:
Picture Book F&P Levels
C
Bathtime for Biscuit (Harper My First I Can Read)
Silly Sally
D
Feathers for Lunch
Bring on the birds
F
No, David!
Biscuit (Harper My First I Can Read)
Pete the Cat: A Pet for Pete (Harper My First I Can Read)
G
David Gets in Trouble
Tiger in my Soup
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good night
Boy and Bot
H
Sammy the Seal
Big Snowman Little Snowman (Random House Step Into Reading 1)
If you Give a Pig a Party
Hey, Pancakes
I
Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl
Pinkalicious Pinkie Promise (Harper I Can Read 1)
Just a Mess
Max Spaniel Best in Show
If You Give A Dog a Donut
Splish Splash (Scholastic Reader 2)
The Day Sheep Showed Up (Scholastic Reader 2)
I Want My Hat Back
Prairie Chicken Little
J
Ten Apples Up On Top
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Hop on Pop
Harry the Dirty Dog
The Cat in the Hat
The Ice Cream King
Are the Dinosaurs Dead, Dad?
Curious George
Three Hens and a Peacock
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
K
If you Give a Pig Pancake
If you Give a Moose a Muffin
Fluffy and the Firefighers (Scholastic Reader 3)
Splat the Cat with a Bang and a Clang (Harper I Can Read 1)
This is Not my Hat
Peppa Pig (The Tooth Fairy)
Children Make Terrible Pets
Camp K-9
Owl Babies
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late
I’ve Got an Elephant
Snow Day
Knuffle Bunny
Kitten’s First Full Moon
I'm finally ready with my last post on subversive books: Real Life Scary.
The other topics I covered so far are:
I didn't plan to write about real life scariness. It took brainstorming what made books scary to identify this area. I've also been procrastinating this one, because perhaps it scares me the most.
There's something refreshing about being able to close a book on gooey green monsters, which you know probably aren't real. And even though I'm scared of the dark, I know there's probably really not anything lurking in it. But real life. Now, that's scary.
It's probably not fair to call these subversive, but here's a selection of books that make me pause before reading to my kids. And my breath hitches when I consider there are little children who are living in similar situations to these today.
"Bullies might try to look big...but don't let them make you feel small."
(Bully: A Lift the Flap Book, illustrated by Naomi Tipping)
I really dislike having to talk about bullies and to think about my kids being bullied. Or my kids being bullies. This book gives children the tools they need to confront bullying and seek help. It also shines a light on behaviors they need to avoid.
"Someday we'll be able to choose our own candidates...Someday we may even be able to choose a woman as a candidate."
I enjoy a good woman's suffrage story. What makes this one feel risqué is how it gets real on the fight. The years of daily parades and pickets, the personal danger, and the risk of being hauled off in handcuffs. While this mama went to jail for six months, her daughter carried on the fight to gain the right to vote.
"We are quiet. The fear. We run. We crawl."
Short sentences and dark pictures show the journey of slaves toward the light of a free day. The background page succinctly sums up the setting: "until the abolition of slavery in 1865, people could lawfully own a fellow human being." But in our real world, young girls were stolen from school and sold off as soldier wives.
"Brundibar is big...and you are small...What to do when you are few? Ask for help, get more of you!"
(
Brundibar, by Tony Kushner, illustrated by Maurice Sendak.)
Scary things: A dead daddy they don't remember at all. A very sick mother. A life or death mission to get milk. No money? No milk! Threats of being stuffed in a burlap sack. Children alone in an alley.
Beautiful things: 302 children singing a lullaby to defeat the bully Brundibar, earning milk money, and saving mommy.
The story is based on an opera performed by the children of the Nazi concentration camp Terezin. The final pages offer a threat from the tyrant Brundibar which says: "Bullies don't give up completely. One departs, the next appears, and we shall meet again my dears!" And I think thank goodness my children don't have to face this. Then I remember children in the world are facing this right now.
"...but there are some things doctors cannot fix either. Ben was too sick for his body to live any longer."
In real-life sometimes little brothers get cancer and die. And big sisters need to mourn and learn how to smile again. This is a difficult topic to share with kids. But for the child going through this situation, it's critical that resources like this book exist.
"People called Ruby names; some wanted to hurt her."
In 1960 New Orleans a judge ordered a 6-year-old black girl Ruby Bridges to go to a white school. For months she faced pickets and insults and walking to school surrounded by federal marshals. The other children stopped coming to school, so she learned to read and write in a classroom alone. Each day she prayed for the people those people. Wouldn't it be neat to say, "Oh thank goodness this doesn't happen today"?
Did I just write a post with no humor and no farting? Yep. Real life is the scariest thing of all. I am very thankful to have humor to soften the edges of what can be a very frightening world. And I'm grateful writing allows me the time to fully investigate the beauty and wonder of this world, too.
My posts on scary books have covered my biggest fear:
The Dark and the
Scary Creatures which lurk in it. But why do these scare me so? Danger. Maybe even Mortal Peril. Clearly, this is too scary for picture books, right? Wrong. Let's enter the world of extreme danger in picture books.
"I would not eat a rabbit."
Do you ever wonder, "What would my critique group say if my picture book protagonist...um... murdered the antagonist in cold blood?"
"Murder in picture books is off limits."
"I think kids should learn to work it out."
"Maybe they could just hug instead?"
It didn't seem to concern Jon Klassen when he wrote his books
This is Not My Hat and
I Want My Hat Back.
"Nobody will ever find me."
In both of these books we get a pretty good idea on Klassen's feelings on theft and the repercussions of one's naughty actions. Though we are left with great concern when we ask ourselves, "Why is my child giggling at this ghastly event?" Then, "Why am I giggling too?"
""What is the monster like? Is it the most terrible thing anyone has ever seen?""
Brave little mice think they are ready to see the dark at the top of the stairs even though they've heard the stories about the monster who lives up there. But when they come face to face with the ferocious cat, they quickly go bumpety-bump back down the steps to their safe home. The fear of a monster builds with each page turn, but the young reader gets some relief when they see it's just a cat. Of course, for the mice it's not just a cat- it's a deadly enemy.
"They buried Niki. (...) Then they sang sad songs."
I confiscated this book from my parents house last time I visited because I adored it so. Maggie lives a dangerous life by my suburban standards - living in an old bus and rafting the river to the grocery store alone. Then she must face a mysterious pirate which results in the tragic drowning death of her pet cricket. The pirate redeems himself by explaining his motivations and giving her a new cricket.
"I want something to eat and I want it NOW!"
This one started in my dark list, but the true worry here is the juxtaposition of friends mouse and mole venturing out in the dark while a bear is growling and stomping in his cave. You know the two will meet, and it will probably turn oh-no!
""I think we should
all sit on
my branch," said Sarah."
(Owl Babies, by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Patrick Benson)
Three owl babies venture out of their home after realizing mommy is gone, facing nighttime, moving creatures, and the fear a fox got mommy. Of course she comes home, but the tension of danger is woven through every page.
"Pardon me, but you're sitting on a..."
(Pardon Me, by Daniel Miyares)
A little bird is getting frustrated with all the animals landing on his island. The last one tries to warn him, but he just wants everyone to leave. Then he gets eaten by the alligator he is sitting on. I guess this is a "sharing is caring" message book? Great illustrations, btw.
What picture books scare you with the fear of mortal danger, or gulp, murder?!
Susanna Hill is hosting her annual
Halloweensie Contest. The rules are to write a Halloween story in 100 words or less including the words pumpkin, creak, and broomstick.
After having a good poem at 111 words, I cut it down to 109. Then I thesaurused (that's a word right?) a few more changes to get to 105. Then I stomped around and pulled my hair out and threw myself on the bed and cried, "Why? Why only 100 words?" I rubbed some fake spiderweb for inspiration and finally got to 100 exactly.
Sulky Spider's Spooky Webs
By Lauri Meyers
Sulky Spider planned a scheme
For making trick or treaters scream.
Spider silk began to spin
A Jack 'o Web with wicked grin.
"Pretty
pumpkin," cowgirls said.
"Pretty?" Sulky hung her head.
"A webby ghost will do the trick!"
She spun a spooky ghoul up quick.
Pirates shouted, "Ghosts are neat!"
She gobbled up her web. "Defeat."
Spinnerets began to twitch.
"A warty-broomstick-riding-witch!"
A princess cooed, "That witch is sweet."
She stomped all eight offended feet.
"I need a buggy snack," she frowned.
Sticky thread went round and round.
She didn't hear the stairway creak.
"A spiderweb!" they hollered, "Eek!"
I'd like to thank the Orb Spider (I think that's the right identification) who has been living in my shed for weeks for the inspiration. This spider moved her gigantic web every other day so we had to approach cautiously not knowing where it could be now. My husband suggested (gasp!) killing the spider. But this spider was working hard to deal with the bugs in our shed, and I classified her as "too big to squish" anyhow. Yeah, bigger than a quarter = too much spider guts.
The leaves are turning red, zombies are roaming my neighbor's yard, and I'm wearing my gray writing sweater every day, it must be...PiBoIdMo time!
This is my third Picture Book Idea Month, and I am primed and ready to fill another notebook with ideas inspired by fabulous daily guest posts. But I'm not sure my muse is ready. She's having a really hard time adjusting to back to school. Just because I have a tiny bit of free time, doesn't mean she's no longer needed.
Tara Lazar (whose fifth picture book just sold, btw!) posed a question about how a writer can summon their muse. I always revert back to my corporate training in flowcharting when it comes to questions like this.
Easy Peasy!
Enjoy spending the month of November with your muse, and the fresh smell of unicorn rainbow gas.
My last post on scary books covered my biggest fear: The Dark. But the thing that makes the dark so scary is the fear of the Scary Creatures which lurk in it. With the exception of some overlap in the Halloween books, each of these books features a completely different chill making critter.
I think I'll take this in order of scariest illustrations.
"The roof space is creeping and crawling with things, things that have horns and raggedy wings."
The first read of this is scary with two sets of feet walking through a house full of scary creatures. Knowing the twist at the end - a little girl drags daddy through this pretend Halloween house again - helps kids appreciate following reads.
""Oh," said Dave. "Why is it...trying to eat my burger?""
These dinosaurs are pretty cute. Well until the end. Their teeth are a bit sharp. And their proximity a little close. And their sneakiness is a bit scary.
"His eyes are orange. His tongue is black. Sharp purple prickles cover his back."
(The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Alex Scheffler) I dunno, the Gruffalo is kinda cute. But I have to admit I fell into a false sense of security that the Gruffalo wasn't real. Well, the little mouse pulled one over on me... BAM! Oh, no! A Gruffalo!
"Those spooky, empty pants and I were standing face to face!"
Now, I don't know if green pants with nobody inside them are creatures, per se, but they certainly are something creepy. Super creepy. Because an apparition who can put on pants could do any number of scary things. And why green? To hide behind Brickel bushes and scare us? Yes! The ending is supposed to give us closure - aww, look they're friendly! - but all I keep thinking is why are those green pants talking out of their butts?! Scary.
"A ghoul! A ghastly drooling graveyard ghoul..."
Combination of scary creatures and a scary setting and a little girl about to lose a toe, collude to make this near-horrifying. The witch sports uber pointy nose, matching chin, gnarly teeth, and pop out of her ead wide eyeballs. A pirate ghost looks real. (if you've ever seen a pirate ghost, you'll know what I mean.) A sprite has no cover of cuteness, he's just creepy. Luckily this little girl is tough as nails and gives all these ghastly creatures a swift whack to save her toe.
" ...so the goblins pulled baby out, leaving another all made of ice."
Classic dystopian picture book by the master. The goblins hidden in their robes are scary, but they turn out to really just look like babies. Thank goodness for that relief, but it doesn't fix the problem of what my imagination had come up with. The scariest creature in the book is actually the baby made out of ice the goblins leave when they steal Ida's baby sister.
"If a big, quick, strong, scary, hairy, dirty wants it, then cheese belongs to her."
I learned a lot about rat law in this book, which unfortunately is kinda close to human rules. The rats in this book get progressively scarier, culminating in a giant scary rat brawl. I always find one critter may be not too scary or even kind of cute, but a whole mess of critters always creeps me out.
"His horns were bright red and his cape midnight black, and his pencilly fingers tapped "clickety-clack.""
Totally cute idea of a monster who does your math, but makes you look like a fool when everyone finds out you haven't learned anything. Cute except the illustrations are incredibly horrifying. Like scary clown jumping out of a barrel of diseased monkeys in a haunted house horrifying.
I'm sure you've read some picture books with SCARY creatures, so please share them in the comments. I have to say it's surprising just how scary some of these creatures can get!
I told you a
few posts ago about the subversive story I had been noodling, but I left out an important detail:
I LOST THE MANUSCRIPT.
For some unknown reason I hadn't typed it up yet. Still I carried its paper-clipped pages and post it notes in my purse. And hence, I lost it.
 |
"Argh!!! I can't eat this.
This story isn't even
finished."
(Angry Bear by Malowanki via
freeimages.com) |
I'm confident I'll find it though.
Unless a bear took it. (which might have happened, because the last place I recall having it was at the campsite.)
Most of it is more or less in my head anyway.
It's just hanging out with random song lyrics from the 80s and nursery rhyme warnings of epidemics. It's in good hands. Sort of.
And besides it adds a bit of intrigue that this manuscript is going to put up a fight!
Unless of course it is so grim and disturbing it is just not meant to be found. Mwa-ha-ha!
Do let this cautionary tale serve as today's reminder to safeguard your manuscripts.
Type them up.
Back them up.
Save them to a thumb drive.
Print them in triplicate.
I don't think tattooing them in your armpits is going too far.
Or just keep them on post-it notes in your pocket. I'm sure it will be super safe.
Now, just how did that story start...
View Next 25 Posts
Very creative, and so much fun. With a great lesson.
One man's trash is another man's treasure! A really lovely story about finding value in everything!
Great story. Good luck and happy holidays!
Great story about recycled treasures! Happy holidays!
When I lived in NYC my favorite thing to do was search for a great street find that someone was throwing away. This was an excellent story and great example of finding joy no matter where.
Happy holidays Gabi!
I do enjoy trolling the garbage - "they threw THAT out? This is like new!" thanks for stopping by:)
It's all just a matter of POV:)
Thanks David!
Thanks Greg- Happy Holidays to you, too!
As a OC recycler, reducer, reuser, I LOVE this!!! Viva the creative mind! Well-done, Lauri!
I really enjoyed this one! Great job, Lauri! :)
Awesome! This would be fun to illustrate. & you have a picture to go with it!
Clever and fun, Lauri! One man's trash is another man's treasure... and recycling!... and a creative story in the 12 Days format and the word count to boot! Well done :) Thanks so much for joining in the fun, and Happy Holidays!
Recycle, reuse, repurpose...I love this, Lauri...and I loved that your mc was happy with her gifts and appreciated that her dad did his best to make her Christmas special.
Fun and creativity with family can make the holidays sparkle!
I know the trashman would have a fabulously huge smile in the illustrations:)
I must have been in the middle of making candy canes out of pool noodles when the idea struck...
Thanks Lauri! I'm happy to see all the great reviews on The Peddlers' Bed.
The prompt was very inspiring! The kids have a few drafts here too - one recipe, one of lousy gifts my mom gave me, and a cute one with gifts from teacher.
Trash vs. Treasure! A great concept. I really liked this story!
I love your themes of recycling & being happy for whatever "treasures" you receive, even if others think it's junk (what do they know anyway!). So glad you posted in time & I scrolled down to read it.
:)