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by Mary Rand Hess, editor, Story Pie Press

Oh, hi there! You must be a children’s writer, too. I bet you feel like part of a rather special group of kids who pretend to be adults, right? You’re supposed to do adult-like things such as pay the bills, fold laundry, and scrub toilets. Instead, you find yourself imagining finches that perform operas at dawn, or a secret tunnel that leads to an underground zoo of zombies. If only your family and friends knew how important it was to write down these stories before adult-like memory sets in and foils your attempts.

As I was saying, you are special because you have been given the gift of story. And not just any type of story, you have been given the gift of writing stories for children. These stories inspire those future adults who will one day be responsible for our nation and other nations. Does that feel like a heavy burden? Well, it might, but it shouldn’t. We’re not writing about hedge fund fraud, tax cuts, Medicare, and unemployment. We’re writing about things that strike the heart cord, like bravery, happiness, love, fun, sadness, acceptance, and healing. We’re writing stories that every adult, who reads to a child at night, clings to in remembrance of his or her own childhood. Picture books are for everyone, but especially for children, even big children like you and me.

Now let me say, I completely understand you because I sit on both sides of the table, as a writer and editor. I understand the toiling away at words, the mania of wonderful ideas pouring into the mind like a chocolate river, tempting you to abandon all else. And here it is the month of Thanksgiving and you’re willing to risk failure on Turkey Day for a chance to write 30 picture book ideas in a month, one each day…even on Thanksgiving Day. So Cheers to all that we are thankful for this Thanksgiving, including an abundance of story ideas. Just remember to set the timer on the oven.

As you set out to conquer this challenge, keep in mind that as a writer you have one responsibility…tell a good story, a story only you can tell. Words are free. You don’t have to go to your neighborhood art-o-rama store and buy hundreds of dollars worth of word supply. You only have to pay in time, time spent in your story zone with words… thousands and thousands of words…beautiful, descriptive, hungry words. Perfect words that make your readers say, “Please pass the book.” Because at the end of a day, and whether it was a rotten one or an exceptional one, everyone could use a good read, especially one that comes from an excellent picture book. When one reads a picture book, all seems well with the world, right? Add a little chocolate, tea or coffee, and there is no question the world is right. You have survived another day. Children need this sense of comfort, too. They often have heavy burdens that we don’t know about. Being a kid is not always bubblegum and water balloons. A good book proves to a child that knowledge grows from words. And knowledge, as they say, is power. A child needs to feel that empowerment and to live in the shoes of a favorite character. Might a child run away to an island where the Wild Things are gnashing their teeth, and return to find his supper still hot? Unlikely, but a child can tell you what that experience was like in Max’s clawed feet. And that same child recognizes himself in Max, still loved even after getting in trouble. That’s what we strive for as writers, relatable characters…no matter the circumstances.

As an editor, I look for the same things I look for as a writer, characters and situations that inspire me, pulling me into a world I want and need to know about. When