Writing Guides

I'm gathering together writing guides this month and will add to this post as I find resources. The first item is actually cards.

WRITER EMERGENCY PACK by John August (2015).

WRITING TOOLS by Roy Peter Clark (Little, Brown & Co., 2006).

An Accidental Essay

            Today is poet Mary Olivier’s birthday, September 10^th.

            Each of the birthdays referenced in my last blog posts came about by coincidence. I noted the days because these author’s books influence my writing. Margaret Wise Brown (May 23) for her simple story lines and comforting words that enchant the youngest readers, and those who love them. Beatrix Potter (July 28) for her whimsical stories and illustrations so grounded in place. Mary Oliver for her carefully crafted words that float off pages to touch places seen, and not seen. Their grounding in nature, sense of place, and brief, lyrical lines capture my attention. All women wrote in homes near rivers or lakes and the ocean. All independent voices. All devoted to their art.

            All I will fall short of, but I do note that none of these woman had their own children. My journey is to find myself apart from all the opinions and expectations pushed on me. A woman of my time buying into the myth of having it all. Family, pay check, success. No one has it all. We all have our own journeys. Mine grows from nature and art.

            I search with pencil and camera in nature and places for flow, for stories that reveal so slowly that only persistence, not confidence, is with me. My voice seeks to be lyrical and light. I have learned that only countless rewriting and time to simmer words works. I’m definitely on a long, solitary journey.

            For much of the last three years, my writing has been lost. Blog posts reflect this. I keep dusting my compass. Others derail me. Earlier this year I sustained a concussion in an accident, so I now feel like Rip Van Winkle waking up. I am writing. In the last few weeks I have moved my desk around to face north.

            A few workshops and critiques are on my calendar. I am finding my stories. Lessons from a lifetime of workshop teachers hover at my elbows—light as a bubble, words that sing, writing so invisible it flows, a turn, a lift, and “the unsayable said” (Donald Hall, 1993).

            My voice in writing is concise, but layered, with lyrical words, with a turn and lifting, and with words to hear the unsaid. Words that float on the wind. Words that can reveal as a day breaks. Will I be heard? This is a writer’s life, accidental, but for perseverance of an inner spirit seeking to have voice.

Enjambment

Today is Beatrix Potter's birthday. Miss Potter would be 149 years young if . . . .

 My second print publication, "All Gone," is in the August issue of HIGHLIGHTS HELLO!

Picking up on thoughts from the last blog post, I've completely rewritten a picture book manuscript. To find a way out of the muddled drafts, I went on a writing retreat last month. A retreat does refocus a writer's energy. Later that day, I re-read through a few poetry reference books and came across a word which unlocked the story's word choices and direction. It worked! Finding one key word turned the whole manuscript around. Within a couple of weeks, the new manuscript was sent out for critique and submitted for a competition. A long shot to be sure, but I'm excited about the story ultimately being published. Enjambment was the found word that's not in the manuscript, but clearly informs many choices. Now, the long wait to hear the rest of the story.

May 23rd

Today is Margaret Wise Brown’s birthday. If she were still alive, she would be 105 years young.

Today, I picked up the mail and found my first publication on printed pages in writing for children.  HIGHLIGHTS HELLO with “Bouncy” is out! Yeah!

Today, I realized that I tend to overwrite--and get stuck in quick sand. Then, I drastically edit out almost everything to find the essence of the story, and after a long time, to see an insight, a turn, and all lifts. Still waiting for current manuscripts to lift. Hmm . . . this is a writer's life, I think.

Books and Magazines for the Youngest Readers

A Few Books for Youngest Readers:

WHO’S THAT BABY? NEW BABY SONGS by Sharon Creech, pictures by David Diaz (HarperCollins, 2005).

THE RUNAWAY BUNNY by Margaret Wise Brown, pictures by Clement Hurd (HarperCollins, 1942).

LET’S GO HOME LITTLE BEAR BY Martin Waddell, pictures by Barbara Firth (Walker Books, 2001).

ALL THE WORLD by Liz Garton Scanlon, pictures by Marla Frazee (Simon & Schuster, 2009).

IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN by Maurice Sendak ( Harper & Row, 1970).

WHEN COWS COME HOME by David L. Harrison, pictures by Chris L. Demarest (Boyds Mills, 1994).

A GOOD DAY by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow, 2007).

 

BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? by Bill Martin, Jr., pictures by Eric Carle (Henry Holt, 1967).

NOCTURNE by Jane Yolen, pictures by Anne Hunter (Harcourt Brace, 1997).

WHEN EVERYONE WAS FAST ASLEEP by Tomie de Poala (Holiday house, 1976).

FIONA LOVES THE NIGHT by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, pictures by Amanda Shepard (HarperCollins, 2007).

COUNTING CROWS by Kathi Appelt, pictures by Rob Dunlavey (Atheneum Books, 2015).

 

Magazines for Youngest Readers:
 

HIGHLIGHTS HELLO

BABY BUG

HIGHLIGHTS HIGH FIVE

LADYBUG

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS

CLICK

RANGER RICK JR.

 

Writing for the Youngest Readers

Elements to consider when writing (or selecting picture books to read aloud):

·        story so light, words seem to float

·        lyrical, poetic

·        rhythm, beat

·        some internal/end rhyme, alliteration, repetition

·        perspective/“I, me, baby”

·        tone/avoid contractions, but don’t “talk” down

·        satisfying twist, end with a smile

·        whimsical

·        flow/page-turns

Artistic decisions in the range of picture books to read aloud:

·        striking color use

·        distinctive art styles

·        white space and color choices

·        photo-illustration

·        layout/flow

Early literacy points to reflect on when writing/reading for/to the youngest readers:

·        Is it developmentally appropriate—length, word choice, pace, clear and simple?

·        Is the content age-appropriate?

·        Is the subject appropriate to engage individual children, inclusive messages?

·        Is there room for imagination and a playful (pointing, acting out, repeating words) exchange between child and person reading?

·        Does the story have any of following qualities—whimsical, nonsensical, lyrical, engaging, connect with the family/home/child himself/herself, early learning concepts, early socialization concepts, universal theme?

 

Sample Writing Prompt:

Write one to three lyrical sentences suitable for a two to three-year old. Break sentences into short lines that might appear on a page. Consider the elements we discussed. Revise. Is writing for the youngest reader a challenge?