The Finish Line

A big "HOORAY!" going out to 2014 Picture Book Marathon finishers today! Time to sit back, relax, and take credit for a job well done.

Since you're well on your way to establishing a daily writing habit, perhaps you want to continue.... You don't need to generate an idea for a new picture book each day, of course. But what would daily practice do for your writing life?

If you haven't quite gotten to the finish line yet, no worries, nobody will be taking it down. Keep going at your own pace. You'll get there when you get there, and be glad that you did.

After a few days, it'll be time to take stock of what you've written, and decide which manuscript to work on first. Good luck! And remember, you don't need to wait for February for a picture book marathon. Consider a mini (or full-fledged!) marathon any time you feel your writing needs a kick start.

The Halfway Point

If you've been writing a picture book draft daily up to this point you're up to lucky 13 -- halfway there. Keep it up! And, if you've fallen behind? Time to buckle down and catch up.
Use a different part of your brain for some story-starting action --  try creating some story stones. And then, write it down.....

A Quarter of the Way There....

My tea bag tag this morning said "chances multiply when you grab them." So do ideas, and, particularly relevant this month, picture book ideas. Don't let them float away looking for another home (or if you do, send them here!). Grab those fleeting ideas and see what you can make of them.
  In the book Smarter Than You Think; How Technology is Changing our Minds for the Better, Clive Thompson quotes science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon as saying "Ninety percent of everything is crap." Which may be true, or at least partially so; what you hope to achieve, by doing the Picture Book Marathon, is to write through that 90% to the 10% that is gold.
  It gets harder as you go because you've already grabbed the low-hanging fruit. Now you have to reach higher, or dig deeper.
  So, grab those ideas as they float by, and dig deeper for the gold!
A story starter: think of a child you know, and write a story especially for them.

Groundhog Day

Day 2 of the marathon - you've probably already got two done, and only 24 more to go! Are you feeling like you're on a roll, or a rusty wheel needing a push? A story starter for today: include a groundhog and a football....