Day 9 - A Third of the Way

one of the Jed Henry's
marathon covers....

We're a third of the way to the finish line! Hooray!

Don't forget to feed your muse along the way - a good marathoner knows they need to replenish their energy. Think about the places that are creatively productive for you. Two of mine are in the shower (unfortunate, given that I live in an arid state), and listening to a great live music performance. Make a list, and then go visit a few of them...

The website has been updated, so check the story starter page if you’re stuck, and visit the participant pages for a little camaraderie! Some of you are writing, some are illustrating, and there are those who are somehow doing both... Jed Henry's cover for Big Sky River, pictured here, is an example of what you might find!

February 8th -- "Milepost" 8

Another tip from my last PB marathon:

After each writing session I quickly evaluated the story and jotted down what seemed to work or not work.  This routine helped quiet my inner critic (if she’d caught up to me somehow).  It kept my perfectionism in check, because instead of fussing over a problem I made a note, moved on, and stayed energized.   And later these notes were invaluable when I revisited the story after the marathon.  

Here’re some examples of my comments:

“Is character annoyingly sweet?  Tone it down.”

“Poodle or Golden Retriever?”

“Needs one more scene before resolution.”

“Ending works.”

“Jazz it up!  A tad boring.”

“Logical step missing.  Revisit sequencing.”

“Is this just a one-line joke or a full story?"

Hopefully this tip will help lighten your step!

BTW—one marathoner may transform his marathon into a triathlon.  Whoa!  He blogged about it on Day 7 here:   http://www.timmccanna.com/

Story Starters

Food from a kid's perspective:

 

polite dinner at a formal restaurant

surprise breakfast for mom

juicy peach

sprinkles on a cupcake

slippery, buttery corn-on-the-cob

soggy cereal

disastrously torched or perfectly roasted marshmallow

Happy writing (or snacking!) 

Week 1 Tally (Day 7)

I’m looking at the stories from my first week (written with a flu-addled brain), and while one of them might have promise, they’re all pretty bad.  No, really bad, which they may have been even without the flu. I’m not letting that discourage me though, because I know from past experience that the act of writing every day sets me up to take advantage of the good stories when they do come along. Last year, my best “marathon” story didn’t get written until several weeks after the marathon was over.... And, in all of those bad ones, there are some lines in there that might get used, somewhere.

About half of marathon participants responded to the tally survey that was sent out over the weekend (writing and/or illustrating 755 picture book drafts). We’re excited that:

• 52% are keeping a daily pace, having written a picture book a day last week (5 picture books). 
• Another 20% kept up with four picture books, 
• 13% are still in the running to finish a marathon February by having completed three in the first week, and
• 48% of you feel energized by the experience so far!

Not only that, but you wrote while snowed in; with burst water pipes or no water; with sick selves, kids and partners; lots of work (including 72 high school nordic skiers to coach and hosting illustration conferences); through marriages and funerals; and, hmm, with monkeys invading the kitchen....were those real monkeys?

Half of the challenge of a race is showing up to run. We all run at our own pace, and not everyone who starts a marathon crosses the finish line. But, hopefully, we take away something rewarding from the experience. 15% of those reporting tallies are running at their own pace - maybe it will take them a little longer to run the entire marathon (when I used to run cross country, I finished one race when they were taking down the finish line...). Or maybe they’ll run a half marathon. Sometimes you just do what you can.

Way to go everyone - keep it up!

February 4 - Day 4

Picture Book Marathoners may discover that their biggest obstacle is finding daily time to write. When that’s the case, look for time anywhere you can. 

  One likely spot for those who work away from home? Your commute to work (as at least one marathoner has already discovered). The average commute time varies by city, of course. But many people spend at least a half hour getting to work (and then another half hour getting home). How do you travel? Alone in a car? By bus? Bike? Now might even be the time to try out that bus route you've been meaning to investigate - leave the driving to someone else, and focus on your picture book. 

  Put your commute time to good use! Tease out a story idea. Narrate a story into your phone. Think about what your character ate for breakfast this morning.

  And when you get there, leave a few minutes before you rush in to make some notes. Maybe even outline or write or draw the day’s story!

February 3rd -- Day Three

Here’s a tip from my previous Picture Book Marathon.  As soon as I finished my daily story, I generated three story ideas for the next day.  Usually I had at least two carryover ideas, so I only had to create one new idea.  Thankfully these story-prompts reduced my dreaded gazing-at-the-blank-page time the next day. 

If you’ve done a previous marathon or the PiBoIdMo, what tips do you have to share with the first-time runners?  What worked in the past?  What dangerous pitfalls or detours confronted you, and how did you steer around them?

Two “housekeeping” items:

If you are blogging about the PB Marathon and you want your link included, be sure to read yesterday’s email and respond.  (Some illustrators are creating cover illustrations DAILY to go along with their PBs.  AMAZING and unfathomable, speaking for myself!)

On Saturday we will email how to submit the tally of your PBs from the first week.  We’re tracking numbers, not hours.  

Happy writing!

--Lora Koehler and Jean Reagan

Groundhog Day

I don't think it's fair to cancel Groundhog Day, as Robin, a marathoner living in Chicago, says they did there on account of snow. If the groundhog cannot get out of it's burrow it obviously cannot see its shadow, and therefore, winter should be ending soon. Shouldn't it? It only seems fair...
  On the other hand, being snowed in makes for very good writing conditions. 
  Tip for the day (speaking from experience): do not look at google today. Whatever you do, especially you illustrators, do not look at google's art project, which they released on their website today. You might not get anything done for the rest of the month (year?). 
  At the very least, make sure you finish your picture book for the day before you go explore! You might find some inspiration for another picture book there.

February 1st -- Day One

We’re off and writing, and hopefully creativity is bustin’ out all around.  To those of you who have already finished your picture book today, congratulations!  Yahoo!  To the rest of us (including me) let’s get to work . . . 

Remember, it’s not about perfection.  The point of a marathon is to run fast enough and far enough that your inner critic will be left gasping for air many miles behind you!

Good luck, everyone!

--Jean Reagan and Lora Koehler