Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Writing

For a long time, I have had the notion to write children's literature.

I would have an idea for a story, mull it over in my head, and if it seemed worth pursuing it would be written down in a notebook. Sometimes the idea would progress into an actual outline, but usually it would remain embarrassingly vague and half-baked. Have you ever eaten anything that was half-baked? Gross. My stories seemed to stagnate in their early stages, as if I got tired of them even before they were finished. I'm also a perfectionist by nature, frightened to finish a story because that would mean that I needed to actually critique and edit.

Now I've suddenly found myself in a wonderful new process of writing. During our family's six-month sabbatical, I have enjoyed lots of time to think, write, and read. Also, I spend so much time with an inquisitive, imaginative 3-year-old who loves stories. All of those things have fed my creativity. I seem to have so many stories in my head that I can't write them down fast enough, stories that I'm excited to develop. At night, as I fall asleep more stories brew in my mind.

I now have a expansive list of story ideas, several outlines, and a handful of completed manuscripts (hurray!). All of the manuscripts are still in dire need of editing, but they actually have that crucial element called an Ending.

I'm not sure where this writing will take me. For now, I'm simply enjoying the adventure of it.

5 comments:

  1. So awesome!! I can't wait to hear more about it!

    xox

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  2. Amy Dixon would be a great person to connect with. She has her first children's book coming out next month.

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  3. Yayyyy!!!! If you need an editor....

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  4. why yes, I would be a great person to connect with :-) When you feel ready, send me something! dixonamy12 at yahoo

    In the meantime, an amazing resource is the message board at verlakay.com It is a lovely community of children's writers, illustrators, agents and editors. Such a wealth of information. If I remember right, it is a little bit of a a process to get registered (they are really diligent about keeping out spammers) but is totally worth it!

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    1. Thanks again for the offer (and all the tips so far), Amy. I WILL take you up on that soon, so expect to hear from me.

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