No art ever turns out the way you see it in your head before you begin. That goes for novels, paintings, dances, or any act of creation. As artists (used in the broader sense here) we must let go of expectations, preconceived ideas, and judgments.

An aspiring children’s writer this week asked how to get started actually writing after you do all the research, create a character, and figure out the plot. I’m more of a pantser than that, and what I really wanted to suggest was that she might be avoiding the writing by going overboard on prewriting activities (my method for writing avoidance as a novice was to read about writing), but I refrained. Instead, this is what I shared:

How do you get started writing? You stop listening to the voices inside and outside you and put the pen on the paper! That might sound simplistic, but our perfectionism, expectations, and insecurities can stop us before we even get started. You can even begin writing before you do all that research, character profiles and plotting. Here are a few things that might shorten your learning curve and get the words out:

1. Try free writing (or flow/power/nonstop writing) where you don’t stop moving your pen on the paper. I’ve worked with writers of all ages, and one I’ll never forget was a fifth-grade boy who began writing “She said I had to keep my pencil moving so I will. I hate writing, I hate writing, I hate writing… This is stupid. I can’t wait to get home…” After about a page of that it went on, “I can’t wait for school to get out. When I get home, I’m going to the skate park with Tony…” And he was off and running on a great piece he never would have experienced if that pencil had stopped moving.

2. Join the Society of Children’s Writers & Illustrators and attend their regional and national conferences, sign up for critique groups, and take advantage of their other offerings and materials. You’ll find me at the Washington (this weekend) and Oregon (next month) conferences.

3. Really take in and understand your writing will never be the same story you envision in your head before you begin. Don’t expect it to be. As my good friend and mentor Christina Baldwin says, “Replace judgment with curiosity.” Look at it for what it is, just as a painter will put color on a canvas and then step back to see what’s been created.

4. Beware of showing your writing to too many people before it’s finished. If you stop to consider this honestly, you probably know who will be helpful and who won’t, and if you’re showing it for ego reasons, be prepared to have that ego flattened.

5. This is key, and it’s something I say to clients and students over and over. First drafts are always perfect. Their job is to get the words down on the paper.

And now, I’ve got to get back to my own writing, especially now that this advice is so fresh in my head! Best wishes on yours…

For those of you considering doing school author visits, or wanting to improve your presentations or comfort level in sharing them, I’d love to work with you, too, so I’m offering a 20% discount for anyone who signs up for my email list and follows this blog (see the buttons on the right). For a background on what I consider important in school visits, see my last post.

And watch for a change in this blog. You’ll find articles for writers and other creative people, book reviews, give-aways, interviews, and opportunities for teachers and writers. If that’s too broad of a spectrum for you, search by a category—Coaching, Conferences, Creativity, Reviews, School Visits, Teaching, or Writing—to find the right posts for you.

Upcoming topics: Writing With Kids, Promoting Your Book, Fiction Magic, The Power of Picture Books, and The Chaos of Creativity, not necessarily in that order, and possibly peppered with unmannered topics that cut in line. If you have other ideas you’d like me to open up for discussion, please let me know below.

I’ll be hopping around the kidlitosphere in May and June, so stay tuned, and I’ll let you know where else to find me!

As an author who does school visits, a past librarian who arranged and watched many school visits, a supervisor of student teachers, a performer, and a creativity coach, I’m in a unique position to help book creators figure out how this school author visit business works!

Children’s book creators are often introverts who work alone. The pressure from publishers and others to get out there and market books, especially through school visits, can feel overwhelming to many authors and illustrators. I partner with them to find their presentation topics, their inspiring stories, their own methods of managing classes, and their unique gifts to share as they support teachers and students, to not only promote books, but to teach, inspire, and enjoy connecting with readers.

Your first step in preparing for a school author visit is not to write up a contract, market your visits, or research the internet for ideas. Your first step is more basic than all that, and it comes from you.

When I coach authors and illustrators in doing school visits, we begin by discussion the following topics, because school visits should be about having good TIMES:

TEACH: What are you most passionate about (and/or good at) when it comes to writing and/or kids? What themes and topics are covered in your writing?

INVOLVE: How can you increase student interaction?

MANAGE: How will you get and keep the students’ attention?

EVALUATE: How will you adjust, monitor, and improve your school visit?

SUPPORT: How will you support teachers and students?

School author visits are not for everyone. As a past teacher and performer, so much of what I do in school visits is already internalized. Principals often comment on how I can control a room full of kids. It’s just practice. You might be quaking in your boots on those first visits. Maybe you’ll even call me afterwards! But, it will get easier, and as you relax and have fun, so will your audience.

But—and I’m saying this not only for your sake but also for the sake of the school—if you don’t want to do school visits, give yourself permission to say no and don’t feel guilty. Your best book promotion is your next book, and if you’d rather just write, then that’s what you should do.

If you’d like to try alternatives to school author visits, especially as ways to get your feet wet before leaping into the school author visit pool, you might try these activities: Read to library classes, start a book club, offer book talks, help with writing clubs or Young Author programs, visit a local classroom, offer a presentation at your local public library, or present virtual author visits.

I’ll be sending out an invitation for a free online seminar on school author visits this May for people who are on my email list.

Also, one lucky person who comments on this blog post will receive a free consultation about school author visits. The deadline is April 1st. No fooling!

And if you attend the Oregon SCBWI conference this May, you can see my presentation on this topic! (And if you’re a teacher you can talk to me about getting credits for attending the conference.)

And for those who want more information on my coaching, this might help…

Credentials:

• Coaching training through the Creativity Coaching Association
• Published children’s author
• 20 years teaching experience in classroom, music, and elementary library
• Student teacher supervisor
• Continuing education instructor
• Masters in Applied Liberal Studies with a focus on teaching writing and music
• Award-winning curriculum author
• Frequent presenter at conferences, workshops, schools, and libraries
• Founding director of an arts-based school
• Arts in education integration specialist
• Experienced in visual arts, theater, music, and writing

Coaching Process:

• Coaching options include phone, email, virtual, a combination, money-saving packages, or options tailored to each individual’s needs (Contact Deb for details).
• How we spend our time together is informed by the client’s needs

• Unless client has a specific request to vary the routine, each session begins with a check-in, followed by questions, discussions, brainstorming, determining steps to be taken, and client feedback about what worked best for them.

School author visits are rewarding for students, teachers, and the authors and illustrators who present to them, especially when you know what you have to offer.

Okay, class. Any questions?

Dinos take to the air in the latest joyride from the creators of Dinosailors (2003) and All Aboard the Dinotrain (2006).

It takes multiple tries and a mighty dino-push to get their Brobdignagian cargo plane off the ground, but once airborne it’s all fun and games. “They dangle from their wide trapeze / And dinodance on wings with ease. / The crowd below screams out for more. / They love to watch them dinosoar!”—until sudden winds and spins prompt a hasty “dinojump.” Outfitting his dino-aviators (all easily recognizable types, identified on the endpapers) in goggles and scarves, Fine uses broad and busy brushwork in full-bleed double-page spreads. He gives his cast a comically massive look and captures an entirely appropriate feeling of frenzied, slapstick action in keeping with the rhymed text’s overcaffeinated tempo. Once down safely, all “kiss the ground, give dinothanks, / And promise, ‘No more dinopranks!’ ” As if.

Dinosaur fans, or anyone who enjoys horseplay on a humongous scale, will happily welcome back these gargantuan goofs. (Picture book. 6-8)

And to celebrate, here’s little dinoshow for you!

Where should the dinos go next?

In this case, I’m talking about Andrea Welch, senior editor at Simon & Schuster’s  Beach Lane Books.

After years of phone conversations and emails, hearing each other’s life stories and working on manuscripts, we met for the first time last summer at the SCBWI summer conference in Los Angeles. It was great to catch up once more and to dream a little about future projects. Here we are at lunch…

Another highlight was catching up with my old friend George Shannon. No, that’s old friend, not old George.

George’s expertise in theater improv made for a lively  chat house. That’s not a typo. Chat houses are a unique feature of the Whidbey Island Writers Conference.

The chat-house format was originally planned during the Whidbey conference’s years as a three-day event because schools being in session on Fridays. It’s become such a well-loved part of the conference that it was kept even when other options became available.

Local residents open up their lovely homes with incredible views, and participants get a more intimate visit with presenters.

George and I have often presented together, and we had a blast.

I can’t print all that happened at our chat house (I’m wondering now if George truly thought there had been a typo). I have my picture book reputation to consider. Catch one of George’s presentations if you get a chance. They’re always a treat.

Other gems from the conference include meeting Judy Dunn and her hubby, Mr. WordPress Bob Dunn, Marc Tyler Nobleman, seeing Susan Wingate and Janna Cawrse again (you must, must read The Motion of the Ocean), and so many other presenters and participants who made the weekend worthwhile.

I hope to see you all there next year! And if you have presenter suggestions I can share with the conference team, let me know!

Oh, and if you want to see and hear about more Whidbey conference memories, check out what Nancy Bartlett has to say!

I invited recipients of my email newsletter to join me in a live online presentation about inner critics, a topic that combines both my work as an author and my creativity coaching.

What a diverse crowd! I met people from across the country, and had special guests from the children’s book writing world and the Creativity Coaching Association.

We talked about that undefinable topic of talent, how we judge others from the outside and ourselves from the inside, and we took a pledge to write the worst junk in the world. Before moving on to a Q&A time, I read my current version of MISS MIDGE, that nasty voice inside me who appeared in my last post. Thank you to all who joined us, and for the lovely responses I’ve received since our visit.

We’ll be doing more shows, so if you’re interested in hearing about them, please sign up for my email newsletter—See the button at the top on your right? Now tell your friends so they can join the party, too!

Let me know the topics you’d like me to cover. With the questions that came up yesterday, I know Picture Books will be one of them. Happy reading, writing, teaching, and dreaming… Be good to yourselves!

Using a new interactive internet venue program, you’ll be able to see and chat with me in real time, meet my inner critic Miss Midge, take an oath that will send your inner critic packing, and ask any question your heart desires.

Miss Midge says I’m no artist, never will be one, and that she forbids me to show you this page from my journal, but I’m not listening to her at the moment.

Still wondering if this is for you? See if you’re on the list…

“Take a Creative Leap!” is perfect for:

• Young Authors
• Old Authors
• Writers (Writers are people who write!)
• Wannabee Writers
• Artists, Musicians, Dancers
• Teachers
• Librarians
• Students
• Readers
• Those Plagued by Inner Critics
• Those Plagued by Outer Critics
• Creativity Coaches
• You!

You say you want to write/draw/dance/act/paint/sing/you name it, but you don’t have time. Or you don’t have the right pen, paper, space, body, voice, spouse, teacher, or parents. Or you think your writing/art/music/you-name-it is boring, stupid, or just plain ordinary. Besides all that, it’s so much easier for everyone else than it is for you.

I avoided writing for years because I “didn’t have time.” Then I was 40 and pregnant and realized I’d never have time. That’s when I stood up to Miss Midge.

Hang out with me and my bigger-then-life inner critic and some amazing other folks, and we’ll help you claim the title writer/artist/dancer/musician/critic-free creative and show you not only how to silence those critical voices, but how to put them to work!

All you need is a computer, and you can invite anyone you want—the more the merrier!

To hear about more freebies, join my email list now!

This is Me Giving Back. No strings attached. (You’re wrong, Miss Midge! They’ll show up!)  Go on… Spread the word! And I’ll see you here on Leap Day!

Don’t you love these old valentines? I got my first one when I was a week old. Yup. My birthday is February 7. My friend George Shannon is a true Valentine, however. You’ll find us both at the Whidbey Island Writers Conference in a few weeks. And speaking of the conference that made me an author, let’s let them tell you all about it…

It’s time to treat your writing career to some Valentine’s Day love. Register now for the Whidbey Island Writers Conference!

With just three short weeks until the conference, you need to register now. Here’s why:

Chat house bliss
Chat houses fill up fast. Like a box of chocolates, each chat is wrapped in smooth, writerly goodness, but each has a different filling. To make sure you get the kind you like best, sign up now and reserve your place.

Consultation delight
Our generous agents and editors give as much time as they can, but there are only so many hours in the weekend. The earlier you register, the better your chance of getting time with the editor or agent who best fits your project.

Peace of mind
Avoid the last minute rush. There’s a lot to be said for getting that registration done and out of the way. There’s nothing worse than finally making up your mind that you want to come, then finding that the chat you want is full – or worse – that the whole conference is full!

Sweet fulfillment
Life is better knowing you’re all signed up for the chat, consultation and events that will be most valuable to your career. Once you’ve registered you can concentrate on other important things, like polishing your manuscript.

Register now.
Happy Valentine’s Day, from the Whidbey Island Writers Conference!

Please pass this message on to all your friends who love writing.

Given all that, you can imagine how I felt when a therapist-turned-coach told me about creativity coaching. Now I’m surfing these waters and enjoying how this field fits with my love of writing and education and my desire to partner with artists and other creatives in order to achieve their artistic goals, supplement their incomes, or to add more joy and meaning in their lives.

If you want to create, you’re going to roar your terrible roars and gnash your terrible teeth. You’ll get blocked, hit walls, claim you can’t do it, and you’ll even hear voices say things like, “Who do you think you are?” I wish I would have had a creativity coach when I started writing instead of thinking that no one else struggled like me, and that there was no way out. We have limited perspective when it comes to all that. We can only judge others by their outsides, but we judge ourselves by our insides. Believe me, the writers, musicians, and artists I support all have insecurities and second (and 372nd) thoughts about their purpose and meaning.

So, if you’re questioning your path, be your own creativity coach this week. I challenge you to sit yourself down and ask yourself some questions…

What gives you energy?

What are your greatest accomplishments?

When were you happiest in the past?

What insights from your answers to the above questions can you incorporate into your current reality?

Feeling differently now?

As conference goers file into my picture book session, I have a quote by Mem Fox on the screen: “Books for young children are usually short. Young children themselves are usually short. This leads to an assumption that children have small brains and that writing for them is easy. The reverse is true.”

If you’ve tried writing picture books, you know what Mem says is true!

And if you’ve studied anything about picture books, you’re probably also aware of these bits of information:

• Published picture books are usually 32 pages long (that’s including all the pages, not just the ones telling the story), due to the physical aspects of the publication process. When they’re not 32 pages, they’re usually in increments of eight, such as 40, 48, etc. Those numbers don’t mean too much to me as I write, but when I revise, especially my rhyming texts like my dinobooks and Monsters on Machines, I think of my manuscript placed into 14 double-spreads (two pages facing each other).
• Most editors will tell you to keep your words under 1000 (or much less). My manuscripts range from about 250 to 600.
• Pictures tell the story, too. If you’re not an author/illustrator, leave room for the illustrator. There’s no need to describe every physical detail. I often eliminate many words and phrases depicting items that will be shown in the illustrations. Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, it will be turned over to the illustrator. At that point, it becomes the illustrator’s book, too. You don’t select the illustrator, and you almost never include notes about what should be in the pictures.
• Picture books are meant to be read aloud. You’re not writing for beginning readers. You’re writing for people who will be reading the text to young children. When I did a library presentation once, a librarian said, “At our house, your books were never ‘behind the couch’ books.” When I asked her what she meant, she said they never got tired of reading my books, but whenever they did get tired of reading the same book over and over, they would reach their arms up and back and drop the book behind the couch. She said it would take her kids weeks to find the books again. Yes, you’re writing picture books for children, but you also need to consider the people reading to those kids.
• Illustrators make dummies of books, putting together the artwork and text to see how it will best fit together. Making a dummy (I wish I’d do it more often) will give you all kinds of information. It’s helped me see where I don’t have enough variety for the illustrator, where I’ve been redundant, and where I need to add something. You can create your own type of dummy in many ways, either making books of various sizes by cutting and pasting your manuscript text and doodling possible illustrations, or create dummies with several spreads on each sheet of paper, or just thumbnail pictures and partial text to see many dummy pages on one sheet. What matters here is what works best for you, because you’re not sending it in. It’s just for your own use, which means those stick figures you tend to hide from others can finally have their special place to shine!

So, what else does a picture book need? Here’s a little list:

A good picture book has:

• Characters we care about
• Problems solved by characters
• Joy and Heart moment(s)
• A universal theme
• No preaching or teaching
• Unique and surprising language
• The right words in the right places
• The 3 R’s for youngest: Rhyme, rhythm, repetition
• Kids begging More! More! More!

And if you’d like a little nudge to get your picture book ideas going, check out Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 picture book challenge. That’s the banner for it at the top of this post. Let’s do it together. You let me know how you’re doing, and we can support each other along the way.

There’s so much more I could tell you about picture books, and I will, but you see, I still haven’t done my January picture book draft, so I’ve got work to do. I promise to give you more later. Happy writing!