National Picture Book Writing Week is this May 1-7, 2012!

HELLO?! WAKE UP! ARE YOU SLEEPING IN?

I bet many of you are either a) sleeping in or b) very exhausted and cranky from staying up late on Day 7. LOL!  Congratulations to everyone who participated in my 4th annual NATIONAL PICTURE BOOK WRITING WEEK (AKA “NaPiBoWriWee”!)

Many of you successfully achieved the event’s goal – to write 7 picture books in 7 days. The purpose of the event is to encourage everyone to FINISH first drafts of book ideas you’ve had bouncing around in your head but had been procrastinating on actually writing out. Now you all have either seven (or at least a couple) first drafts that you can revise later in the year. YIPPEE!

Today’s blog is our wrap up blog. I am also going to announce the winners of our 2012 NaPiBoWriWee Contest! (Winners were chosen at random for a bunch of cool prizes!)

IMPORTANT NOTE: I normally post at my “regular” blog. The link for that blog is here: 

http://paulayoo.com/blog

(Another Important Note: If you want to comment on my regular blog, you have to have a separate login user name and password. The regular blog and the NaPiBoWriWee are separate WordPress accounts.)

Today, I posted a blog in my regular blog site about how today, May 8, 2012, marks the debut of the paperback release of my YA novel GOOD ENOUGH!

The news about that is posted in this link here:

http://paulayoo.com/blog/?p=1321

And now, let’s get back to our NaPiBoWriWee wrap-up blog and find out who won this year’s contest!

(Keep reading after the jump for all the updates & winner announcements!)

NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012 WRAP UP THOUGHTS

I’ve had a blast “meeting” many of you on my website. Thank you so much for your kind comments and enthusiasm for this year’s event. Some of you are NaPiBoWriWee veterans, and several of you were first timers!

I was thrilled by how many of you managed to get 7 picture books done in 7 days! Yippee!

And I was equally thrilled by how many of you managed to get at least ONE picture book done. I was proud that you wrote every day, and even if you did not finish 7 books in 7 days, you at least have some strong ideas and character profiles ready to continue working on for the rest of the year.

As for me, I DID manage to squeeze out 7 picture books in 7 days. It was a lot harder this year due to my work meetings, social obligations with friends visiting from out of town, and a computer meltdown that caused an emergency visit to the Apple Store on Day 6. LOL! Sigh.

But I had brainstormed ideas and plot points before the event, so that helped as I slammed through my drafts. Unfortunately, a few picture books were supposed to be written in poetry form, and I had to settle for writing them in prose. But I was pleased with the prose versions and think they might remain that way now. One book STANK – I realized it was a half-baked idea. But that’s the point of NaPiBoWriWee – sometimes you don’t know if your idea works or not until you write out the whole draft. Another book made me realize it was NOT a picture book but a potential middle grade novel. Again, I never would have discovered that had I not started writing!

So all in all, I’d say this NaPiBoWriWee was another rousing success!

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WHAT WILL HAPPEN FOR THE REST OF 2012?

POSSIBLE NAPIBOWRIWEE REVISIONWEEK?

Many of you have expressed interest in doing a post-NaPiBoWriWee “revision” week. I think that’s a great idea. I will have to wait until I know my schedule for TV work for the rest of the year and then I will pick a week later in the year. I’ll also brainstorm how the week should be structured. One thought is that we spend 7 days revising each book. 7 revised picture books in 7 days? Obviously you can’t revise a book in one day, but maybe this Revision Week will give us a first start. You often need to revise a book several times over, so this revision week could help us figure out how much revisions need to be done per book. I’ll keep you posted and make announcements later in the spring/early summer. Any comments or suggestions you have will be greatly appreciated. You can comment here or email me (paula at paulayoo dot com).

CHARITY?

One of you suggested we have a future NaPiBoWriWee charity event where somehow we raise money by writing every single day. I loved that idea and will research it for possibly our fifth NaPiBoWriWee in 2013. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll definitely research it for you.

HOUSEKEEPING TIPS

My Own NaPiBoWriWee?

Some of you who were unable to participate May 1-7 are thinking about hosting your own NaPiBoWriwee for another week in June. I’ve already talked to those of you interested in doing that. I just ask that you please acknowledge this website and this specific blog for folks to read our past blogs for advice and encouragement and promote it here: http://paulayoo.com/napi Thank you!

Can I Post Your NaPiBoWriWee 2012 Logo On My Blog/Website?

The simple answer is YES. I only request that you please give credit to my designer, SANDY TANAKA somewhere in your blog for her art work. This was a professional logo design job, so I want to make sure my designer gets full credit for her work. Thank you!

NAPIBOWRIWEE REUNION?

We meet every year at the annual national Society of Children Book Writers & Illustrators conference in early August. This year’s conference is August 3-6, 2012.

I usually make an announcement on this blog and on Twitter about the exact date and time. We meet in the hotel lobby of the conference. Past, present and future NaPiBoWriWee folks are invited. Please follow me on Twitter @paulayoo and keep checking my YOO INK news headlines box on my website’s main page for updates on when this year’s reunion will take place.

Until then, please check out the SCBWI website for info on the conference: http://www.scbwi.org/ For more info on the conference itself, following their blog here: http://www.scbwiconference.blogspot.com/

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NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012 STORE

You can also purchase souvenir T-shirts, coffee mugs and notebooks at our official NaPiBoWriWee 2012 Cafe Press store. The logos this year were designed by designer Sandy Tanaka.

The store link is here: http://www.cafepress.com/npbww2012

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NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012 CONTEST WINNERS

FINALLY! Here are the winners of this year’s contest. I will be emailing the winners this week with details on how to arrange for your prize deliveries.

The winners were chosen AT RANDOM from names drawn in a hat. One of my cats, Beethoven, volunteered to oversee the drawing…

Beethoven makes sure all the names are safely inside the hat for the contest drawing.

Beethoven even helped with the actual drawing of the winners’ names, so you have photographic evidence that this was a FAIR contest. All names were drawn AT RANDOM from the hate.  I really wish I could give EVERYONE a prize, but sadly, these were the names Beethoven the cat drew from the hat.

Beethoven helps picks the names from the hat!

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And without further ado… HERE ARE THE WINNERS. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

(I will contact all the winners via email later to make arrangements for your prize deliveries.)

NaPiBoWriWee 2012 Journal and Coffee Mug

– Winners of a NaPiBoWriWee 2012 souvenir coffee mug!

CATHY MEALEY

MARGARET (SPYSCRIBE)

LAURI MEYERS

– Winners of a NaPiBoWriWee 2012 notebook!

DONNA KOPPELMAN (KOPPELMOM)

JULIE ROWAN-ZOCH

NaPiBoWriWee 2012 Men's & Women's T-Shirts

– Winners of a NaPiBoWriWee 2012 souvenir T-shirt!

DANA CAREY

DIANE O. (DENA)

– Winner of a personally autographed copy of the paperback edition of my first picture book, the IRA Notable SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY (Lee & Low ’05)

CARLA J. (CARLA)

– Winner of a personally autographed copy of my second picture book, SHINING STAR: THE ANNA MAY WONG STORY (Lee & Low ’09)

NANCY T. (Nantanslp)

– Winner of a personally autographed copy of LISA WHEELER’S SPINSTER GOOSE: TWISTED RHYMES FOR NAUGHTY CHILDREN, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Atheneum Books 2011)

EMILY SCHOENFELDER

– Winner of a personally autographed copy of KELLY DIPUCCHIO’S CRAFTY CHLOE, illustrated by Heather Ross (Atheneum Books 2011)

JENNI B.

– Winner of a personally autographed copy of HOPE VESTERGAARD’S NOTHING RHYMES WITH ORANGE: PERFECT WORDS FOR POETS, SONGWRITERS, AND RHYMERS, edited with Bessie G. Redfield (Perigee Trade 2008)

JANIE BILL

– Winner of a personally autographed copy of CAROLYN CRIMI’S PUGS IN A BUG, illustrated by Stephanie Buscema (Dial 2012)

ROMELLE GUITTAP

– Winner of a personally autographed copy of ANN WHITFORD PAUL’S WORD BUILDER, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (Simon & Schuster 2009)

MINDY ALYSE WEISS

– Winner of a personally autographed copy of ANN WHITFORD PAUL’S WRITING PICTURE BOOKS: A HANDS-ON GUIDE FROM STORY CREATION TO PUBLICATION (Writer’s Digest Books 2009)

HOLLY R. (HJREED) 

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN TO OUR WINNERS! Again, I wish I could give EVERYONE a prize. So for those of you who did not win this year, I give you a lot of POSITIVE VIBES for your future writing endeavors this year!

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Well, that’s it for this year’s NaPiBoWriWee 2012 event. I cannot thank everyone enough for making this such a FUN event. I’m so excited by everyone’s writing progress. I also feel that this event benefitted my own writing because I have been procrastinating myself on getting some picture book drafts down on paper. So I’m equally as excited as everyone else by this week’s productivity!

A reminder: I am back to posting blogs on my REGULAR blog at: http://paulayoo.com/blog

BUT… I will post future NaPiBoWriWee blogs at this site (http://paulayoo.com/napi) about some of the topics we discussed above in this blog entry, including info on our possible first ever NaPiBoWriWee Revision Week and our reunion at the SCBWI conference in August.

Until then, please visit my website regularly. I post the latest Blog Schedule and News at the YOO INK section on my front page. I also tweet @paulayoo.

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THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING IN NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012!

Now I highly recommend everyone take a BREAK today. BUT remember… I believe writers should write every day. So starting tomorrow… WRITE! You can just write a journal entry, or brainstorm new ideas or even start thinking of revising what you wrote this week. Just. Write. Every. Day. That’s what I want!

As always… HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

Much love and hugs,

Paula

]]> http://paulayoo.com/napi/?feed=rss2&p=417 24 http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=412 http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=412#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 17:08:31 +0000 paulayoo http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=412

National Picture Book Writing Week is this May 1-7, 2012!

WELCOME TO DAY SEVEN!

It’s our LAST DAY of NAPIBOWRIWEE! Since May 1st, 2012, we have been attempting to write 7 picture books in 7 days! This is the fourth annual National Picture Book Writing Week that I started back in 2009 to promote picture book writing and to encourage both newbie and veteran picture book writers to stop procrastinating and get at least 7 picture book drafts down on paper so we could have the rest of the year to revise them. I also wanted this event to encourage folks to write every day no matter what, for I strongly believe that’s the best way to become a good writer.

Today’s blog is going to be rather short. I just wanted to remind everyone that if you have posted a comment on my blogs or emailed me (paula at paulayoo dot com) or registered a user name and password on this blog (http://paulayoo.com/napi), then you are AUTOMATICALLY included in our special prize drawing contest!

The contest blog winners will be announced in a special blog to be posted on Tuesday May 8th, so please come back tomorrow for that announcement. Good luck!

This year’s contest winners will receive the following…

(Keep reading after the break to find out more  info about our contest plus other updates!)

CONTEST PRIZE ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Two winners will receive a NaPiBoWriWee 2012 souvenir coffee mug!

Two winners will receive a NaPiBoWriwee 2012 souvenir notebook!

NaPiBoWriWee 2012 Journal and Coffee Mug

Two winners will receive a NaPiBoWriWee 2012 souvenir T-shirt!

NaPiBoWriWee 2012 Men's & Women's T-Shirts

You can also purchase these items at our official NaPiBoWriWee 2012 Cafe Press store. The logos this year were designed by designer Sandy Tanaka.

The store link is here: http://www.cafepress.com/npbww2012

Other prizes include:

– A personally autographed copy of the paperback edition of my first picture book, the IRA Notable SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY (Lee & Low ’05)

– A personally autographed copy of my second picture book, SHINING STAR: THE ANNA MAY WONG STORY (Lee & Low ’09)

– A personally autographed copy of LISA WHEELER’S SPINSTER GOOSE: TWISTED RHYMES FOR NAUGHTY CHILDREN, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Atheneum Books 2011)

– A personally autographed copy of KELLY DIPUCCHIO’S CRAFTY CHLOE, illustrated by Heather Ross (Atheneum Books 2011)

– A personally autographed copy of HOPE VESTERGAARD’S NOTHING RHYMES WITH ORANGE: PERFECT WORDS FOR POETS, SONGWRITERS, AND RHYMERS, edited with Bessie G. Redfield (Perigee Trade 2008)

– A personally autographed copy of CAROLYN CRIMI’S PUGS IN A BUG, illustrated by Stephanie Buscema (Dial 2012)

– A personally autographed copy of ANN WHITFORD PAUL’S WORD BUILDER, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (Simon & Schuster 2009)

– A personally autographed copy of ANN WHITFORD PAUL’S WRITING PICTURE BOOKS: A HANDS-ON GUIDE FROM STORY CREATION TO PUBLICATION (Writer’s Digest Books 2009)

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Congratulations again to everyone for sticking with me for seven long days. I’m posting this blog LIVE around 10 AM PST on Monday May 7th. My latest update: Given some computer problems (spent all day Saturday at the Apple Store instead of writing, sob), some work meetings, social obligations (friends visiting from out of town), and my own script/novel/contracted picture book deadlines, not to mention these blogs, I’m obviously BEHIND again!

So those of you who are NOT at Book 7 today… don’t feel badly because I’m NOT at Book 7 either. LOL!

My goal is to take the research I did for Book 5 and write a really rough draft today. I also hope to write another simple younger picture book (prose) for an idea I had for Book 6. I have NOTHING planned for Day 7 so I figure – if I concentrate and avoid the Internet, I might be able to take an idea I have for Book 7 and try to write a really bad rough draft.

It’s interesting – out of the 7 books I planned (I had brainstormed some ideas earlier in the year but did NO writing for them, just jotted down the ideas and some story plot points), I think I might have a couple worthy of revising! Yippee!

So I’m going to post this blog now and then hide for the next 12 hours in my bat cave with occasional live Tweets (@paulayoo). Wish me luck, too. I’m all DETERMINED to get 7 picture books done this year. (I only got four or five done last year and the year before. I don’t think I’ve gotten 7 books done in 7 days since the FIRST year I started this! LOL!)

And for your daily kitten inspiration picture, here’s a funny photo I took of my cats when the little ones Beethoven & Charlotte came home from the vet after being fixed. Big brother Oreo had to take care of them and make sure they did not take off their cones of shame. It’s just a silly photo and I thought it would make you laugh!

L-R: Beethoven, Oreo and Charlotte wait patiently for you to finish Book 7!

Please post your comments here on your experience for Day Seven! I can’t wait to hear how you did!

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FINALLY… the contest winners announcement will be posted on TUESDAY MAY 8TH. Please come back for that announcement. I will then contact the winners and make arrangements for their prizes. Good luck!!!!

Until tomorrow’s blog announcing the contest drawing winners, HAPPY WRITING! Remember… WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

National Picture Book Writing Week is this May 1-7, 2012!

Welcome to DAY SIX of NAPIBOWRIWEE!

Can you believe it? Only two days left! In 48 hours, you will be the proud author of 7 first draft picture books written in 7 days, thanks to my fourth annual National Picture Book Writing Week goal!

I am so proud that y’all are still in it to win it! For those of you who successfully finished five first drafts of picture books – congratulations! For those of you who are still working on Books 1, 2, 3, and/or 4, hang in there! 

Today’s blog includes a special prize announcement from critically acclaimed and veteran picture book author ANN WHITFORD PAUL, plus some more random musings from me and other updates.

(Please keep reading after the jump for all the NaPiBoWriWee Day Six goodies!)

Meet NaPiBoWriWee 2012 Guest Author Ann Whitford Paul!

For Day Six, I wanted to introduce you to the WONDERFUL ANN WHITFORD PAUL. She’s an award-winning veteran children’s picture book author. I remember meeting her at an SCBWI critique picnic event more than ten years ago when I was just a newbie aspiring non-published children’s book writer. I was amazed by her insightful advice and devoured all her picture books. A strange coincidence – a few years later, I would end up working with her brother, actor Bradley Whitford, when I was a staff writer on NBC’s THE WEST WING. (He played the character of Josh Lyman on that show.) What a talented family!

Ann Whitford Paul writes picture books, poetry and early readers. Her books have won numerous awards including NY Times Notable books, Carl Sandburg Award for Children’s Literature, Bank Street College Best Books list, Notable Science and Social Studies Books, National Parenting Centers “Seal of Approval,” 2001 Recognition of Merit from the George C. Stone Center for Children’s Books of the Claremont Graduate University, and been nominated for numerous state reading awards. She is the author of the popular WRITING PICTURE BOOKS: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication.

Ann has graciously offered TWO prizes for this year’s NAPIBOWRIWEE. Winners (chosen at random) will win these personally autographed books:

WRITING PICTURE BOOKS: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication by Ann Whitford Paul (Writers’ Digest Books 2009)

and…

WORD BUILDER by Ann Whitford Paul and illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (Simon & Schuster 2009)

Thank you, Ann! For more info on Ann and her wonderful books, check out her website here: http://annwhitfordpaul.net/

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I wanted to blog again about DISTRACTION. Because I know real life just gets in the way of writing. I know everyone has children’s soccer games to attend, dinners with friends, dealing with house repairs, work deadlines, or fill-in-the-blank massive distraction that ruins your plan to take some time off to write.

And then we have the temptations of FACEBOOK, TWITTER, all forms of social media, emails, etc.! So how do you deal with the INTERNET when it sucks you into its procrastination vortex?

I wanted to share with you this amazing article from POETS & WRITERS Magazine (I subscribe to this magazine, it’s fantastic).

The article, “Inner Space: Clearing Some Room for Inspiration” by Frank Bures, brought up some great points about how much INFORMATION we digest every day just from being on the Internet.

The article link is here:

http://www.pw.org/content/inner_space_clearing_some_room_for_inspiration_0?cmnt_all=1)

From his article:

“Scientists at the University of California in San Diego calculated that in 2008 (a year after the original iPhone was released) Americans consumed thirty-four gigabytes of information per day, the equivalent of one hundred thousand words—or 350 percent more than we consumed on a given day in 1980.

“Not surprisingly, there has been an avalanche of stories about the effect this is having on us, and specifically about what this means for our brains. Most of the news is not so good: One study suggests our lack of downtime is lowering our ability to think critically and to analyze. Others claim distraction causes loss of IQ points, and that it can take up to twenty-five minutes to regain our focus after an e-mail or phone call. Another study estimates that distraction is costing the U.S. economy around $650 billion a year in lost productivity. Much of this research seems to validate the words of the Roman thinker Publilius Syrus who said: ‘To do two things at once is to do neither.’

“These deleterious effects are catalogued at length in Nicholas Carr’s book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (Norton, 2010).

“This is an increasingly common lament among writers these days. Novelist Richard Powers, author most recently of Generosity: An Enhancement (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009), says that he used to work for twelve or fourteen hours straight, but that such immersion has become impossible. In her lecture after receiving the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature, Doris Lessing said: ‘Writers are often asked, ‘How do you write? With a word processor? An electric typewriter? A quill? Longhand?’ But the essential question is, ‘Have you found a space, that empty space, which should surround you when you write?’ Into that space, which is like a form of listening, of attention, will come the words, the words your characters will speak, ideas—inspiration.’

“Other writers such as Zadie Smith, Jonathan Franzen, and Jonathan Lethem have gone on record saying they write on Internet-disabled computers. There is, of course, a very good reason for this.

“In his landmark book, Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention (HarperCollins, 1996), psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi discusses the five stages of creativity—preparation, incubation, insight, evaluation, and elaboration. Of these, it seems that at least three, if not four, are incompatible with the constant influx of new and fascinating information we encounter online. What creativity needs most of all is time for the mind to percolate, to mix old ideas together in new ways, and to find connections no one else has found. For this the mind must be left to itself.

“In Creativity, Csikszentmihalyi identified four major obstacles that keep people from creative accomplishment: psychic exhaustion, easy distraction, inability to protect/channel creative energy, and not knowing what to do with that energy.”

To read more, go to this link to read the entire article: http://www.pw.org/content/inner_space_clearing_some_room_for_inspiration_0?cmnt_all=1

I was so floored by the information in this article, that I bought and read the books Bures recommended. I highly recommend these books – they really open your mind to how the Internet can sometimes be a block to creativity. It’s GOOD to research and explore social media and the Internet for discovering new information. But sometimes, too much information can lead to an overload where you can’t find that “zen” to take the information you’ve learned, process it, and WRITE.

Here are the links to those books:

Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (HarperCollins, 1996)

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr (Norton, 2010)

So how do we apply all this fancy schmancy theory talk to NAPIBOWRIWEE?

Here’s my suggestion on how to use these FIVE stages of creativity to writing 7 picture books in 7 days. Every day, follow these five steps to inspire you to finish one picture book each day!

1. Preparation: Spend a quiet amount of time (whatever you can spare, 15 minutes to an hour), and re-read a favorite picture book that you want to inspire you, or a favorite writing book (like Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird). Think about what area you want to write about for Book No. 6 – will it be a poem? A funny story? A quiet Good Night Moon type story? Will it be about an animal or human character? Will it be based on your own childhood experiences? What theme are you interested in exploring?

2. Incubation: Then get your work done – be it at the office, school, or at home. Let what you read gestate in your brain.

3. Insight: When you have another 15 minutes (or one hour) available, brainstorm on your idea. Think about the picture books that inspire you, the writing book advice that you feel is helpful for this idea. Write everything down on paper – your outline or your notes or your brainstorms of where you want this story to go. What’s the beginning/middle/end? Who is your character? What do they want? What’s in their way? How do they overcome the obstacle? How do they change at the end of the story?

4. Evaluation: When you have another free hour, read over these notes and evaluate which ideas/thoughts/sentences you wrote down are worth keeping in the draft.

5. Elaboration: When you are ready – WRITE. Don’t correct or self edit yourself. Just get the draft done.

Then… after NaPiBoWriWee ends, you can go back and follow these five steps again when you revise your first draft!

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And if all else fails with Internet distractions, do what I do when I need to “break the glass in case of emergency.” MAC FREEDOM. You download the software from this program that BLOCKS all Internet access (email, Facebook etc.) for anywhere from 15 minutes to EIGHT HOURS.

The only way to get online? SHUT DOWN YOUR COMPUTER.

LOL!

So here’s the link if you’re interested:

http://macfreedom.com/

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As for myself… well, unfortunately, I had to rush to the Apple Store in the afternoon to fix this problem. Check out this picture…

Scary computer problem! Talk about a writing distraction!

Long story short: Since February, I have had this problem. Every day, about 50 times or more per day, these scary “checkerboard pixels” flash across my screen. I’ve been to the Apple Store several times to get a bunch of things done to my computer, from having it re-set to re-installing the software to removing third-party plug apps and replacing the logic board AND the RAM. Nothing has worked. So when these pixels flashed AGAIN today, I had to take the compute BACK to the store. Which ruined my perfectly planned “Writing Saturday.” Boo!

So I lost a lot of time in the store, waiting for them to fix this problem. Fortunately, the geniuses at the Apple Genius Bar are definitely geniuses! YAY!

But talk about a massive distraction for NaPiBoWriWee today!

But… the good news? I came home and managed to finish Book No. 4 today on Day 5. I also came up with a non-fiction idea for Book No. 5 and did some major research and took notes.

So at the end of Day Five, I have FOUR really really rough drafts done plus an idea and rough outline for Book Five.

The goal for Day Six? WRITE the draft for Book Five and brainstorm an idea for Book Six. I always fall behind in my OWN NaPiBoWriWee event. I wonder if it’s also because I have to write a blog too every day! LOL!

I have Monday off, so the goal is to use Day 7 to TRY and write two books at once. We’ll see if it actually happens. I’m behind by one book. Fingers crossed!

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So that’s it for DAY SIX. Please keep your comments coming. I’ve read them all but haven’t had time to reply specifically to everyone because of my computer mishap today. I’ll catch up by tomorrow night.

For your DAY SIX blog inspiration, here’s my cat Oreo dealing with my computer problems. LOL!

Oreo: "Bad computer! Stop it!"

DAY SEVEN BLOG will be posted before 12 PM PST on Monday May 7th. Until then, I look forward to your comments on Day Six and I hope you guys are hanging in there! And as I’ve mentioned before, everyone who comments or emails me (paula at paulayoo dot com) will be included in the special prize contest drawing at the end of the week with special prizes, including Ann Whitford Paul’s autographed books! Thanks again, Ann!

Until the next blog… Happy Writing! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

National Picture Book Writing Week is this May 1-7, 2012!

Welcome to Day Five of NAPIBOWRIWEE – National Picture Book Writing Week – as we now ask ourselves if we are NUTS for agreeing to try this ridiculous experiment of writing 7 picture books in 7 days. Always around Day Five, I start to bang my head against the wall and mutter to myself, “Paula, you and your nutty ideas! WHY did you start NaPiBoWriWee? I’m so SICK of writing picture books. I can’t do this anymore. I am burned out. Ooooooh I bet everyone hates me for torturing them with this ridiculous idea!”

Yup. Welcome to Day Five, AKA “Burn-out Day.” This is where some folks start to fall behind and feel badly that they are unable to come up with a fifth picture book draft. This is where some folks wonder if they should just quit.

Day Five is TOUGH. And if it makes YOU feel any better… BREAKING NEWS: I FAILED TO WRITE BOOK NO. 4 YESTERDAY. Absolutely flamed out. I was gone ALL day from around 10:30 AM to 9:30 PM for work meetings and I had to see a friend visiting from out of town. Plus I had a writing deadline for a picture book of mine that is being published (another Lee & Low book but the pub date is TBD) that I had to get done first. By the time I got home, I was EXHAUSTED. I sat on the couch and valiantly tried to write a picture book. But I came up with nothing.

BUT… instead of feeling badly about it… I was PROUD OF MYSELF. Why? Because at least I came up with what I thought was a super cute idea and a fantastic title. So I thought, “Saturday is my day off. It’s the weekend. I’m lucky and have no social obligations and no work deadlines on Saturday. So Saturday will be PICTURE BOOK DAY!”

And now I want to cheer YOU on. Today’s blog will feature some advice from guest author CAROLYN CRIMI (website: http://carolyncrimi.com/), who has graciously offered to give away a signed copy of her book PUGS IN A BUG (Dial 2012) for our contest. Woo hoo!

(Keep reading after the break for advice from Carolyn and more updates!)

So for those of you who have posted comments saying that you are falling behind and you are “only” on Book 2 or 3, or you are not writing and feeling burned out…. PLEASE HANG IN THERE! If you are physically and mentally so exhausted that you cannot write a full draft today, at least brainstorm some ideas or do what Julia Cameron in THE ARTIST’S WAY calls “morning pages.”

(If you’re not familiar with JULIA CAMERON, please check out her website here: http://juliacameronlive.com/ She writes these really fun inspirational guides on how to inspire your creative self. Okay, her books can get a little New Age-y, but she is very sincere and I find her books to be a great read when I am feeling burned out or insecure about my own writing. She’s got a three-part series on THE ARTIST’S WAY and I just got another book of hers called THE VEIN OF GOLD: A JOURNEY TO YOUR CREATIVE HEART which is also a fun inspirational read. I wrote a blog about her last year here: http://paulayoo.com/blog/?p=822)

The whole point of this NAPIBOWRIWEE exercise is to make sure that we all at least write SOMETHING every day. As a writer, you need to “exercise” your creative writing muscles! Plus, you should always allow yourself a small amount of time – whether it’s 10 minutes or 1 hour – to treat yourself to just sitting down with a nice cup of hot tea and a notebook and write anything from your heart. I think it’s important for us to do that as writers.

Now, to help get rid of your burn-out and get you back on track for DAY FIVE, here’s some advice from picture book author CAROLYN CRIMI!

Welcome 2012 NaPiBoWriWee Guest Author Carolyn Crimi

Carolyn Crimi received her MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College in 2000. Her publishing credits include Outside, Inside (Simon & Schuster, 1995), Don’t Need Friends (Random House, 1999),Tessa’s Tip-Tapping Toes (Orchard Books, 2002), Get Busy, Beaver! (Orchard Books, 2004), Boris and Bella (Harcourt, 2004), Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies (Candlewick, 2005), The Louds Move In!  (Marshall Cavendish, 2006), Where’s My Mummy? (Candlewick, 2008), Henry and the Crazed Chicken Pirates (Candlewick, 2009), Principal Fred Won’t Go To Bed!  (Marshall Cavendish, 2010), Rock and Roll Mole (Dial, 2011), Dear Tabby (Harpercollins, 2011), and Pugs in a Bug (Dial, 2012). When she’s not writing, Carolyn enjoys giving Author Talks to elementary schools all over the country. For more information, visit her website, www.carolyncrimi.com. Be sure to visit her new blog,http://deartabbycat.blogspot.com/.

Carolyn’s advice is short and sweet… just like her advice! She says:

“One problem I see with many unpublished manuscripts is that they are way too long. Most picture books these days are under 600 words. I had an editor once who, after I submitted what I thought was my last draft, would always say, ‘Great! Now can you trim 200 words?’ It drove me crazy but always made the story stronger.”

I’ve mentioned  picture book length in previous blogs. A reminder – picture books can be as short as 200 words (Kevin Henkes’ Caldecott winner KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON is only 268 words) but they can also be longer for older readers (up to 2000 words, even!). For non-fiction writers, books tend to be longer anyway – mine clock in around 1600 to 1800 words.

My general rule of thumb is to keep your book to 1000 words or less. That’s five double-spaced typed pages.

But to try out Carolyn’s advice… when you write today, see if you can write a picture book under 600 words. Before you write down a sentence, think about the shortest way to say that sentence.

Speaking of short writing, coincidentally I happened to pick up this writing book at the bookstore. It caught my eye, I was curious, so I bought it. (I’m addicted to writing books!) It’s called WRITE LIKE HEMINGWAY: WRITING LESSONS YOU CAN LEARN FROM THE MASTER by R. Andrew Wilson. It’s a fantastic book that talks about Hemingway’s life as well as how he approached writing. It also gives advice and exercises on how to write succinctly like Hemingway.

For example: “When Hemingway talked about what guided his writing style, he referred to what he called his ‘Iceberg Theory.’ The idea was simple enough: as the visible part of the iceberg suggests an unseen depth below the surface, so writing should show as little as possible to suggest a world more complex than what appears on the page. In a word, the Iceberg Theory commands writers to do one thing: omit.” (p. 43)

The book goes on to suggest leaving out anything “nonessential” to the emotion you are trying to create with the story, leave out the backstory, unnecessary details and “filler” dialogue.

So as you write Book Five (if you have survived this week so far!), let’s focus on keeping today’s book under 600 words and apply this Iceberg Theory to our writing. Let me know how this works out for you! I’m first and foremost a novelist, so I find picture books to be INSANELY HARD, so I will try to keep my book under 600 words as well this time around.

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Thanks again to Carolyn Crimi for stopping by with some SHORT advice. Remember, she’ll be giving away a signed copy of her latest book, PUGS IN A BUG (Dial 2012) for our contest. As long as you have commented on a blog or emailed me (paula at paulayoo dot com), I will include you in the contest drawing for Carolyn’s book plus our other fun prizes. (BTW to clarify: Do not worry if you have NOT completed 7 picture books in 7 days. You will still be part of our prize drawing.)

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s DAY SIX blog. I’m hoping to have that posted by 8 AM PST on Sunday because I have a friend’s wedding reception to attend.

Until the next blog, here is your daily KITTY INSPIRATION PHOTO! This time, it’s baby Charlotte. She likes to hang out by my computer while I write. Sometimes she curls up on my right arm, which makes it hard to move the mouse or type. LOL! But anyway, here she is, waiting patiently for you to write Book #5 for her today! How can you disappoint this little adorable kitty? Don’t let her down! WRITE!

Charlotte waits patiently for you to finish NaPiBoWriWee Book #5 today!

Thanks for hanging in there, my NaPiBoWriWee friends! Remember… HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

National Picture Book Writing Week is this May 1-7, 2012!

Welcome to Day Four of NAPIBOWRIWEE! We are officially half way through my fourth annual National Picture Book Writing Week where we attempt to write 7 picture books in 7 days. I’m thrilled by everyone’s comments on their writing journeys this year. A lot of you have managed to keep up and write one book per day – congratulations! For those of you still struggling on Book 1 or 2 or 3, don’t worry! Just keep writing. You’re still a winner in my book even if you only get ONE draft done. This week is to celebrate WRITING and to CONQUER PROCRASTINATION!

Today’s blog is all about POETRY, featuring special guest picture book author and poet HOPE VESTERGAARD.

Now, I know all the editors and agents and veteran published picture book authors always advise “DO NOT WRITE RHYMED METERED POETRY FOR A PICTURE BOOK SUBMISSION” at the children’s book writing conferences and SCBWI (Society for Children Writers & Illustrators) events.

That’s because writing a picture book in rhymed, metered poetry is difficult. SUPER difficult. SUPER DUPER REALLY UNBELIEVABLY FREAKING DIFFICULT!

BUT… in order to go from a novice poet to an expert published poet, you gotta start somewhere. So why not try your hand at a rhymed metered poetry picture book for this year’s NAPIBOWRIWEE? No one has to see it! Just write it, get that rough first draft done, and then one day you can revise it. Or it might inspire more poetry.

And if you STINK at writing poetry, the mere exercise of ATTEMPTING rhymed metered poetry will help you appreciate the musical language of prose writing. You will be more conscious of the rhythms and sounds of your own prose writing.

(Keep reading after the jump for some advice from HOPE VESTERGAARD plus other news and updates…)

Meet 2012 NaPiBoWriWee Guest Author Hope Vestergaard!

For those brave souls who want to attempt a rhymed and metered poetry picture book for Day 4 (or Day 5, 6, or 7), guest author HOPE VESTERGAARD offers some fantastic poetry advice. As an added bonus, she is also going to give a lucky winner his or her own rhyming dictionary! Thanks Hope!

Hope Vestergaard is an early childhood consultant and children’s author with seventeen years’ experience working with children, teachers, and families. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Smith College and is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the International Reading Association. Hope currently trains teachers, conducts parent workshops, (works with classrooms in transition,) and develops curricular materials for parents and teachers. Her particular areas of interest include literacy, developmentally appropriate practice, and dynamic classroom environments. Publications: Potty Animals (Sterling), Nothing Rhymes with Orange: Perfect Words for Poets, Songwriters and Rhymers (with Bessie G. Redfield, Perigee), I Don’t Want to Clean My Room: Poems About Chores (Dutton),Weaving the Literacy Web: Creating Curriculum Based on Books Children Love (Redleaf Press), What Do You Do When A Monster Says Boo?(Dutton), Hillside Lullaby (Dutton, 2006) Hello, Snow (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2004) Driving Daddy (Dutton, 2003) Wake Up, Mama (Dutton, 2003) Baby Love (Dutton, 2002), as well as numerous feature articles for The Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market guides (Writer’s Digest Books). Hope frequently presents at state and national conferences as well as visiting elementary schools and libraries to discuss the writing life and to lead young writers workshops. Hope’s Web site, www.hopevestergaard.com, features articles, links, and activity guides for teachers and parents.

Hope says: “Thinking about writing in rhyme? Maybe you’re hoping that putting your story in rhyme will kick it up a notch; make the ordinary extraordinary; help your manuscript stand out in the slush. Just remember: rhyming alone doesn’t make a story poetic.”

For Hope, writing a poetry picture book is a tough job because not only does the poetry have to sing, rhyme and make metered sense, but you still have to feature an original compelling character who actively struggles to achieve his/her goal in a unique storyline that’s filled with tension, action and clever resolution.

“Rhyming stories and poems suffer from the same maladies as prose: flabby plots, one-dimensional characters, pat resolutions,” Hope explains. “Unfortunately, these problems are sometimes obscured by a rhyming format. Good meter and true rhymes are not a get-out-of-jail-free card. If your writing isn’t well developed, even perfectly metered poems and stories will not impress the reader.”

Hope offers a number of fantastic tips on how to write rhymed metered poetry picture books on her website. Her article, RHYMES AND MISDEMEANORS, can be found at this link: http://hopevestergaard.com/writers/articles/rhymes-and-misdemeanors/

I highly recommend reading her article for fantastic advice. And Hope has graciously offered to give a rhyming dictionary as a prize for our contest prize drawing. Thank you Hope!

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Below is a list of other poetry books that I highly recommend if you are interested in studying more about poetry and picture book writing. The big book that is a MUST HAVE is the famous Myra Cohn Livingston’s POEM-MAKING: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry. The other books are also very helpful. Click on each title for the Amazon link.

I would also recommend buying a rhyming dictionary. These are VERY helpful. They even have rhyming apps for the iPhone and iPad, including this one: http://www.paragoni.com/rhymulator-rhyme-app-for-iphone-ipad/

POEM-MAKING: WAYS TO BEGIN WRITING POETRY by Myra Cohn Livingston

SEEING THE BLUE BETWEEN: ADVICE AND INSPIRATION FOR YOUNG POETS compiled by Paul B. Janeczko

A POETRY HANDBOOK: A PROSE GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING AND WRITING POETRY by Mary Oliver

THE POET’S COMPANION: A GUIDE TO THE PLEASURES OF WRITING POETRY by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux

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Today I wrote a very simple poem, inspired by my poetry blog. It’s amazing how LONG it takes to write a very short story poem versus a longer prose book. I wanted to write something for younger children, as per Hope’s article advice. It was fun to make sure there was repetition and a song-like refrain for this book. Thank you, Hope!

I did learn something interesting today. After four NAPIBOWRIWEE events in a row, I’ve learned that although I prefer writing via typing/computer, I can handwrite a PROSE picture book in my favorite Moleskine notebook. BUT when it comes to poetry? Forget it. I can’t do it by hand. I NEED a computer. Isn’t that odd? It’s interesting to see what weird writing quirks appear during this event.

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Finally, here are some recent NAPIBOWRIWEE questions that I answered in the comments section of previous blogs and/or on Twitter that I’m sharing here in case you missed them.

Twitter Question: “How long/short should #picturebooks be?”

Twitter Answer: Not too short and not too long. 1st draft: Keep 1000 words or less.

Expanded answer not on Twitter: Picture books can be anywhere from as short as 200 words to as long as 2000 words. For example, Kevin Henkes’ Caldecott Medal winning KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON is only 268 words. Yup. I counted. In fact, I would HIGHLY recommend you take your favorite picture book from your favorite author and type out the entire text in a WORD document. You will be amazed to see how short these books can be. Longer picture books tend to be for older children and/or non-fiction, like my books, which are about 1700 words long. But the rule of thumb I always use with first drafts? Keep it to 1000 words or less. When I revise, then I can either cut back or expand slightly if necessary.

Twitter Question: “Are most character details revealed in the illustrations?”

Twitter Answer: The writer should be visceral. The artist will be visual.

Twitter Question: “How in-depth do we get with our character?”

Twitter Answer: Character reveals plot. Pare down to essential details.

Question from NAPIBOWRIWEE participant Janie Bill: “How in-depth should we get with our character when writing a short PB? Are most of the character be revealed in the illustrations?”

Paula’s Rambling Answer That She Hopes Made Sense and Didn’t Scare Off Janie Bill: Hi Janie. This is a good question. I would say you should reveal stuff about your character that is relevant to the actual plot. Character moves the plot forward. For example, if your character is short AND short tempered and loves baseball, and your picture book is about a little girl who is too short to grab the cookie jar from the shelf (silly example, please bear with me LOL), then her being short and having a short temper will help push the story plot forward (obviously she can’t reach the shelf because she’s short, and she’s short tempered so she has a tantrum). And if the story has nothing to do with baseball, then you don’t need to tell us she’s a baseball fan. BUT… what if she tries to reach the cookie jar by taking her baseball bat and ball and hitting the cookie jar so it tumbles off the shelf? And so on. See how her personality creates ways for her to solve the problem? By focusing on that, you can make sure only the relevant details of your character are on the page without revealing unnecessary stuff that is not related to the story. I hope this makes sense. As for character reveals in the art – don’t worry about that. If your character HAS to have a red dress for the story plot, state that. If the color doesn’t matter, then use visceral imagery, like a flowing dress or a bright dress. The illustrator will decide what color it will be and so on. I hope this makes sense!

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Well, that’s it for today’s DAY FOUR BLOG. I hope you found the information helpful. Good luck on Day Four – and you know the drill! Comment here to let me know how your progress went! Ask any questions too and I’ll answer them in the next blog. I also try to reply to everyone’s comments when I have the time!

Your cat inspiration picture for your poetry book… my cats (L-R) Beethoven, Charlotte and Oreo in their cat cages about to go to the vet earlier this month. They felt trapped! Don’t feel trapped by the strict demands of poetry! Be free! Rhyme away!

L-R: Beethoven, Charlotte and Oreo are not happy at the vet. Free them with your wonderful writing!

Stay tuned for more contest updates and don’t worry, if you have posted a comment or emailed me, your name will be included in the drawing at the end of the event. 

Until the next blog, I’ll be live tweeting @paulayoo! HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

National Picture Book Writing Week is this May 1-7, 2012!

Welcome to DAY THREE of NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012! (National Picture Book Writing Week where we attempt to write 7 picture books in 7 days)!

I just replied to everyone’s comments on all the blogs for 2012 and also answered some questions, so please go back and check if you want! Very impressed and excited by everyone’s progress. Yippee!

I carved out some time in the afternoon to write Book No. 2. I used a photo of my three cats sleeping (posted in yesterday’s blog) to inspire me. To my surprise, I came up with a really cute poem. Well, it wasn’t the greatest poem in the world – some bad meter and forced rhyme, but it was a good start and I carved out a fun story using Lisa Wheeler’s “Rule of Threes” advice from yesterday’s blog (link here: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=378) I desperately want to go back and rewrite it, but I’m forcing myself to wait until AFTER NaPiBoWriWee. Must keep chugging along – five more books left to draft!

Today’s blog is about CHARACTER. We talked yesterday about PLOT. But no matter how exciting your plot and no matter how solid your story structure is, your book won’t work if the reader doesn’t care about the main character. Remember – try to create an original and compelling character who is unique but yet readers can identify with!

Today I have a special guest – New York Times bestselling picture book author KELLY DIPUCCHIO – who volunteered to write a brief guest author blog for Day 3 of NAPIBOWRIWEE. Her guest blog is all about CHARACTER. Her latest book, CRAFTY CHLOE (illustrated by Heather Ross, published by Simon & Schuster 2012), features one compelling and unique character that has made her latest book a huge hit. Martha Stewart even featured it on her show along with a craft project segment with illustrator Heather Ross! (Kelly’s website is here: http://kellydipucchio.com)

(Keep reading after the jump for our Guest Author Blog on Character from KELLY DIPUCCHIO!)

Crafty Chloe by Kelly DiPucchio & illustrated by Heather Ross (Simon & Schuster 2012)

Kelly DiPucchio is the New York Times bestselling author of several books including Grace for President and Zombie In Love. As a little girl growing up in Michigan, Kelly spent a lot of time outdoors, combining her love of art and nature by painting rocks, seashells, and pinecones. Today, Kelly satisfies her crafting itch by repurposing old furniture and other resale shop treasures.  Just don’t ask her to sew; Kelly used to affix her daughter’s Girl Scout patches to her vest with a hot glue gun.  You can visit her at: www.kellydipucchio.com You can visit Chloe at: www.craftychloe.com

Kelly was kind enough to write us a special guest blog about her experience in creating Chloe as a picture book character. We hope you are inspired by her writing advice to create a uniquely original character for your NAPIBOWRIWEE Book No. 3 today!

Kelly writes…

“When I came up with the idea for CRAFTY CHLOE I was really excited.  I’ve been crafty kid at heart since childhood and I’ve been raising a crafty kid for the past 15 years. But I knew that in order for Chloe to be a successful character, she had to be so much more than crafty.  A great hook is important, but it’s not enough to satisfy discriminating readers.

“When you think about your closest friends, you can probably think of several traits they possess that make you want to spend time with them. The same should be true for the characters you create in your picture books.  But please don’t take that to mean that all of your character’s traits have to be positive. Nobody likes a goody two-shoes.  When I sat down to analyze some of Chloe’s attributes, I came up with the following list: crafty, kind, uncoordinated, funny, melodramatic, determined, imaginative, humble, indecisive, independent, creative, forgiving, and just a little bit insecure. Keep in mind, these qualities are revealed through Chloe’s actions in the story.  I will spare you the “show, don’t tell” speech. Also keep in mind; I did not make the list before I wrote the manuscript. I allowed Chloe’s personality grow organically out of the story. Two dimensional characters are boring, but characters that are overly contrived and unbelievable aren’t much fun to hang out with either.

“Diamonds sparkle for a reason – they’re multi-faceted. The angles and cuts in the stone reflect the light. If you want to create characters that really shine, make sure they’re multi-faceted, authentic, and worthy of your readers’ time.”

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Thank you, Kelly, for your writing advice on how to create unique picture book characters!

And now for another inspirational cat picture. LOL – I warned you guys that I am a crazy cat lady who owns 3 cats. This is a picture of my troublesome troublemaker Beethoven. I want this picture to inspire me for a unique character for my next Book No. 3… I hope he inspires you as well to come up with an original character! Make your main character for Book No. 3 to sparkle like a multi-faceted diamond, just like Kelly advised!

Beethoven the troublemaker - busted AGAIN!

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Now… a few random bits and pieces before I head off to my writing bat cave for Book No. 3.

NAPIBOWRIWEE writer “BookishAmbition” asked me the following question in the comments section of my blog: “I am so excited to take part in the 2012 NaPiBoWriWee. I am a complete newbie, so to prepare, I’m going to read all the posts/ interviews from last year. I’ll also be spending the weekend scouring my house for those scraps of paper with ideas written in the middle of the night, in waiting rooms, and at the bus stop. I would like to know what your idea of a NaPiBoWriWee manuscript looks like. I’m sure it’s rough, but how rough is considered reaching the goal?”

My answer:  ”Hi BookishAmbition! Glad you are prepared for the event. To answer your question, I would say the rough draft should at least have full sentences. I think as long as the draft doesn’t read like an outline, you should be okay. For example, a sentence like “The cat will either chase a ball here or bite the dog’s tail” is more of an outline suggestion than an actual draft. In a draft, you have to make a choice as to what your characters do, so go for it and have the cat chase the ball for now and you can always revise it later. I hope this makes sense.”

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Aaaaaah. Don't you feel all calm and zen as you stare out into a snowy minimal landscape of OMM WRITER?

Another NAPIBOWRIWEE writer talked about how hard it is to write sometimes without getting distracted. My trick? I often use this writing software called OMM WRITER. I’ve blogged about OMM WRITER before. It’s a simple text program that you can buy (for a very cheap price, under $5.00) where it blanks out your entire computer screen and gives you a lovely backdrop of winter trees (or other zen-like backgrounds) and plays this haunting music. It lulls you into a hypnotic state, I swear!

I often use this software when I am first writing a draft and want to just write and not stop every five minutes to check my email or revise what I just wrote. I swear this program works. Try it and let me know what you thought!

The website for OMM WRITER is here: http://www.ommwriter.com/

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In other NAPIBOWRIWEE news, turns out we have people from as far away as France, Germany and Austria participating. WOW! If anyone else is international, please let us know! Although NaPiBoWriWee is the official name, I think the unofficial name is really InNaPiBoWriWee (International Picture Book Writing Week)!

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Well, that’s it for my official Day 3 Blog. Remember – if you comment on one of my blogs or email me at paula at paulayoo dot com, I will include your name in our fun contest prize drawing at the end of the week. Prizes include items from our souvenir NAPIBOWRIWEE STORE (http://www.cafepress.com/npbww2012), signed copies of my own picture books from Lee & Low Books, and special guest author autographed books from LISA WHEELER and KELLY DIPUCCHIO… plus a few more surprise guest authors that I will introduce this week. So keep coming back to read the latest blog and updates on our contest prizes!

I will post the Day Four blog on Friday May 4th before 12 PM PST. This blog will contain new writing advice, thoughts, and more special guest author treats.

Good luck writing today – hope you can get Book No. 3 done today! BTW – for those of you still struggling on Book 1 or 2, don’t worry! I’m PROUD of you for WRITING! Keep going, I will be happy if you can finish even ONE book this week! GO GO GO!

I will continue to live tweet as well at @paulayoo (http://twitter.com/paulayoo) The hashtag is #NaPiBoWriWee !

HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

National Picture Book Writing Week is this May 1-7, 2012!

Good morning! Welcome to DAY TWO of our marathon 7-picture books-in-7-days annual National Picture Book Writing Week! Thank you for all your comments on my blogs so far. I’ve been blown away by everyone’s hard work and enthusiasm for this event. Congrats to everyone for finishing their first book!

I’m live blogging every morning with thoughts on my own writing journey plus writing advice from myself as well as my friends. I’m also posting new updates and breaking news about our prize drawing contest at the end of the week which will feature a lot of fun surprises! So please keep checking out my blog – http://paulayoo.com/napi – every morning. I’ll try to get the blogs posted before 12 PM (PST) every day.

I’m also live tweeting here: http://twitter.com/paulayoo

Today’s special guest is picture book author LISA WHEELER (http://lisawheelerbooks.com). Please keep reading after the jump for her writing advice plus more news and updates!

Meet picture Book author & poet Lisa Wheeler!

Let’s start off  DAY TWO with some fantastic advice from picture book author & poet LISA WHEELER.

To date, Lisa Wheeler has thirty titles on library shelves, with more to follow over the next few years. She’s written picture books in prose and rhyme, an easy reader series, three books of poems, and creative nonfiction for the very young. Awards include the 2004 Mitten Award for Old Cricket, given by the Michigan Library Association, the 2005/06 Great Lakes, Great Books Award and 2005 Missouri Building Blocks Award for Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum,the 2006 Bluebonnet Award for Seadogs , the 2006/07 South Carolina Picture Book Award for Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum and most recently, the 2008 The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award forJazz Baby given by the American Library Association. Her newest titles include Spinster Goose: Twisted Rhymes for Naughty Children, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Simon & Schuster) and Dino-Basketball, illustrated by Barry Gott (CarolRhoda). Lisa shares her Michigan home with one husband, one dog, and an assortment of anthropomorphic characters. Check out her website at www.lisawheelerbooks.com

When it comes to brainstorming and writing a picture book, you always need a STORY. Plot can sometimes be the trickiest thing to write because you have to make sure your plot’s structure is rock solid. Without a solid foundation of a plot, your entire story can fall apart.

Lisa also runs a FANTASTIC “Picture Book Writing Boot Camp” all over the country. The event is exactly what it sounds like – an intensive one-day session of lectures and workshops with Lisa on how to write and craft a picture book draft. For more info on her Boot Camp, check out this link: http://lisawheelerbooks.com/LW/boot_camp.html

When it comes to PLOT, Lisa gives the following advice:

“One of the things I tell the people who take my Picture Book Boot Camp is that plot in a picture book has to be fairly simple. For instance,

1.       character wants something

2.       character tries to get it 3 times

3.       fails

4.       fails

5.       fails (rule-of-threes)  

6.       succeeds,

7.       the end. 

“In a novel, the plot can be layered and have all these twists and turns and multiple characters, but in a picture book, we try to capture a moment in time—one plot point. Whether it is an hour, a day, a week, or a month—it is all about that same singular plot point. So, even though you have a great story like Carolyn Crimi’s The Louds Move In, which takes place over months of time, the entire plot point revolves around that fact that the family is too loud for their neighbors.  Keep it simple. Keep it tight.”

So as you work on Book Number Two for today, keep this advice in mind! Let me know if this Rule of Three’s from Lisa Wheeler helped you come up with a SOLID storyline for your latest picture book draft!

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But… what if you have writers’ block or are stuck on an idea? Lisa has some MORE advice on her website in this fantastic article she wrote on how to get into the mindset of a picture book author. The article is entitled, “FIVE TIPS TO HELP YOU RELATE TO YOUR YOUNG AUDIENCE.”

Her main advice? BE IMMATURE. When Lisa was asked how she knew that she could write for children, Lisa joked, “I’m immature and have a limited vocabulary.” Later, she realized her joke actually had some truth to it. “Am I suggesting that those of us who write for children are less professional, less intelligent, than other writers?” she says. “No way Jose! We just need to be more in tune with a child’s world.”

To find out what Lisa’s five tips are, please visit her link here: http://www.lisawheelerbooks.com/LW/beimmature.html

I list this article as well because I hope it gives you a NEW way to think about how to approach writing Book Number Two today!

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Finally, I know that many of you have full-time jobs and/or you also are a parent! I know life can be very busy. But the point of this NAPIBOWRIWEE event is to train everyone to learn how to write EVERY SINGLE DAY NO MATTER WHAT. I write every day. I HAVE to write every day. It wasn’t easy at first, but I learned how to do it. It’s like exercise – at some point during the day, you have to exercise, whether it’s a real workout at the gym or just taking a brisk walk after dinner. Even chasing your toddler around the house can be considered exercise. Every day, we MOVE. So why not treat writing like exercise? You gotta keep writing to keep those writing “muscles” from going slack.

So… to let you know that I am human and overwhelmed, yesterday, I did not have the perfect writing day. LOL! When I’m not hosting NAPIBOWRIWEE at my website, my job is a bit diverse. In addition to being a picture book author and YA novelist, I am also a TV writer and producer. But right now I am not working on a TV show because my last series, SyFy’s EUREKA, wrapped in August 2011. (Our fifth and final season is currently airing on SyFy every Monday at 9 PM EST/8C.)

So I’m currently between TV jobs. Every May, the networks announce which returning and new drama and sitcom series will air in the fall. There’s a frenzy of job interviews where thousands of TV writer/producers try to get jobs on these shows. It’s called STAFFING SEASON and boy is it a roller coaster ride. I’ve been lucky so far, thankfully. BUT because the “P” in “Paula” also stands for “Paranoid,” I am very conservative and work between all my book sales and TV jobs. I am also a substitute teacher in the public school system in Los Angeles, and I teach everything from Kindergarten to the 12th grade. Talk about great RESEARCH for my future books! LOL!

So yesterday, I had a last minute subbing gig for 7th grade social studies. Gone was my perfectly planned day of carefully working on Book Number One for NAPIBOWRIWEE! Boo! I was EXHAUSTED when I got home, plus I had to prepare for the blogs I plan to post every day for this week. AND I had to read more TV scripts to prepare for hopeful job interviews during staffing season.

By the time I was ready to write, it was 10 PM! Oh noes! And I was bleary eyed from lack of sleep. So I snuggled in bed with my three cats Oreo, Beethoven and Charlotte. (Yup, get ready for lots of Crazy Cat Lady moments from moi! LOL! My cat Oreo has his own Twitter feed @oreothecatyoo!) I decided to handwrite this Book Number One. I had an idea from a few months ago that was gestating in my subconscious, so I wrote a very simple draft. I thought of Lisa’s advice on The Rule of Threes and came up with three conflicts and problems that my character had to solve. I finished this literally minutes before midnight. So now I have a super rough first draft that I can revise later in the year. Yippee! One down, six to go.

Today I hope to have more time to write. I’m about to disappear into my writing bat cave. My inspiration for today? My cats, of course. I’m using this photo to inspire my Book Number Two. I’m posting this cute picture below to inspire you as well.

L-R: Sleepy Oreo, Charlotte and Beethoven!

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Finally – as always – please comment on this blog with your progress today. I haven’t had time to individually address your comments, but I will try my best to catch up. 

Everyone who posts a comment or emails me (paula at paulayoo dot com) will be included in the PRIZE DRAWING CONTEST to be held at the end of the week. The winners will be announced in a special blog on Monday May 8th. The prizes will include not only souvenirs from our NAPIBOWRIWEE STORE (link here: http://www.cafepress.com/npbww2012) and autographed copies of MY picture books (Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story & Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story from Lee & Low Books), but they will also include specially autographed books from LISA WHEELER and more special guest authors to be included this week! So keep visiting my blog for more prize announcements as well!

Okay, I’m off to the writing batcave for the day. Stay tuned for Day Three’s blog posted tomorrow Thursday May 3rd. I will be live tweeting today @paulayoo ! Good luck everyone!

And as always… HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

National Picture Book Writing Week is this May 1-7, 2012!

WELCOME TO DAY ONE OF NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012!  

SPECIAL UPDATE: How does NAPIBOWRIWEE work? Simply post your comments on today’s blog here to let us know how you did! I’ll be posting a daily blog every morning by 8 AM PST with new information, updates, writing advice from myself and special guest authors, plus lots of personal encouragement for your writing journey this week!

If you post a comment on my blog or email me at paula at paulayoo dot com, I will include your name in our fun prize drawing contest at the end of the week. Details below.

I will be live tweeting as well at @paulayoo on Twitter: http://twitter.com/PaulaYoo

*** IMPORTANT! PLEASE NOTE: I will be gone at work today from 8 AM to 3 PM PST. If you post a comment or register on my http://paulayoo.com/napi WordPress blog, please know that I will approve your comment & registration at the end of the day when I return from work.) ****

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Welcome to NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012! 

SPECIAL NAPIBOWRIWEE INTERVIEW VIDEO POSTED! Please check out fellow SCBWI member & author/blogger LEE WIND‘s blog video interview with me about this year’s event. The link is here:

NaPiBoWriWee 2012 Interview: http://scbwi.blogspot.com/2012/05/paula-yoo-gives-us-scoop-on-national.html

Thanks Lee! For more info on the awesome Lee Wind, please check out his website here: http://www.leewind.org/

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I created this event, National Picture Book Writing Week, in 2009 as a fun way to promote the publication of my second picture book, SHINING STAR: THE ANNA MAY WONG STORY (Lee & Low ’09).

I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to write 7 picture books in 7 days. I had been procrastinating writing another new picture book draft for the longest time. So I thought, “What if I force myself to try and write 7 different picture book manuscripts in one week?” Sure, the drafts would be sloppy rough drafts. But at least I’d have 7 FINISHED drafts to choose from when it came to serious revisions and possible submission to my book agent.

To my surprise, HUNDREDS of people from all over the world (including places as far away as Hong Kong, Egypt, and Australia) participated. It led to the creation of a NaPiBoWriWee Souvenir store and to a wonderful community of writers who bonded as future friends and joined SCBWI (Society of Children Book Writers & Illustrators). Some participants even won writing contests with the drafts they had created from this event!

Since 2009, I’ve hosted this event every May 1-7. This is the fourth year of NaPiBoWriWee. Can you believe it?

(Keep reading after the jump for more info about DAY ONE!)

NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012 REMINDERS:

1. Picture books are HARD. This event does NOT believe that a picture book can be written in one day. That’s pretty much impossible. BUT… a rough first draft of a picture book can be written in one day if you force yourself not to quit. So the goal of this event is to discourage PROCRASTINATION. Just write and FINISH a first draft of a picture book each day. That way, you will have seven rough drafts to choose from – which one shines the most and has the potential to be revised thoroughly into a wonderful submission to an agent or editor? Writing is rewriting – and you can’t rewrite if you don’t have a first rough draft to begin with!

2. Please do NOT email me your drafts. This is NOT a writing contest. No one is critiquing anyone’s works. You do not have to prove to me you wrote 7 picture books in 7 days. We work on the Honor Code here. You say it, I believe you.

3. What if you don’t finish 7 picture books in 7 days? Don’t worry! At least you tried! I’m happy if you finish ONE picture book in 7 days! The whole point is to TRY! What I really hope is that this event inspires you to write EVERY DAY.

4. Fun Prize Drawing Contest: At the end of NaPiBoWriWee, I will put everyone’s names in a hat and pick winners at random for special prizes. These prizes will include autographed copies of my two picture books (SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY and SHINING STAR: THE ANNA MAY WONG STORY), plus special souvenir NAPIBOWRIWEE 2012 T-shirts, coffee mugs, and notebooks. There will also be other fun prizes as well, so stay tuned for more details.

5. NAPIBOWRIWEE Store: We also have a NAPIBOWRIWEE store featuring the 2012 new logo designed by talented designer/writer Sandy Tanaka. The store includes 2012 NaPiBoWriWee coffee mugs, notebooks and T-shirts. The link is here: http://www.cafepress.com/npbww2012

6. How to participate: Just comment on my blog every day to let us know how you are doing! If you post a comment (or if you email me at paula at paulayoo dot com), I will automatically include your name in the prize drawing.

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For NAPIBOWRIWEE DAY #1, here are some thoughts as we begin our journey together:

WRITING BOOKS: Below is a list of inspirational how-to writing books that I find very helpful for inspiring my writing process.  (Please click on each title for the Amazon link.)

WRITING PICTURE BOOKS by Ann Whitford Paul

PICTURE WRITING: A NEW APPROACH TO WRITING FOR KIDS AND TEENS by Anastasia Suen

THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO CRAFTING STORIES FOR CHILDREN by Nancy Lamb

POEM-MAKING: WAYS TO BEGIN WRITING POETRY by Myra Cohn Livingston

WRITING ADVICE: Today’s writing advice is from picture book author/illustrator ERIN EITTER KONO, whose latest picture book, CATERINA, will be published by Dial in 2013. Her website: http://www.eekono-illustration.com/

Erin says: “Never talk down to kids, and never underestimate the wit of a three year old.  If you’re going to write for kids you need to constantly ask yourself If you were a kid, what on this page is relatable, interesting, funny, or basically worth your time. Why does a kid care?” 

(For more info on Erin Eitter Kono, check out my Q&A with her from last year: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=55)

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I will post a daily blog from May 1 to 7, 2012 with my own personal experience with NaPiBoWriWee, more writing advice, news updates, plus special announcements. So please come back every day for a new blog.

Please post your progress at the end of each day on these blogs. I will try to reply to as many comments as possible myself and also update you on my progress as well.

*** (IMPORTANT NOTE: I am at work all day from 8 AM to 3 PM PST, so if you comment on my blog between those hours, your comment will appear on the website as soon as I get home!)***

GOOD LUCK! HAPPY WRITING! And remember… WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

National Picture Book Writing Week is this May 1-7, 2012!

Welcome to another Pre-NaPiBoWriWee 2012 blog!

For information on our 4th annual National Picture Book Writing Week event, please read last week’s blog here that has all the rules and basic info: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=351

NaPiBoWriWee 2012 takes place this May 1-7, 2012. Please comment on my blogs or email me to have your name included in our prize contest drawing at the end of the event. Good luck writing 7 picture books in 7 days! This should be a fun event!

This week’s blog is to inspire you with links of previous Q&A interviews I did with published children’s book authors and illustrators for our 2011 NaPiBoWriWee. I hope their stories and writing advice inspire you to prepare and get ready for this year’s event!

NaPiBoWriWee 2011 Q&A Author/Illustrator Interview Blog Links:

SUDIPTA BARDHAN-QUALLEN: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=293

LISA WHEELER: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=155

JANIE BYNUM: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=148

DAN SANTAT: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=250

DON TATE: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=134

CAROLYN CRIMI: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=258

HOPE VESTERGAARD: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=122

TARA LAZAR: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=116

KATIE DAVIS: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=103

KEN MIN: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=66

ERIN EITTER KONO: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=55

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Until our May 1-7, 2012 NaPiBoWriWee writing marathon, you are allowed to take notes, do research, and write outlines of your picture books. You are welcome to share your thoughts/questions/comments in this blog as well. How are you preparing for this year’s NaPiBoWriWee?

The official blogs for the 2012 National Picture Book Writing Week begin at midnight on Tuesday May 1, 2012. Until then… Happy Writing! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

National Picture Book Writing Week is this May 1-7, 2012!

NOTE: NEW INFO ADDED ON THURSDAY APRIL 19, 2012.

Hi. FYI some folks have asked about this, so just some quick reminders…

1. To comment on my blog, you must log in. To log in, use your same account name and password that you used on my http://paulayoo.com/napi blog last year. If you can’t remember your old account/email, WordPress has a built-in “lost password” feature: under the login box is the option “Lost your password?” If that link is pressed, users are prompted for their email address and a new password is sent to them by the system.

For those of you who have never participated, then it’s simple – just follow the prompts to create your own account and password to use every time you want to comment.

2. How to “register” for the event: There is NO official registration. I just collect everyone’s names of people who either email me individually and/or comment on the blog. I then include your names for a fun prize drawing at the end of the week!

3. How to participate in this event: I will post daily blogs with advice, author interviews etc. to encourage folks and you just post comments about how your day went!

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Hello! Welcome to a pre-NaPiBoWriWee blog! Our fourth annual National Picture Book Writing Week will happen this May 1-7, 2012.

For those of you unfamiliar with National Picture Book Writing Week (aka “NAPIBOWRIWEE”), it’s a fun event I started to encourage people to stop procrastinating and actually write and FINISH a rough draft of a picture book. But to challenge everyone, I made it an entire week. So from May 1st to May 7th every year, you must write 7 picture books in 7 days!

Please note… I do NOT think you can write a perfect, publishable picture book draft in one day. Writing and revising and perfecting a submission-worthy picture book draft takes weeks, months, and even years to accomplish. It’s a labor of love. My event is just a fun way to encourage people to stop procrastinating in order to produce several first rough drafts that they can then revise for the rest of the year.

The rules are simple: 

1. We begin at MIDNIGHT on Tuesday May 1, 2012.

2. We end at 11:59 PM on Monday May 7, 2012.

3. The goal? Write 7 picture books in 7 days. I advise participants to try and pace yourselves at one picture book per day. But it’s okay if you are blocked and then are able to write 7 books on the 6th day. It’s also okay if it takes you 7 days to write ONE book. The whole point is to try and finish at least one book, and hopefully more (ideally 7 drafts total).

4. Why do this? I hope that by creating a focused marathon week where you eat, live, sleep, and dream about picture book writing for 7 straight days will help inspire you to write more every day. I believe successful writers write every single day or at least on a consistent basis. Being a writer is like being an athlete – you can’t let your “writing muscles” go slack!

5. You do NOT need to submit your manuscripts to me. This is NOT a writing contest. We work on the Honor Code. I believe you are truthful. I have NOT always succeeded in writing 7 picture books in 7 days because I also have to run this event and sometimes I am also working. But I am hoping this year to achieve my 7 book goal because I haven’t been able to in the past!

6. How to participate? Every day I will post daily blogs about my own NaPiBoWriWee experience as well as provide writing advice and hopefully some fun Q&As with published picture book author/illustrators. You are invited to comment frequently and keep us posted on your own progress. The whole point is to create a community of writers where we support each other during this crazy week.

7. Prize Contests: I will be giving away signed copies of my picture books, SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECONDS: THE SAMMY LEE STORY (Lee & Low ’05) and SHINING STAR: THE ANNA MAY WONG STORY (Lee & Low ’09), as well as special signed books from other celebrity published picture book author/illustrators! Plus other fun prizes, including the 2012 NaPiBoWriWee souvenir T-shirts, coffee mugs, and journals! All you have to do is sign up on my blog, comment on a post and/or email me to have your name included in the prize contest drawing that will take place on the last day of NaPiBoWriWee.

8. Success Stories & Reunion: Please comment on our blogs to let us know if you have any success stories from previous NaPiBoWRiWee years as well. And I hope to meet many of you at the annual SCBWI (Society of Children Book Writers & Illustrators) National Conference on August 3-6, 2012. (For more info on that conference, go here: http://www.scbwi.org/).

9. What you are allowed to do before May 1st: You are allowed to brainstorm ideas, do research, take notes, and even write outlines. But NO WRITING of the DRAFTS until May 1st!

10. NaPiBoWriWee Store: Please visit our Cafe Press store which features the new 2012 souvenir coffee mugs, T-shirts, and journals. This year’s beautiful logo was designed by professional designer Sandy Tanaka. You can order these items now so you can wear your NaPiBoWriWee 2012 T-shirt as you sip coffee/tea from your NaPiBoWriWee 2012 coffee mug and jot down your drafts in your NaPiBoWriWee 2012 journal. The store link is here: http://www.cafepress.com/npbww2012

Finally, below are some NaPiBoWriWee 2011 blogs I posted featuring writing advice on craft issues. They are posted here for your review before NaPiBoWriWee 2012 begins!

PLOT: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=85

THEME: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=163

CHARACTER: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=167

POV: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=191

GENRE: http://paulayoo.com/napi/?p=196

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Stay tuned for next week’s blog featuring NaPiBoWriWee 2011 links to our Q&As with published authors/illustrators. And remember – NaPiBoWriWee 2012 begins May 1-7, 2012!

Please comment below to let us know how you are preparing for this year’s NaPiBoWriWee 2012!

Until the next blog, HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!