Inspiration

  It seems inspiration is everywhere. Today while I was working on my toilet monster story, I looked out the window at a little squirrel scattering about on my neighbor's roof. Squirrels are funny little creatures, and this one was no exception. It looked nice and healthy; ready for a long winter. I wondered if it was the same squirrel who raided my sunflowers upside down a month ago, then I remembered a story idea I had written down involving a squirrel. Watching the squirrel spurred some thoughts about the possible characteristics of the squirrel in my story idea.

  Having my own children spurs ideas as well. Oh the things they do! What better way to get into the child's point of view than a 12 hour day, 365 days a year observation? Though, I'm not always looking for a story.

  I was on a bike ride with my son yesterday, and he wondered aloud why the lines coming down from the telephone pole to the ground were shaped the way they were. He noticed they weren't going at their normal angle to make a triangle between the pole, line and ground. At first I was surprised he even noticed something like that. I hadn't even noticed it was there, really, so I looked, and I saw from his perspective and asked in my own head why. The wires had been pushed out so it looked more like half of a house drawn by a child. It only took a fraction of a second in my adult mind to figure out why, but it was asking that I found significant. "Oh," he said, "It's so people can go under it on the sidewalk." And off he rode.

  I suppose what I'm getting at is, if you need an idea, or if you have writer's block, open your eyes. Look outside yourself. Look from a different perspective. I'm beginning to find that there's plenty of ideas out there, you just have to be paying attention in order to catch on to it. Sometimes we learn from participation, and sometimes we learn from being quiet. Be an observer. Be quiet for a while and just watch, listen, feel and be inspired.

Giants!

Announcing my new illustrated children story's key element: giants!  It's going to be a story inspired by and written for my youngest child. I don't know the characters or premise yet, just that at least one character will be a giant. I'm also going to attempt illustrating. I'm terrified of the outcome, but I won't improve unless I practice. Here's my first practice piece. I sat down with the intention to create something with a giant's something-ness. IPad doodling I suppose. It was actually a lot of fun! I realize I lack training, knowledge, know-how and experience, but I've got to start somewhere!

I think certain giant stories and ideas have been overdone, so I'm doing some research. I want to discover what's been done, what works, what doesn't and why. In my community's many libraries, there was an abundance of Jack and the Beanstalk re-tellings, and even a spin on it from his sister's perspective. Boy oh boy has that one been done. There's also a tale from Ireland that I found many versions of, but I'm not familiar with it, so I want to read a few and find out why it's been copied so many times. Those two seemed to dominate the giant themed books.

I chose one that I was hopeful to be unique to read before I left the library.

It's a book called Mangaboom, by Charlotte Pomerantz and pictures are by Anita Lobel. At first glance I thought the illustrations were playful and inviting, but I was hesitant at the length of the text. I was also concerned when Mangaboom said, among other things, that she spoke Spanish and English, and the little boy said he knew a few words in Spanish. I was afraid this promising story was going to turn out to be a language lesson.

When I began reading, the story was intriguing and the characters were charming. The languages did not detract from the story, but added to it in a welcoming manner. Mangaboom, the lady-giant, lives in the top of a mango tree. A boy happens upon her. They become fast friends. He is an honored guest as she receives love letters and is set up with eligible giants by her aunt. He is a witness to a true lady finding love. A beloved, who loves her for all she is. The story is charming, witty, and I was gently taught by Mangaboom what a lady is. This story is a gem among giants.

What Works:

The lady-giant seems normal and mostly because she believes she's great the way she is, and it's not preachy or overbearing

Each character has a distinct voice; the lady, the boy, the over-bearing aunt, the unworthy eligibles, and the Romeo

Colorful, inviting, fitting illustration without the perfect angles, perspectives, planes...per my sister who I asked what the proper vocabulary is. Apparently I need to learn more about this! I loved the playful imperfection!

There wasn't any danger! It seems giants are usually deemed dangerous, and why wouldn't they be? If a giants were angered, they could certainly squash us poor tiny folks. This was just a story whose characters happened to be giants. Very neat.

What Doesn't Work:

Mangaboom likes to "skinny-dip and turn cartwheels on the beach". While it gives insight to her character, and it's hilarious to think about, I'm undecided as to whether it's appropriate for a children's book to refer to skinny-dipping. Hehe! I'm still giggling.

Ready, Aim, Ugh!

The plan tonight was to put my kiddos in bed then write, write, write my plot and character worksheets for NaNoWriMo. Afterward, I would lie down in my bed for a restful nights sleep. It was a lovely plan! My kiddos thought differently.
Oh well, that's the beauty of working at home. I get to be with my angels at bedtime. I have a little time left tonight to figure out what worksheets are needed in order to be prepared to begin my NaNoWriMo novel on November 1. I'll begin/continue the actual worksheets tomorrow.

Lesson learned: Work during the day because the night runs out of room.