Thanks to Naomi Kinsman for inviting me to blog-hop with her! I loved thinking about these four questions and the opportunity to peek inside the writing process of my author-friends. And please don’t miss the three talented authors I’ve featured at the end of this post!
And without further ado, a little Q and A…
What are you working
on right now?
I’m always working on multiple projects at once, but when I
pick one, I work on it in bursts and make good progress, even if I put it aside
to work on later. I’m working on 3 different picture book manuscripts right
now, all vastly different from each other. One features the days of the week, one is about the sea, and the other is about appleseeds.
How does it differ
from other works in the genre?
The one about the sea speaks directly to the reader, which is
different for me, and less common in picture books than other points of view.
I’m having fun with it, and am feeling good about how it is creating a sense of
wonder for the reader.
Why do you write what
you do?
I consider myself a writer’s writer, if that makes any sense. I
enjoy writing many different things: children’s books, personal essays,
corporate copy, and articles. I think out of all of those types of writing, the
children’s picture book is what I’m most drawn to. It’s the ultimate challenge!
I love trying to create a story that children see themselves in, or can relate
to on some level, in roughly 500 words or less. Then there is the separate joy
and satisfaction of seeing that story illustrated in ways more brilliant than I
could have ever imagined.
What is the hardest
part about writing?
For me the hardest part about writing is not getting
distracted by new ideas. Oh, and maybe bringing a new project to my critique
group for the first time. Fortunately, I eventually get around to all the ideas
that I started. Not all of them become actual stories, but it’s a great feeling
to have many to choose from when I sit down to write. That process is also helpful when my group
thinks one of my ideas isn’t that strong, because I can turn to other projects
while that one idea marinates some more.
Here are some other authors' blogs I think you should check out:
Turbo Monkey Tales (a group blogging site)
Word Disco (a group blogging site)
Hopping away now...
