Writers Must Read

We all know writers write but writers who want to perfect their craft must also read. A lot! I sometimes find it hard to juggle reading books for my book club, books that I want to read that my book club does not, award-winning books, books for research, and books that my daughter hands me and demands "You must read this." But most important is setting aside the time to read those books that are like the ones I strive to write...great children's books!

I'm in Barnes and Noble at least once a week and I never go into a bookstore without heading straight to the children's department first. I spend at least one day a week at the library either searching for books or picking up books that I've reserved online. Thank goodness for inter-library loans so I don't have to drive all over the place to get the books I want.

 



Books!

Not only do I read these books but I choose the ones I really like for one reason or another and I'll type them up and save them in a folder on my computer that I call "Book Studies." I study things like the layout, the text, the openings and closings, the language...just about everything. Like writing down a list for the grocery store helps you remember the items even if you don't have the list with you, I find that typing the text from good books helps me to remember the great book qualities while I'm writing my own.



Books!

It's rare that you don't see my car with books in it. One time I was at the drive-thru at the bank and the teller asked me if I liked a particular book. I couldn't figure out why he was asking me this until he pointed to the pile of books on my backseat because the library was my next stop. We had a great conversation about the book through the speaker at the drive-up window.

 



And more books!

And then there's the trunk of my car. That's usually where you'll find a box that contains some of my own books. This is probably because I've been at an event and I'm too lazy to carry the box back inside the house. I opened the trunk the other day to put something in it for a friend and she was so excited to see my joke books and asked to buy a few. I've been known to donate and/or sell my books out of the trunk of my car.

 

 

I keep a special book journal where I am constantly adding books to read to my list. Once a week I check my library online to see which ones they have and place the ones on hold that will be transferred from another library within just a few days. Then once a week I take a trip to the library to return books from the previous week and gather my new books to bring home. I read at least one a day and if I choose to, I study it and type it up.

 

So, the fact that I'm reading so much and always writing is one of my better excuses for not having time to blog more often. I'll be blogging about some of the other reasons why it's hard to find the time to blog. But next I be blogging about...the famous Book Dress!



From Nonfiction to Fiction

 

 

 

One of the most common questions authors get asked is, "Where do you get your ideas?" Both children and adults want to know this. The list of places and ways ideas come to me is very long. Here are the two examples, that I like to share during my school visits and writing workshops, on how fiction stories were inspired from nonfiction articles.

 

This first idea came right from my own yard. Discovering a nest of baby bunnies in my flower garden surprised me. It was so close to our front door, sidewalk, driveway, and where we passed by every day. It made me wonder when Mama Bunny built this nest without us seeing her.

I immediately started researching baby bunnies which are called kittens. I was surprised to find out that you can touch the kittens without the mother minding your scent on her babies. I couldn't help but stroke a few of their heads but this made the kittens very nervous so I only did this once. It was fun to push back the ground cover every day and take a peek at these little creatures who are born with their eyes closed and are about the size of mice.  Many people worry that kittens are abandoned because the mother leaves the nest during the day so as  not to draw attention the nest. This mother covered her kittens with grass and her fur while she was away to protect them from predators, so after I was done taking pictures I was careful to cover them back up. I knew she would return during the night when she was less likely to be seen. I snapped shots of them over the course of about two weeks. Once their nest grew too small for them they disappeared.

The discovery of the nest prompted me to write a nonfiction article about wild bunnies which I never did anything with.  But just weeks later I had an idea for a fun picture book that I'm in the process of polishing for publication. If you come from a large family you will probably be able to relate to my story, TOO MANY BUNNIES!

The second example I show students is this picture of our green anole. We had several of these as pets so we did our research and once again I wrote a nonfiction article about green anoles. I learned that their color not only comes from blending in with their surroundings but it is also a sign that are are warm or too cold. This prompted the writing of my story, THE CASE OF THE MISSING LIZARD. It's about the day Lizzie goes to school for Pet Day. But it's not the missing lizard the teacher should be worried about. Believe me!

 

So, I encourage students and adults to look for ideas right in their own backyards and homes.

You don't have to travel far. But you do have to be an observer. You can start out with the facts, add some imagination, a storyline, and characters readers will care about. Top it off with a great ending and you could have yourself a remarkable story!

 

 

 

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Just Labs

Just Labs Magazine is about...you guessed it...just Labs! I learned about this magazine when they contacted me last year to do an interview after they discovered my book I Like Labrador Retrievers!.

You can read my Just Labs Magazine interview here. Here's a few pictures of me with my first dog, Suzie who is mentioned in my interview. Find out how she came to be a part of our family.

Get Your Grammar Groove

 The Picture Book Academy is running a “groovy” contest in celebration of a new course they're offering called Get Your Grammar Groove with Miranda Paul!  They decided to create this fun contest to give everyone the opportunity to win great prizes while learning about good grammar. The bonus is, as quoted from their web site, "Everyone who enters is a winner, as we will have extra-special discounted Grammar Groove courses available if you give it a try!"

 You can join the contest here.

 

So everyday I'm discovering grammar errors on social media, in the newspapers, in store ads, and on signage. This morning during my run I was listening to music and it occurred to me that so many song lyrics include poor grammar. I've chosen two songs from my running playlist to highlight for today's poor grammar entries.

 

 

 

 

The song "Run to You" includes these lyrics:

 

"But that’d change if she ever found out about you and I.”

 

Correct grammar would change the lyrics to:

 

"But that’d change if she ever found out about you and me.”

 

"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
vs
"(I Can't Get Any) Satisfaction"

I know there are dozens and dozens more. Feel free to add some of your favorite lyrics or song titles to the list. And while we're on the subject of songs here's a little rhyme I wrote to help you remember:

Don't write it wrong
The titles of songs
Are always referred to in quotes.

Thanksgiving Day Football

Library Edition ISBN: 978-0-7660-4120-2

Paperback Edition ISBN: 978-1464401780

E-book also available!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday