It is with great pleasure that I introduce George Shannon, author of more than 40 books for children, as our featured author for February. I discovered George’s blog more than a year ago when I was procrastinating on my own writing by surfing social media sites serendipitously followed a link there. I wrote a post about what a great resource George’s blog is, calling it a virtual MFA in picture book writing. So I was thrilled when George agreed to be our 12 x 12 author for February. Here is an excerpt from George’s author page at Amazon:
It feels as though I have always been wrapped in stories and books. My parents read to me, and I in turn read to younger brothers. Family economics meant we couldn’t own many books, but going to the library was as common as going to the market. I still have the books I received as gifts. They include two “Little Golden Books” that were savored in childhood, and have served as talisman ever since. THE BUNNY BOOK by Patsy and Richard Scarry (1955) and RABBIT AND HIS FRIENDS by Richard Scarry (1953).
I began writing stories when they were given as assignments in elementary school. By seventh grade I was writing even when there was no assignment. My dream of making books became so vivid, I submitted my first “formal” picture book manuscript to a publisher when I was sixteen. Eleven more years of school, work, reading, writing and luck finally brought about LIZARD’S SONG, my first children’s book to be accepted.
Picture books have been my professional focus now for 40 years. Reading them. Writing them. Sharing them with children. Teaching workshops and classes on writing them. Oh yes, and buying them. Lots of them. And now, blogging about them, and helping other writers.
That last line is what George is here to do now – help us writers. One lucky 12 x 12 challenger will win a critique from George! All participants are eligible for one point, regardless of whether you complete a draft in Feb. or not. All you need to do to get your point is leave a comment on this post. Now, take it away George!
From Flicker to Final Manuscript
The initial flirtatious idea for a new book is always delicious. That moment is packed with possibilities, but it will remain just that unless we take action. We must do the work. And, our primary work is doing all we can to maintain a sense of play as we write.
A sense of play allows us to take chances, to experiment, to explore with no purpose beyond the pleasure of looking. Play around by placing the idea in the middle or the end if a story, as well as the beginning. Drop it into different contexts. Try different characters. What you discover could affirm your first instincts or offer a more original story than you expected.
A sense of play also means getting words on paper or the computer screen. Thinking, pondering or musing about writing is NOT WRITING. If you want to be perfect then leave the page blank. If you want to create a story then dive in and get messy with changes, dead ends, revisions, and glorious surprises. Such surprises give us the chance to surrender and win. Clinging to our initial idea and plan for a book is not play. It is locking one’s self in box. As a child once said, “If you draw a picture of a dog and it looks like a horse then it’s a horse!”
My TOMORROW’S ALPHABET grew out of a failed novel. WISE ACRES was initially just one piece of a larger (still unpublished) book. Two of my forthcoming picture books began as poems in a collection that fell into limbo when the interested publisher sold the company.
We all feel stuck or stymied from to time as we write, but fretting about being stuck only makes things worse. So…play instead. Don’t try to find the best idea or sentence. Play toward options no matter how crazy they might feel. Relaxing into a mood of play may be just the thing to let the right idea sneak in the back door.
If a manuscript is flailing and you’re not sure why, relax and play. Go back to the picture books you love and savor them. Examine them like Lego creations to see how they work so well. The books we love are always waiting to teach us more about writing.
If we focus on all the aspects of publishing we cannot control we’ll never get out of bed again. But we can control the process by maintaining a sense of play and possibility. That in turn makes the process too enjoyable to avoid, and that makes us eager to write and write and write some more.
Books That Nurture a Sense of Play
ART & FEAR: OBSERVATIONS ON THE PERILS (AND REWARDS) OF ARTMAKING by David Bayles & Ted Orland
BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING by Amy Schwartz
CHERRIES AND CHERRY PITS by Vera Williams
DANNY’S DRAWING BOOK by Sue Heap
DOODLER DOODLING by Rita Golden Gelman. Illus. by Paul Zelinsky
FREE PLAY: IMPROVISATION IN LIFE AND ART by Stephen Nachmanovitch
REGINA’S BIG MISTAKE by Marissa Moss
THREE BY THE SEA by Edward Marshall. Illus. by James Marshall
Thank you so much George! That was an inspired post, as always. Imagine thinking of writing as play time! :-)
Participants – to enter to win the critique from George, you must be an official challenger and leave a comment on this post any time during the month of February for one point. On February 29th, l’ll put a check-in post on the blog. If you completed a picture book draft in February, you can let us know in the comments of that post for another point. I will draw a winner using Random.org and announce on March 2nd.
I was excited to hear that TOMORROW’S ALPHABET came from a failed novel. I mean that in a good way. I had stolen a scene from a YA novel I wrote several years ago (that will and should never see the light of day) and thought it could make a compelling, albeit quiet, picture book. Thanks for reminding me that I have yet to work on it! Here’s to my February draft!
Thank you so much – to both George for this inspiring and sincere advice, and to Julie for continuing to host this wonderful challenge.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this post about play. I don’t know how many times I’ve been stuck with an idea, looking at it ONE way, until someone says, “why not play around with it?” I need to remember that advice on my own (it would save my poor head from all those slaps upside it!)
And I loved George’s blog, too. Thanks!
Hmmm… “a virtual MFA in picture book writing” – I could use one of those! Thanks for introducing us to George and his blog. I’m going to visit (and no doubt ‘follow’) right now!
I absolutely believe in keeping a sense of play as writers. It seems to increase creative thinking and do away with creator’s block.
I once heard that great writers are great readers. I believe that! George nails it when he said, “The books we love are always waiting to teach us more about writing.” I believe that too!
Great advice, I like the idea of just playing with words to see where it will take you. Thanks!
Ooops – forgot the new rule about leaving your full name! It’s Anna Coates
Words of wisdom, for sure! Our sense of play sparks our imagination which then turns into the written word & illustrations! Thank you Julie & George!
Oops for me too, I changed my posts so they show my full name!
Thanks so much for sharing this post and the link to George’s blog. Great advice for this beginner…. Much appreciated, Julie and George!
Thank you for the wonderful post. Creativity requires an ability to see things in new ways, and that requires giving ourselves permission to be playful, to experiment and see where writing might take us, and to discover new things in our own experiences. I look forward to reading each of the books on George Shannon’s list,
Elizabeth McBride
I’m a new writer…but your views, George, made me know I’m a real writer–unpublished, but real. What you describe is what happens when I’m writing. That sense of play is central to what I find myself doing. I am frequently surprised by what happens next in the story. It’s like digging in the dirt for the sake of wonder, and discovering treasure in the process. Thanks, you nailed the feeling I’ve been feeling as I am beginning to find myself in writing.
–Damon Dean
Thank you Julie and George for the insightful words and advice.
-Melissa Mead
Great post Ms. Hedlund! Great advice Mr. Shannon! It will really help me!
Erik
Thanks for the post! I enjoy playfulness as well!
This is wonderful – it is too easy to focus on the end before you barely get past the beginning!
This was an excellent read. You have no idea how much it has helped! Thank you Julie for introducing George Shannon to us.
Wonderful to find George’s blog! I am really enjoying the Illustrators Responding to Text posts. And yes, to the playfulness in my work in this post – it’s a must! – Vera Lisa Smetzer
Hi George Shannon,
Thank you for sharing that picture books have come from other projects, and the wise encouragement to keep creating, to trust that the creative project will become what it is meant to be. Wishing you the best of success with your writing. Thank you for offering a picture book critique for the month of February.
Abigail
Thanks for the inspiration and resources. Art and Fear is great for any artist.
Thank you, George, for a wonderful post. Sometimes I’m so aware of all the so-called rules that after the fun of coming up with a new idea, I forget the fun and think of it as work. And that’s no fun!! LOL. Thanks again for a thoughtful reminder of why I even started writing picture books!!
George,
What an inspiring post. I find comfort in your line, “The books we love are always waiting to teach us more about writing.” I often do this with my kids. When we are reading their choice of book at night, I find myself really taking in the words and pictures that makes up it’s magic. This helps to inspire me to take risks and like you say “play” in my writing a little more.
Thank you!
I’m so excited about all the good stuff peculating in my brain because of this 12×12 challenge. My Feb draft is well on it’s way.
Thanks, George, for sharing your wisdom with us!
As adults, we don’t often get “permission” to play. I need to do that more with writing- the “adult” in comes out way too much sometimes. Thanks George!
George, part of me can relate to what you have shared about your childhood. I too grew up reading “Little Golden Books” and my favorite children’s author is Richard Scarry. I still have my one his books that I received from the school library for meeting my summer reading goal going into second grade. I read that book over and over in bed many times. When I had my daughter I bought her Naughty Bunny and Busy, Busy town. Growing up I did not imaging becoming a writer but did dream of becoming an artist. That dream is still very much alive through illustrating my children’s books.
Being very new to children’s book writing I felt the need to learn as much as I could as quickly as I could regarding the “How To” and “Do and Don’t”. It is refreshing to read that I can play when I am creating new characters or stories. After all when take that first leap in penning my ideas and drawing my characters it was all brand new and fun. I did not worry about trends, markets and the like.
Thank you for your words of wisdom and insight.
This past year (ie, the year I finally became serious about writing fiction), I’ve done a lot of what my mom would call “refrying” — repurposing an idea or story, chucking out the unneeded bits, adding some spice, and hopefully serving up something delicious in the end. Hopefully, I’ll get better at getting things right (or a close approximation thereof!) on the first try, but I also hope I keep that wonderful open mind and sense of play you speak of. Thank you, George, for reminding us that writing is not always — nor should it be — a linear activity.
A great post and wise words. I too, always look back to my favourites when editing my own stories. Such wisdom within each page.
I look forward to reading George Shannon’s blog.
Happy play writing everyone.
Thank you for the wonderful post and especially the reading list at the end!
I’ve returned to this post several times so far this month. I love the inspiration and expectation to “play.” I’ve really pushed myself to do more of that this month and it has paid off! Thank you George Shannon.
I’ll definitely have to check out some of the books that nurture a sense of play. Great list!