I am a spider
dangling above a pit,
each thread I spin holding a bit of hope
that
it will be
the one
that will lead me up up up
to where I want to be,
but knowing that
at any moment
a little snip!
could send me
f
a
l
l
i
n
g
and so I spin
and spin again
hanging my hopes
on tiny threads
that keep me
dangerously
aloft.
(c) Rebecca J. Gomez
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Sunday, December 02, 2012
PiBoIdMo Wrap-up, or How do I Brainstorm?
Happy December!
Picture Book Idea Month is officially over, and I'm happy to say that I have THIRTY-ONE shiny new picture book ideas to choose from. A few of my ideas came to me in those magical sudden inspiration moments, but most of them came as a result of active brainstorming sessions.
As a writer, I'm not much of a brainstormer, except when I'm working with Corey. I like my ideas to come to me naturally, not to be hunted down and forced into submission. But PiBoIdMo is supposed to be a challenge, so I used the opportunity to break out of my shell and see if anything good comes of it.
I'd say that a list of thirty-one new ideas is a good thing.
So how did I, as a non-brainstormer, manage to do it? Here are a few of the ways I was able to capture some ideas.
Picture Book Idea Month is officially over, and I'm happy to say that I have THIRTY-ONE shiny new picture book ideas to choose from. A few of my ideas came to me in those magical sudden inspiration moments, but most of them came as a result of active brainstorming sessions.
As a writer, I'm not much of a brainstormer, except when I'm working with Corey. I like my ideas to come to me naturally, not to be hunted down and forced into submission. But PiBoIdMo is supposed to be a challenge, so I used the opportunity to break out of my shell and see if anything good comes of it.
I'd say that a list of thirty-one new ideas is a good thing.
So how did I, as a non-brainstormer, manage to do it? Here are a few of the ways I was able to capture some ideas.
- Sitting in the car with my notebook in my lap, tapping my pen on the blank page. I look around, let my mind wander, and see what random thoughts enter my brain. Yes, this has actually worked. More than once.
- Being alert for the slightest odd behavior and/or language in the people around me.
- Thinking big and wacky. Some of the best stories are ordinary situations magnified times 10!
- Purposely coming up with far-fetched "what if" scenarios.
- Mentally placing different animals into various human situations. Try it. The results can be hilarious!
- Talking to kids. If they have an experience worthy of sharing with me, chances are there will be a story there that other kids would want to hear.
- Imagining my favorite movies and TV shows as picture books.
- Playing with words. Sometimes a common phrase changed-up can inspire an entire story!
- Sharing idea-sparking conversations with my friend Corey.
These are some of the methods that have worked for me. What about you? Did you participate in PiBoIdMo?
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