Five weeks until ReviMo! I'm excited, how about everyone else? Today we have Christine Irvin with us. Welcome Christine!
I have had a passion for writing ever since I can remember. When I was younger, I liked to write poetry. It just felt right to write poems about things that were important to me. Now, I don't write poetry very much, but I like to write stories, particularly stories for children, hopefully ones that will become picture books. I started reading very early and I am an avid reader. Books have had a major impact in my life. I would like to have at least one picture book in print that is the kind of book that kids ask for again and again and again. Okay, I want to be the author of a whole slew of those kinds of PBs, but ya gotta start somewhere. That dream is there, and has been for quite some time, and I keep pursuing it even though I sometimes get sidetracked.
Christine you have several craft books published Paper Cup Mania, Egg Carton Mania and more (click here), how have they influenced your picture book writing?
Well, at the beginning, right after they came out in print, I was under the mistaken impression that I had hit the big time. I had eight craft books to my name (then, there are 9 now). Surely, publishers would want to publish other things I had written. Right? Wrong. It's been a very slow, uphill journey in my picture book writing career. I keep writing stories and they keep getting rejected (for a number of reasons). That's discouraging, but I keep on trying. I've incorporated the idea of making things into the story lines of a couple of my most recent endeavors. I like the idea of the main character learning how to make things, how to create something decorative or useful. I think that idea could work well in the picture book market. I'm going to keep working on it...
Favorite picture book?
Gosh, I don't think I have a FAVORITE one, there are just sooooo many really, really good ones. I LOVE most of the picture books J. Patrick Lewis has written. He writes a lot of poetry for children and I love his style.
What inspires you to revise?
I've joined a couple of critique groups whose members are very helpful and encouraging. They are good at pointing out the places in my stories that need revision, but they also are very good at offering suggestions for revisions. They help me look at my stories from different angles to see what works and what doesn't work, so I have a better idea of how to revise and make them better.
Thank you Christine!
7 comments :
Thanks, Meg, for having me on your page!!
The pleasure was all mine! So fun learning about fellow writers and 12x12ers. :D
"Okay, I want to be the author of a whole slew of those kinds of PBs, but ya gotta start somewhere." Love that, Christine!!!
Thanks for a great interview, Meg. It was great to learn more about Christine and her writing journey :-)
Thanks for a great post, Christine! I'm excited for the new year and this challenge is a great way to begin.:)
What a great idea to incorporate making/creating things by your MC into your stories, Christine; it's obviously what you're really good at! It was fun learning more about you!
I didn't know about all your craft books, Christine--congratulations! Lots of magazines want craft ideas.
Thanks for sharing about the fact that just because you are published and have craft books out there, doesn't mean that it's a shoe-in to get your picture books published. I think that many people believe that if you are a published author, getting any story you write is a piece of cake. I agree that critique groups can really help so much! I'm looking forward to ReviMo and getting revved up for 2014. Much success to you, Christina.:)
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