Cuteness and tutorials I've found...




















Super cute mushroom table and chairs from The Gypsy Wagon.

Cutest Hat Ever from She Wears Flowers.

From In Between Laundry a cute idea to make no-slip socks.

NaPiBoWriWee Wrap Up

NaPiBoWriWee ended a while back, but I wanted to give a little summary of the week. Some days I breezed through writing my ms. Some days I didn't (like 6 out of 7 - ha!) But I thoroughly enjoyed the process. One day I just wrote a very basic board book story. The very last day I had NO idea what I was going to write and not a lot of motivation. But I sat down, schemed, plotted (out stories) and I wrote a rough manuscript.

I felt SO GOOD that last hard day. I can write whenever I need to, just gotta logoff facebook and the interwebs and try, try again. Loved NaPiBoWriWee! Can't wait for next year!!

Oh and to top off the joy of success I won a NaPiBoWriWee t-shirt and Julie Hedlund's app story, A Troop is a Group of Monkeys. So exciting!

Anybody up for a little NaPiBoWriWee??

NAPIBOWRIWEE stands for National Picture Book Writing Week. Every year, from May 1st to May 7th, they attempt to write 7 picture books in 7 days. It sounds absolutely nuts, so I decided to join in! Anybody else??

Seriously though, I think this will be a great way to keep B.I.C, buns in chair. I do thrive on deadlines!

Happy NaPiBoWriWee!!

Writer's Block . . .

"I can't do this." "I'll never get published." "How does anyone ever get published!" Any other writers have these thoughts?

About a week ago my brain seized up. I couldn't write at all. I'd sit at the computer, cruise Facebook. Open a file, type a few words, close it up. Watch TV.

Finally, last night (after watching Oliver Jeffers neat video) I shut down the computer, got out a notebook (paper, not a laptop!). Concocted a writing exercise (See Writing Exercises, #2).

Tonight I sat down and wrote the manuscript (ms). Now my manuscript is done for 12x12 for April. Take that writer's block! hi-YAH!

Recommended Picture Books

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood
except if  and Oh, No Little Dragon by Jim Averbeck
This Moose Belongs to Me and The Hueys in: The New Sweater by Oliver Jeffers