Lou and David Sears

This past week I’ve started two stories but haven’t hit the groove with either.  I wanted to write something about the superstitions of my Grandma Daisy, but it might not come across the right way for children.  I’ve called it “Grandma Says.”   The other is called “Mr. and Mrs. Cranky Pants” about cranky neighbors.  It’s based loosely on a couple of neighbors during my childhood.  I like the beginning but not happy with how I’m handling the problem and resolution in the story.  Need to think about both stories a little more.

It’s funny how you can find inspiration for stories in the strangest places.  My newest story “Mr. and Mrs. Cranky Pants” was inspired by my comment to a person at my doctor’s office.  There’s a nurse practitioner who works in my doctor’s office who I try to avoid at all times because she has terrible bedside manner and is cranky.  When attempting to make an appointment with my doctor and finding out she wasn’t available, I was told I could make an appointment instead with the cranky nurse practitioner (NP).  I mentioned to the lady at the appointment desk that I thought the NP was a “cranky pants” to which the person on the phone laughed and agreed with the comment.  After hanging up the phone, I thought about writing a story about someone who is a “cranky pants.”  Then I remembered these ladies who lived down the street from me in south St. Louis who used to scrub the sidewalk in front of their houses.  When we walked to school, the ladies would stand on their front porches and frown at us as we walked on “their” pristine sidewalk.

Received a reply from an agent I submitted a manuscript to recently.  Her comment made me think about the types of stories kids want to read.  She said my story was sweet, but that publishers weren’t looking for that type of story.  I’m hoping that what she said isn’t true.  I hope that publishers still want a variety of stories.

After feeling a bit discouraged from the first agent, I heard from a second agent about the same story.  She was interested and wanted to see more of my work.  So, what have I learned from this experience?  Keep doing what I do best – writing stories that come from the heart.

I recently paid a picture book author (from Verla Kay’s Blue Boards) to critique my latest manuscript.  Several of her suggestions were good, but she mentioned something called the “magic of threes.”  I think this technique would fit with certain stories, but not necessarily with all stories.  During more than 29 years of reading picture books to children, I’ve learned that some follow a formula but many are simply telling a good story with a beginning, middle, and end.  They include a problem and a solution with believable characters that kids can identify with.  I probably won’t pay for another critique from someone who isn’t an editor or agent.

I’ve been thinking about what it takes to be a great children’s author.  Kid’s love funny books so I think it’s important to have a sense of humor.  What kid doesn’t like to read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” or “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.”  Kids want to be able to identify with the characters they read about.  I can handle the part about identifying with a character since my stories are mostly based on personal experiences but I sometimes have difficulty “writing funny.”  Maybe this means I just need to stick to storytelling in my manuscripts and leave the funny part to when it happens in the natural telling of the story.

I’m venturing into the world of blogs today.  After attending a SCBWI Workshop yesterday in St. Louis, I felt ready to give it a try.  I’ve learned that it’s considered important in the world of writing and publishing. 

The workshop had general sessions which included how to establish an internet presence, speakers talking about the craft of writing, and you could sign up for small group sessions with an agent.   I had no idea what to expect in a small group critique session with an agent.  We were told to bring 9 copies of our manuscript and be prepared to take notes and basically not speak.  This is hard for me since I like to explain things, but I was ready to comply – that is until the agent opened the door with a question directly to me.  She wanted to know why my character would give away a beloved quilted bear that her grandmother had made for her.  I told her it was because it was based on a true story – I had given away a rag doll my grandmother had made for me.  (Yes, this was a stupid thing to do – but I didn’t want to lose my friend so I did it.  I’ve always regretted it and this book  is what I wish I would have done instead.)

Most of my stories are based on things that have happened to me or my family.  My first story is about a girl finding out about her roots.  I wrote it last year at this time while planning a trip to Ireland to explore my ancestry.