Thanks to
StoryStorm and @TaraLazar, January was a great month for writers and other
creatives to get inspired by coming up with an idea each day for the entire
month. If you tried it, I hope you have a big list of ideas now! I ended up
with over 30 ideas and 5 or 6 of them look promising to explore further,
so I’m quite pleased. (For more on the process of weeding out ideas see Kate
Messner’s excellent post on Picture Book Math (And Why You Should Write Something New.)
In case you
missed out on the #StoryStorm fun, I’ve created a collection of inspiring
quotes from the StoryStorm posts to turn to when you need a creative
pick-me-up.
1. Dan Moynihan, Day 5: “Don’t be afraid to explore a possibility just because you don’t know where it will lead.”
2. Jennifer Arena, Day 7: “…the everyday can become fantastic, if you just change your perspective.”
3. Nancy Churnin Day 10: “…don’t
forget that life and ideas are waiting like treasures in plain sight to be
discovered and savored…”
4. Marcie Colleen, Day 14: “…having a
stellar idea doesn’t always lead to immediately being able to draft up the
story. Some things take time.”
5. Laurie Ann Thompson, Day 17: “...as writers,
we have a super power: the ability to make our readers feel, and it is through
the experience of these feelings that hearts and minds—particularly those of
young readers—are forever changed.”
6. Ross MacDonald, Day 19: “Working
hard at one thing doesn’t take away from other things, it adds to them.”
7. Adam Grant, Day 23: “Being
original isn’t about being first— it's about being different and better.”
I totally missed this. Thanks for the inspiring quotes.
ReplyDeleteYes! I participated too, and came up with 31 shiny new ideas. I love that they don't have to be picture books anymore (although I admit more than half of my ideas are) so I have chapter book ideas and novel ideas too. And as for quotes, you picked out some winners. Thanks. I also loved Deb Lund's post from Day 1, in which she said: "Creativity needs chaos. It needs a storm. Once in a while we need to be shaken out of our pitiful patterns and hideous habits." I definitely needed to be reminded of that!
ReplyDeleteOooh, I love that one! It's so true. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut and need to look at a story or idea from a new angle.
DeleteI signed up but moving into a new place got in my way. I see here a bit of what I missed. Next time for sure.
ReplyDelete