The End

I recently published my first edited book,  Labor of Love: A Literary Mama Staff Anthology ,  with  Small Harbor Publishing . It's an anthology of writing from  Literary Mama  staff over the past 20 years. It's a beautiful collection and I am proud of the writers and proud to share the book.  It seems a fitting moment, as I pondered sharing about the book here on the blog, to reflect on my life as a blogger, and acknowledge that it is time to officially end this blog.   I started blogging in about 2007, when my baby was learning to toddle, when I was learning how to be a mother and stepmother, when I was just starting to see my way as a writer. I needed it back then. I craved it. I had a variety of blog iterations--family, art, creativity, writing things I delved into. There's a freedom in blogging, a casualness, an easy familiarity that's lacking (for me anyway) in other kinds of writing. I loved blogging and the words came pouring out.  Over the years since then, some
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PiBoIdMo

You may notice the new badge at the right there that says PiBoIdMo, and be wondering what the heck that is!  It stands for Picture Book Idea Month, and is fashioned after the NaNoWrMo- National Novel Writing Month.  In NaNoWrMo, you dedicate the month of november to writing an entire novel.  For people who write picture books, the challenge is shaped a little differently. 

Instead of creating one complete book, the challenge for PiBoIdMo is to record a new idea for a picture book each day in the month of november.  It could be a name of a book, a developed character, a scene, or a plotline that strikes you as worth writing about.  Coming up with ideas is a way to generate the creative juices, and offer lots and lots of fuel for the flames of the rest of the year.  Begin with all the ideas and then get writing the remaining part of the story.

I'm definitely interested in how this will go, as I take out a new notebook and get my pen ready.  I think of new picture book ideas constantly, and already have quite a list of ideas. I hope that the inspiration pushes me on to become more focused in the execution of one of these books.  Ideas are one thing, but creation is quite another.

This little gem of an idea began with Tara Lazar, over at her blog Writing for Kids (While Raising Them). Tara has an informative and fun site, and is leading the masses of picture book writers on to greatness.  Check out her site, jot down your ideas in november, and write on!

Comments

Unknown said…
Hi Amanda...I am participating in the NaNoWrMo for the first time and am really eager to get started! For years I kept ideas for kid's books on scrap pieces of paper that I'd throw into a file and revisit. Some of them were published, and now I'm turning my attention to fiction and memoir.
Good luck...have a great time coming up with ideas!
October 28, 2011 at 7:31 PM
Amanda K Jaros said…
Thanks for stopping by Monica! And good luck with NaNoWrMo!! I'll have to look for your kid's books out there- how cool!
October 28, 2011 at 9:40 PM
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