PiBoIdMo Halfway Point!

We made it! Halfway through November. So now Christmas music is playing in just about ever retail space. I'm not prepared! Well actually, I should be done with all the extra shopping I'm doing before the end of the month. Whoot! I'm trying to keep December more about my 3 Fs: Family, Friends and FOOD. Yum. I'm excited just thinking about it. :)

My first PiBoIdMo week was more full of ideas then this past week. Only 8 new ideas. Just over half of week one. But, I'm still on track to finish with more then 30 new ideas. And there are a few that are actually GOOD ideas. Some ideas are dead ends right now. Like the one I got when we found a caterpillar ride along in the stroller. That one isn't inspiring me at ALL right now. But maybe one day.

That's why I'm keeping all these ideas. My own treasure chest of ideas. (Yes, it's a folder, but it's full of gems. HarHar.) One day one of these dead end ideas may spark a new story. Who knows! I could write something about a world traveling caterpillar. That doesn't excited me right now, but with the right twist it could. I just need to sit on these ideas until they are ready to hatch.

Each idea counts. Some won't grow in to anything quickly, but they have the potential. It's all about the potential.

Week 1 PiBoIdMo Done!

There has been a lot of chatter recently about how great the kid lit community is and I completely agree. I have truly enjoyed the openness and camaraderie that the online community offers along with the acceptance and encouragement that surround the interactions. It still amazes me how quickly I felt like part of the community. My local SCBWI Region has been a wonderful community as well. Art Date anyone?

These year has been a whirl wind of new experiences and I am enjoying most of it. Rejections (I just got one today) are part of the game and to reach the ultimate goal they are a necessary evil. Sad, but true. But, by being part of the phenomenal kid lit community we can all celebrate each others' successes and rise together when we are feeling down and out. 

Right. Back to it. 

So, for the first week of PiBoIdMo I am ahead! 13 ideas logged so far. I am enjoying my current idea keeping system. I've been using notecards for the actually ideas and pinning articles/pictures to my cork boards. Ok, one cork board is all kid art work. :)

My sticker machine makes some great stickers.
I have the little lightbulb all over. 

PiBoIdMo Idea Meter

I am all set up and ready for PiBoIdMo (that's Picture Book Idea Month) to start tomorrow. Ok almost ready. I still need to decide how I want to record all these ideas, but I have a few options. Notebook, index cards, cork board and pins. I think I'm going to end up with a combination of all three to be honest. Over the course of the challenge (30 PB ideas in 30 days) maybe one of these will win out. Stay tuned to find out how they are all working!

November will be all about the ideas! So to keep visual track of how things are going I added a progress meter over there on the left. In case you are participating in PiBoIdMo (or NaNoWriMo) you can add this to your blog too!

Here's how I added mine.

First I Googled and found a progress meter I liked at http://honorless.net/progressbar.htm.
It was the first one I found that would let me go as low as 30. Most of what I found are for novel writers for NaNoWriMo and didn't like being set below a few thousand. (Any programers out there want to make a snazzy meter for us PB writers??)

This is a screen shot of the website. All I did was change the goal number from 50,000 to 30 and picked the font. Then click Refresh Code and copy all the text in the box.

Now the next part will be different depending on where your host your blog. But here's how I did it in Blogger.

From the Blogger Dashboard, go to the layout page and click add gadget. Choose the HTML/JavaScript Gadget.

A smaller window will pop up. Enter a Title for your meter then paste the code you copied from the website box in the Content box. Save and you're done!

There's mine!

You could save the website with the progress meter and repeat the process each time you update your meter. That is every time you add ideas! Or you can change the code by editing the gadget.

From the layout page on the dashboard, click EDIT in the bottom right hand corner of the gadget box. The following window will open.

Your total number of ideas is the BLUE box (here 10) and the RED boxes are the percentage you are finished. To find that number divide your number of ideas by 30 and multiply by 100. (I rounded a bit here. :) )

Then save and you're done!

I think I got all of it.

Here's to many great ideas in November!!

Presenting....

After quite a LONG hiatus, I'm slowly getting back into everything. One bit at a time, baby steps. :)

First, we welcomed our newest addition, a little boy, at the end of August. He has yet to reveal his alter ego, but for the time being he'll be known here as "Little D."

Next up is an invitation to an event I'm co-hosting:



I've heard from a few novel writers so far and I would love to grow the picture book group!

For more information about the November challenges, visit PiBoIdMo and NaNoWriMo.

Hope to meet you at the event or virtually for PiBoIdMo!

Let's Start a Conversation: How do we get good books to kids?

I was going to write up a post about the Picture Book Panel at Politics and Prose on May 19th, but Publisher's Weekly did a nice job and there is video HERE. For a great blow-by-blow, check out Once Upon a Story's synopsis.

Instead of writing up my notes, which would not be as good as the two above, I've been thinking about children's literacy non-profits. Something Jon Scieszka said on the panel was that there are a lot of these literacy programs but they give the "crappiest books to the poorest schools." 

So how do we get the BEST books out to kids? If the books the kids are presented with are great, engaging, thought provoking books they are going to want to read. And read them again and again. 

Not only do many of them have programs for getting books into the hands of kids, they have wonderful volunteer opportunities and various events for us all to get involved with. 

Here are is a VERY brief selection:

An Open Book - This organization was mentioned by Meg Medina during the panel.Their mission is to promote literacy in the Washington, DC area. They give books to disadvantaged children and teens and they also provide author and illustrator visits. (If you know of an organization like this near you, please share it below!)

Reading is Fundamental (RIF)- The largest children's literacy non-profit in the US. From their website, "We prepare and motivate children to read by delivering free books and literacy resources to those children and families who need them most. We inspire children to be lifelong readers through the power of choice. RIF provides new, free books for children to choose from and make their own."

National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance - Founded by award-winning authors and illustrators, the NCBLA believes that literacy is more then just the ability to read it is also about accessibility to quality literature that encourages the readers to dream and achieve those dreams. "We believe that literacy is essential to the development of responsible citizens in a democracy. The main goal of the NCBLA is to make issues related to young people’s literacy, literature, and libraries an ongoing priority on our national agenda." (from the NCBLA website.)

Children's Book Council (CBC)- "The Children’s Book Council is the national nonprofit trade association of children’s book publishers. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, literacy advocacy, and collaborations with other national organizations." (from the CBC website.)

Raising a Reader -  This organization focuses on family involvement in a child's reading adventure. According to their website, since they began they "have helped more than 900,000 families build and sustain reading routines in their homes, with special attention to highest-risk for educational failure."

Lastly, RIF has a current campaign called Book People Unite. You can see the short video and sign the pledge here.

The Enforcer already LOVES to read!

I see our "mini library" at home as such a blessing and gift for our kids. I would love to be able to share the love of reading my family has with others. And hopefully, work towards making books accessible to all kids. 

Do you know of a great children's literacy organization that we all should know about? Please share it below! 

I would love to get a great list together over time.

Any ideas on other ways to get great books to kids?