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Free Up Time to Write

12/15/2021

 
Free Up Time Photo writing
By: Gabriele Davis

Whether or not we celebrate major holidays this month, our days can fill up with end-of-year activities and obligations. The more tasks we simplify, the more space we create to recharge and spend time doing what we love, like reading great books to our favorite little ones—and writing them. In that spirit, here are a few time saving tips:
  • Make a plan. At least once a week, sit down with a planner and plan backwards. Note the date by which you want to accomplish major tasks, and decide what you need to do to make them happen and when. Then make notes on the appropriate dates. Efficient time management allows more time for the things you love.
  • Do evening prep. Help your mornings flow smoothly by getting ready the night before. Plan and/or prep breakfast, make lunches, organize backpacks, etc. If you drink coffee, set up your coffeemaker and program it to be ready when you wake up.
  • Wake up early. If possible, wake up before the rest of your family. Use this time to center yourself, exercise and/or do any tasks that require concentration. Try not to check your phone or tablet until your early morning routine is complete. Calm, productive mornings promote calm, productive days.
  • Keep it simple. If you’re giving gifts this season, save wrapping time by opting for gift bags, baskets, decorative boxes or tote bags instead. Save shopping time by going online or visiting stores that offer nighttime hours this time of year.
  • Pull out your crockpot. Many delicious crockpot recipes require zero stovetop prep. Just plop everything into the slow-cooker and flip it on, freeing you up to write—while dinner cooks itself. Consider doubling your recipes and storing half in the fridge (or freezer) for a quick meal another day.
  • Delegate. Create a chore chart and get the whole family involved. Assign age-appropriate chores to your kids. Research shows that kids who do chores around the house are happier than kids who don’t. If they need motivation, use these tips to make cleaning fun. 
  • Practice self-care. It might seem counterintuitive, but when your to-do list is mile-high, STOP and take a moment to just breathe. Close your eyes and follow your IN breath all the way in, noticing your belly, ribs and chest expand. Then follow your OUT breath all the way out, aware of your shoulders relaxing, your belly softening. Repeat as often as you are able. When you take a moment to calm mind and body, you gain perspective and time feels more elastic.

Gabriele Davis is the author of Peaches and Our Joyful Noise, both releasing in 2024.


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Gathering Before Drafting: A Process for Pre-Writing Picture Books

6/30/2021

 
Gathering before Drafting: A Process for Pre-Writing Picture Books
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
People often ask me about my writing process for a picture book (PB), including this question, which always trips me up: How do you go from an idea to a complete draft of a PB? I know the person asking is often looking for a strategy, but I never know how to simply describe my strategy in a clear way except to call it “gathering.” This article is my attempt to lay it out. Maybe, it will be useful to some writers out there. At the very least, I hope it will be entertaining.

Strategies That Don’t Work for Me: Pantsing or Outlining

Lots of PB creators simply dive in and draft. Theoretically, pantsing a PB of less than 1000 words is easy compared to a 50,000+ novel. Yet and still, it has a lot of the same pitfalls for writers like me: it leads to unfocused, meandering writing. For me, it means never getting to the end of the story and probably getting bored.
​
Other authors outline. Hundreds of great PB templates exist on the internet. However, I’ve always found outlining a picture book painstaking. If I try to structure a new story idea, I experience a lot of creative blocks and can’t figure out how to move forward. I need some messiness to generate ideas.

My Strategy: Gathering

Because the two methods above don’t work for me, I gather. Another way to explain my process is intensive brainstorming–it’s days of brainstorming–and gathering or collecting my notes from that brainstorming.
​
To show what I mean by this, I found old notebooks where I gathered brainstorms for Your Name is a Song and took pictures.
Handwritten notes
Yeah... I wrote pieces for Your Name is a Song in four notebooks... on random pages, interspersed with diary entries, random lists, and brainstorms for other books! 
Handwritten notes
Did I mention I struggle with organization?
Handwritten notes
Through looking back at these old scribblings, I was able to figure out just what I am doing during my process, and I’m proud to say I did organize that process here!

1. A Very Long Free Write (maybe multiple)

I started out knowing that I wanted to write a book called, Your Name is a Song, but had no idea what the story was about. That title came to me as I was reflecting on a child’s beautiful name, and I decided to write a story that could fit that title.
​
These are some pages from an almost five-page free write I did to get ideas. Free writing  means quickly writing all of your ideas during a set time period without stopping to edit those thoughts. I find writing without self-censoring a therapeutic way to start a book. It took me at least two free writing periods to have a clear direction for Your Name is a Song.
Handwritten notes

2. Writing Down Words, Phrases, and Sentences I Want in the Book

Once I pinned down that Your Name is a Song would feature many names from multiple cultures, I was constantly making random name lists.
Handwritten notes
In addition to important words, or in this case names, I will write sentences, phrases, and major ideas I want to put in any book. I don’t necessarily know how or where these will fit in the narrative but I jot them down. Here, I was focusing on language around made-up names.
Handwritten notes

3. Notes of Encouragement

Finding old notes to myself made this dig into old notebooks pretty special. I, like many authors, often doubt myself while writing a book. I write myself encouraging notes when I’m having those moments. I think they’re an important part of the process.
​
I hesitated to share the note I found in the middle of my brainstorming. It makes me blush. The language is so lofty, and it talks about my work as genius . However, when I’m having a moment when I don’t feel good enough to write something, I need a note to lean into grandiosity. (And authors, if the note is helpful to you in your own writing, please use it!)
Handwritten notes
There are no limits to genius. Because it [genius] isn’t yours. But you can hold on to and grasp as many pieces of this infinite mass [of genius] if you want it enough. If you crave it enough. You can create this work of art because it is there to be created.

4. Asking Myself Questions

My questions are interspersed throughout my brainstorming pieces. They are in my freewrites. They are in places where I wrote about scenes. An important question to ask yourself again and again throughout this pre-writing process is “why?”
Handwritten notes
Here I ask myself: Should I give [my MC] a name? I answer: Shaherazadrina. Of course, I later changed that!

5. Write Messy Versions of Two Key Scenes (typically from the beginning and the end)

I write quick and short versions of scenes. From this photo, you can see just how short sometimes. The important thing at this stage is not that I’ve written a long detailed complete scene but that I have a clear idea in my head of the complete scene.
Handwritten notes
Here I am teasing out the beginning scene of the book when the girl stomps and say “I never want to go back there again!”

Time to Draft!

After gathering ideas, words, and scenes, I have a good sense of my picture book. I know where it’s going and what it needs to do. I know and love my characters. And I am DYING to finally write the thing. When I have to write the story, I know my idea gathering is done.

Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, M.S.Ed, is a Philadelphia-based educator and children’s book author. Her works, which feature young Black Muslim protagonists, have been recognized and critically-praised by many trusted voices in literature, including American Library Association, School Library Journal, and NPR. She writes picture books and middle grade fiction. Her books include Mommy’s Khimar, Once Upon an Eid (contributor), Your Name is a Song, and Abdul’s Story. She’s taught youth in traditional and alternative learning settings for 15 years.

http://jamilahthewriter.com

Reconnecting to Creativity through Meditation

2/27/2021

 
Creativity
Photo by Maahid Photos on Unsplash
Creativity helps to support our mental health and well-being by allowing for a connection to self-expression. Modern research suggests mindfulness-based meditation practices can help us contact creative flow by:
  • allowing for purposeful, attentive mind-wandering
  • enhancing focus
  • reducing judgement and fear
  • encouraging open thinking patterns (Henriksen et al 2020)

Age-old yoga and mindfulness philosophies have always reminded us that when we intentionally pay attention to present moment experience with kind curiosity and care, we create the space to connect with our innate strengths, including creativity.  When we can bring a caring, mindful presence to whatever it is we are doing, we naturally create the conditions necessary for creative intelligence to flow through us.

Looking for a quick creative boost in the middle of your day? Consider trying this mindfulness meditation practice known as the Sky of Awareness. Invite a fresh perspective, and explore what arises.  Enjoy:
  1. Taking a few moments to settle into a comfortable seated posture, eyes closed or gazing gently to the floor, allow attention to rest softly upon watching the breath just as it is.  You could also choose to gather attention around an intentional word, mantra, or short prayer as a grounding anchor.
  2. Using your anchor for support, invite attention to broaden, imagining the mind as wide and expansive as the Sky.  Opening attention up to include sounds, allow their pitches and tones to come and go in this vast Sky of Awareness.
  3. Also held in this Sky are sensations within the body. These too, like sounds, have the quality of arising and falling away.  Returning to your anchor as you need, explore the quality of bodily sensations available right now in the company of sounds, just letting it all be.
  4. You may have already noticed that the broad Sky of Awareness also holds space for thoughts, mental images, and emotions.  They shift and change like varying weather patterns within this expansive Sky.  Instead of ignoring them or pushing them aside, see if it is possible to allow them to come, linger, and move on, along with sounds and sensations.  Allow for the unfolding of life just as it is, remembering your anchor is always available to return to whenever you need it.
  5. Once you are feeling ready, gather attention back to the breath, or whatever supportive anchor you have been using. Notice the quality of your presence and rest here for a few more moments. Invite a sense of gratitude to yourself for exploring this vast Sky of Awareness within. Thank you.

by Rashmi Bismark, MD, MPH, Mindfulness educator and author of Finding Om
Finding Om
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