Why go to ALA?

thoughts from Hazel Mitchell

If you're not a librarian or a publisher, why would you go to an ALA event? (And for those of you who don't know, ALA stands for American Library Association).

My question is, why would you not?

Twice yearly ALA holds a national conference in Mid Winter and in Summer. Venues rotate each year, so they could be in Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, DC etc. At some point there'll be one near you! And if you're an author or an illustrator (pubbed or unpubbed) take some time and go see what it's all about. If it's within traveling distance, you could just go for the day, otherwise, obviously, there's the cost of travel and hotel, which may be tax deductible. The cost of registering for the exhibition floor is minimal, some of the panels or events will cost extra. Personally, I could spend all day on the exhibition floor and not see everything. Even better -  get your crit group/friends/booklovers together and have a road trip!

Aside from bagging goodies, seeing amazing authors and illustrators, witnessing librarians en masse, browsing the stands of publishers large and small, you'll see a whole other side to the publishing industry and what makes it tick.

Of course, one of the best ways to get there is if you are invited by your publisher, all expenses paid. In fact, a couple of years ago I thought that was the only way you COULD go!

But not so .. anyone can attend the exhibition or register for events that happen all through the week. And if you're published and your publisher has a booth, ask them if they'd like you to do a signing while you're there and if they are willing to get you a pass. Good publicity for you and your publisher. That's my opinion - the world has changed and so has publishing. TIP - you have to invest in yourself and your career.

Signing at Charlesbridge Booth

As I said, you can spend a long time just walking the exhibition floor. If you've a pass go an hour early before everyone arrives, grab a coffee and spend quiet time browsing the stands and looking at next season's books - in peace.

When the doors open, be prepared for a stampede! Librarians in large quantities are a little scary! It IS wonderful to witness the enthusiasm and sheer love of books pouring forth. Many of the publishers give away free copies (or at reduced cost) and arcs/f&g's and they're highly sought after. It's wonderful to have a copy of the book before it hits the shelves! Especially if you can get it signed by the author or illustrator. (Something to treasure on the dark days of winter).

Mo Willems!

Brian Selznick managed to get a photo with me ;-)

Yes, it's a chance to mingle with the great and the good! Maybe you'll only ever see so much children's writing and illustrating talent in one place. The publishers bring out the stars and the signing lines can be very, VERY long. Just the chance to say hello to a literary hero or have a photo with them is inspiring!


You never know who you will bump into round each corner...

Olivia!

Erin and Phillip Stead with Neal Porter watching over.

Editors and art directors are sometimes on the stands along with the hard-working marketing personnel. But this is NOT the place to pitch your idea or go for a hard hitting sell! People are here to talk to librarians and sell books. Not saying that occasionally there's time for a chat or to fall into conversation, and who knows where it could lead? In any situation be professional. If the meeting suggests it, leave your promo card and ask for theirs. TIP - be interested in what's new on their list and you'll always find something to talk about.

With Ellen Hopkins

During the day there are events happening on the floor. Different stages have authors and illustrators talking and demo-ing throughout the day - check out the schedule and mark who you want to listen to. This year I got to hear Ellen Hopkins reading from her new book. Then I got a hug too!

Artist's Alley always has an interesting display of art and artists to talk to.

Jon Klassen receives his Caldecott!

There may be panels you can attend free of charge, so again check the schedule. You may need to register for some of these before the conference.

Aside from publishers, all kinds of book related businesses exhibit at ALA and there are lots of things to browse.

Summer ALA is home to the Newbery/Caldecott awards (among other ceremonies). Treat yourself and buy a ticket for the banquet. TIP - go along to the venue and wait until after the eating has finished. Then interested listeners can sit on chairs placed at the back of the banquet hall to listen and see the awards presented. While the banquet is happening you can hang at the bar! The awards are magnificent, it's great to be in the atmosphere.

Coretta Scott King Breakfast

See your heroes. And talk to librarians!

Beautiful dessert at the Caldecott Banquet

The Coretta Scott King Breakfast is a wonderful event I'd highly recommend.Again, a fantastic atmosphere and will bring you to tears.

S&S Dessert Party

Outside of the exhibition itself you'll find peripheral events going on - a pre-Caldecott talk for example, or other events featuring YA authors. Often local Kidlit groups will organize get togethers. Best of all if you can swing an invite to one of the big publishing houses 'dessert' evenings GO!

Candace Fleming, Anastasia Suen and Eric Rohmann.

One of the nicest things is meeting up with friends you might not have seen for a while. Often people in the book industry are far flung, and events like this are the only time they get together.

With Kirsten Cappy of Curious City

All in all it feels like coming home.

See you at Las Vegas summer ALA 2014!

Find out more about ALA here:
http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/ala-upcoming-annual-conferences-midwinter-meetings

And for a look at Summer 2013 Chicago ... http://ala13.ala.org/

Thanks for visiting Turbo Monkeys!

Find out more about me at www.hazelmitchell.com

See my latest book trailer for 'One Word Pearl' from Charlesbridge/Mackinac Island Press.

Come meet me at:
Princeton Book Festival, NJ Sept 21st NERA Reading Event, Portland Maine
Sept 19th
NESCBWI Illustrator's Symposium,
Nov 2 Manchester, NH.

FAST DRAFTING: Wrap-Up

by Kristen Crowley Held

I did it! I finished a rough draft of my story! Okay, I didn’t write the last line until last week, but I wouldn’t have gotten there without my two weeks of fast drafting. 

As you may recall, in the blog post I wrote on Day One of my fast drafting class I said my goal was: 

“to commit to a story and vomit it on the page fast enough that I don’t have time to talk myself out of writing it. It will not be perfect. It may be total crap. I may put it directly in the bottom of a trunk once I reach 280 pages. BUT I WILL WRITE 280 PAGES!!”

Here are my stats:

I had a little bit of trouble with committing to one story (I switched stories on Day 5), but I did manage to write 20 pages every day and had a couple of glorious days where I wrote even more. 

Total number of pages written = 293 (Courier 12pt, for those of you who are curious)

Word count = 61,402

What I’ll do differently next time:

Be a Plotser. It seems I’m neither a Plotter* nor a Pantser**, but somewhere in between. I initially tried to pants a brand new story but on Day 4 I realized I had too many questions and instead of writing scenes I was brainstorming plot. The story wasn’t solid enough in my head to get it down on paper yet. My muse totally balks at plotting out an entire story ahead of time, but I need it to be at least partially defined before I try to capture it on the page. 

Why Fast Drafting worked for me:

As I said, I like challenges! And this class gave me a specific goal with a finite timeframe. 

When I hit the wall with my pantser story, instead of flailing around in despair and deciding that there were fifty million other things I should be doing instead of writing, I had a challenge to focus on. Plus I was getting daily email updates from my classmates and I did NOT want to be the person who either didn’t post their page count or had to admit they’d only written 216 words for the day. Did I mention that Candy is hardcore? When she says you get your words done no matter what, she means it. 

I couldn’t figure out how to make forward progress on my pantser story but I had two or three other ideas that I’d been mulling over before the class started so I decided to write a one paragraph synopsis for each idea and see what happened. When I got to the third story idea, one that’s been in my back pocket for over a year, I wrote the synopsis and just kept writing. And writing. And 213 pages later it was the last day of class.

Admittedly, I was still nowhere near finished with my story. So I kept writing. Not at the same 20 pages a day pace, which I’ve found is nearly impossible to maintain for more than two weeks without a great deal of advance preparation (and possibly a nanny). But without that two week promise I certainly wouldn’t have a big fat stack of manuscript pages sitting on my desk ready for me to revise. 

Revisionland, here I come!

Why I encourage you to try Fast Drafting:

It’s a huge commitment of time and energy but it’s only two weeks! Two weeks to focus in on your story and figure out very quickly what’s working and what isn’t, instead of flailing around for months, maybe even years. 

I will definitely plan on fast drafting again, but for now I've got a novel to revise!

*Plotter: one who carefully plots her book ahead of time 

**Pantser: one who writes by the seat of her pants

FAST DRAFTING: Day One!

by Kristen Crowley Held

After reading Julie’s post last week I’m even more excited about the two week investment in my writing that I recently decided to make.

Some of my best adventures in life thus far have been the result of doing something most people thought was crazy.  

Ride my bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles? Sure, why not?

A couple of weeks ago I went in search of a writing adventure and found Candace Havens' Fast Draft Workshop. The objective of the class is to write twenty pages a day for fourteen days. Twenty pages! A day! For fourteen days!

According to the class rules THERE ARE NO EXCUSES IN FAST DRAFT! Unless you’re dead or in a coma, you must write your twenty pages.

Have I mentioned I like challenges?

Flying trapeze, anyone?

Today is DAY ONE.

This morning I’ll be rising before the sun and sending my Internal Editor on a two week vacation. I’ve prepped meals for my family, scheduled hours of entertainment for my kiddos, cleared my desk and set aside at least two and a half hours a day to write.

In order to keep myself accountable I’ll be posting my daily page tally as comments on this blog entry EVERY SINGLE DAY.

My goal is to commit to a story and vomit it on the page fast enough that I don’t have time to talk myself out of writing it. It will not be perfect. It may be total crap. I may put it directly in the bottom of a trunk once I reach 280 pages. BUT I WILL WRITE 280 PAGES!!

It’s only two weeks, right? 

Even if you’re not ready to commit to writing 280 pages in two weeks, or you’re in the middle of revisions or copyedits or whatever, I dare you to challenge yourself today. Pick a goal that seems crazy and, once you’ve decided there are no excuses for not meeting that goal, post it in the comments section to keep yourself accountable. I promise to cheer you on! 

After I finish my twenty pages, of course.

UPDATE: You can read my wrap-up post on my fast drafting experience here.

Reality Check: Investing Where It Matters by Julie

In recent weeks, I’ve been working through a career research unit with my sophomores. Some days I’ve felt FRUSTRATED with how little thought and effort some of the kids seem to put into the possibilities. I worry about them not getting a handle on their own power to choose attitudes and actions—their destinies—so I push.

One day last week, we took a look at a clip from APixar Story, an inspiring documentary about the evolution of the company. We had a discussion about the challenges individuals in the fledgling company faced and what contributed to their successes. 

Mid-chat, I had a doozy of an a-ha moment.

Sometimes the things right in front of me are hard to see.

It struck me that investment is key—not so much the money kind, but the time, effort, perseverance, and belief in what could be (even during the times things look dire) kinds. Success takes real investment. Without it, how can anything really change? It's the difference between the dream of being a doctor, tattoo artist, or writer and actually being one. Of course, I knew that on some level, but now I could feel it.

The a-ha moment had less pleasant second phase (the HA part).It was uncomfortable realizing that in the last couple of years, I've invested so much heart and time and energy into being a teacher--and it’s surely meaningful--BUT it’s not all that is important and meaningful to me. My writing hasn't seen the same tangible investment and that's stressful--an emotional debt.

One of my college classes. I can't show sophomores. ;)

 What If I don’t diversify my investments, don’t get “a handle on my own power to choose attitudes and action” –the exact stuff I’m worried about for my students? I don't want to find out.

So how can I make my investment in writing more a reflection of what it means to me, without defaulting on work or family?

Step one: I’m going public with my goals for investment and productivity.

If you’re struggling with productivity, too, maybe you’ll find Gregory Ciotti’s post on “The Psychology of Productivity: A Proven Way to Get More Done (in Less Time)” as interesting as I did. There’s even a two minute video breakdown of the ideas for the truly time crunched called “The Science of Productivity” over on YouTube at ASAPscience. You should head over and check both out.

The plan?

I need SYSTEMS. Ciotti explains how scientific research suggests it’s not willpower so much as systems I need to stay on track. I need to schedule stretches of time to work on my story and make that time sacred. The hours have a way of filling to the brim with family and school tasks if left open, so I need some strict boundaries there. My goal is to set twenty hours a week aside purely for writing. I’ve blocked out time on my phone calendar and have alarms set to remind me to drop the laundry and get to writing.

I need to CHUNK.  I felt relieved reading Ciotti’s description of how our brains tend to sabotage us when we stand at the base of a pretty immense task. A daily to-do list planned the evening before and achieving the mini-goals of those set writing times create that much needed sense of accomplishment.

I need ACCOUNTABILITY.  Besides  weekly goals, I need a slightly bigger, scarier deadline. So, Monkeys, I’ll put my draft in whatever state it’s in the Dropbox file June 30^th. Gifts for any who dare open it.

I need FOCUS.  Research suggests I need to not multi-task (no Internet, noise cancelling headphones, hand each child a cheese stick and a drink before settling into my chair?) and I should give it my all for 90 minutes at a time and then break for 15 or 20 minutes. We're talking full butt in chair and not half-butt.

I'd love to know what you think! Do you feel like your actual investment reflects how much you value writing or illustrating? What could you do or have you done to bring the two more in line? 

Concept, Concept and more Concept...

Gracious good day my fellow Turbo Monkeys, 

Last time I wrote about how important it is to start with a great concept before you begin writing word one, 
but what is a great concept?

Because of my film background you might think I’m talking about “high concept”...but a high concept is not necessarily a blue print for a great story.

“What happens when a bored married couple's "Date Night" goes wrong?” Wacky fun!  

“Snakes on a Plane"  More wacky fun?  No...(although it might have been better as a comedy)

Both high concepts and yet considered flops.

So, high concept is not a guarantee of commercial success, but it does aid in the sell-ability of your story, and really this is why publishers and agents are in business.  

Buffy the Vampire Slayer  = “What if a cheerleader hunted vampires?”
Jaws                               =  “What if a shark stalked humans?”
Toy Story                      = “What if your kid’s toys had secret lives?”

Perfect examples of high concept stories with universal appeal, short concise pitches and a promise of potential.

A high concept is a great formula to streamline your premise, it helps, but it’s not always the indicator of success. For example...

Star Trek
Star Wars
When Harry Met Sally

Are all great concepts but not exactly “High Concept.”

A great concept, does not necessarily have to be a high concept but it should have what I call the UP UP elements.  

1. Universal appeal - Is your theme understood by many?
1. A primal theme of survival?
2. A romantic theme of finding love?
3. A nobel theme of saving a loved one?
2. Poses a question - “What if...” “Who is...”  “Why did...”
1. "What if your reality was just a computer game?" = Matrix
2. "Who is Forrest Gump?" = Forrest Gump
3. "Why did Schindler save the Jewish workers?" = Schindler's List
3. Unique - Original or a spin on something familiar.  
1. Human girl falls in love with glowing vampire = Twilight
2. Ex lovers chase tornados = Twister
3. Man is castaway on a boat with a tiger = Life of Pi
4. Promises Potential - Potential of laughter, drama, fear, romance or $$$

The promise of potential is a bit subjective but it should be as obvious as one eastbound train and one westbound train on the same track.  

A great concept is generally pitch driven.  Three sentences or less that paint a picture in the reader’s head, states your theme, poses a question, promises potential and most of all causes “Cha Ching” to ring in their ears.

I hope this helps you form a great concept and gets your writing to a new level.

Fear and Writing

by Amy

When my son was five, his kindergarten teacher planned a beautiful graduation ceremony, where each child stood up and told the assembled parents what they wanted to be when they grew up. Standing with his classmates in the school gym, my son suddenly realized he did not like being in front of a crowd, no sir, he did not! As his turn to speak drew near, he retreated—first by pulling his shirt collar above his face. Then by turning his back to the audience. When he finally crawled under his chair, bottom facing the audience, we rescued him to the playground.
 

Fear. We’ve all felt it. On more than one occasion I myself have wanted to crawl under a chair, butt facing the planning and zoning commission. And I was nearly paralyzed with fear when I took my son, alone, for a week vacation to a remote village in Mexico where I barely spoke the language. Fear can be good—reminding us to be careful—but it can also be crippling. It can even affect our writing.

It keeps us from joining a critique group, from attending conferences, from submitting to agents or editors. It might even keep us from ever putting pen to paper in the first place. So how do we deal with it?

 

"...when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” --Rosa Parks

Mrs. Parks was right. It seems awfully simplistic, but I’ve found that setting clear goals for my writing is the best thing for staving off fear. Every step we take in our lives involves a decision. Decisions are hard and the longer we fret over them, the more painful and scary they become.

Decisions = Fear

My dad used to say, “You don’t want to have one foot on the boat and one foot on the dock.” After years of standing blank-faced in front of him, imagining some poor soul spread-eagled over a lake, I realized what that means. The worst thing you can do with a decision is not make it. Get in the boat. Or stay on the dock. Either choice will most likely be fine, so long as you pour one-hundred percent of your energy into it. Just make the decision. Don’t wait too long. Don’t look back.

So when it comes to your writing, decide what you want and plot a course.:

     -If you're just trying your hand at a book, write it. If it doesn't turn out like you'd hoped, you don’t have to show anyone.
     -Does it simply give you pleasure to write stories, maybe to share with your kids or grandkids? Great—you don’t have to chase publication for that, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
     -If you’d like to be published, there are ways to pursue that. Read, study, hone your craft, write, revise, submit, repeat. Those are the steps. They’re laid out for us. We don't have to figure them out; we just have to follow them. And following directions isn't scary at all.


Sure, there might be some niggles of fear when our cursor hovers over that ‘send’ button, launching our first submittal to Dream Agent Extraordinaire. I still get them…over four million ‘sends’ later. But that’s okay.

The beautiful thing about fear is that overcoming it helps us grow. Sometimes we realize what scared us isn’t so scary after all. My son is now an aspiring Improv actor who’s been on stage in front of hundreds of people. Other times, overcoming fear helps us expand our comfort zone--or at least, define it. I probably won’t take my son to another isolated area alone, but I’d definitely consider Europe. Oh, heck yes I would! Who wants to go with us? Don't be afraid!

"Because fear kills everything," Mo had once told her. "Your mind, your heart, your imagination."--Cornelia Funke, Inkheart

Be brave, Monkeys!

So you're going to self publish ... you found yourself an editor. But what about the art?

by Hazel Mitchell

You got options. We all got options, these days. Let's look at the possibility that you're going to self publish your story.

Maybe you're not doing this because you are abandoning traditional publishing. There could be several reasons that you're going down this path.  I'm hoping it's NOT because you are desperate to have a published book in your sticky mitts. Self publishing (and making a success of it) has to be one of the hardest (and most expensive) ways for an author to see their book in print. Maybe you have a niche book .. you know your market, you can sell a lot of copies. Or traditional publishing doesn't appeal to you - you want to keep control of your book and sell it for many years to come. Or you have a good online base and are going to sell online. Or you love marketing and a challenge!

Whatever the reason it's becoming more and more of a requirement for your book to be as PROFESSIONAL as possible to succeed in an over-crowded market place. Whether your project is a physical book or an e-book, there's a whole support team you may need. No, wait, very PROBABLY need!

You've got a great story. Maybe it's a novel, non-fiction or a picture book. For reasons (as above) you are not submitting it to publishing houses. You're going it alone.


Route One - you use an 'all inclusive' publishing house. They do everything from editing to marketing. Read no further.
Route Two - you are going to put this book together yourself and hire all the individuals.

You'll need:

An editor. (Don't skimp on this one - an editor is a damned fine idea. God made them for a reason. OK, they have issues, but they are GOOD issues). You are the creator, not the editor. Publishing has worked good for this long for a reason. Everyone has their own job to do!

An illustrator. (Maybe you are also the illustrator? Fine) Hmm .. let's come back to that one.

An art director. Really? What the hell do they do anyway??

A book designer/graphic designer. (No, you can't just knock up the whole thing in word or similar.)

A proof reader. (Hire a pro, or maybe your editor will offer this service).

A printer. (Shop around.)

A marketing professional. (You, possibly.)

A PR person. (Nice to have.)

An understanding partner. And lots o' stamina. And not a small amount of investment (hence understanding partner.)

That's a lot of people right?

And here's the thing. Unless you are a professional artist/illustrator, most creators will need to hire someone to produce a cover and any internal art. Find the best you can. (That's the best, not the cheapest.) Don't be surprised if your favorite book illustrator isn't interested. They're usually busy working on their own projects. But good illustrators can be found to produce self-published projects. But expect to pay industry prices. Check references and see previous work.

You may be lucky and find an illustrator who can also do the book design. If not, then find a good book designer.

But wait, I was talking about art directors. You understand the need for an editor, but an art director? Hell, you know what looks good, why pay someone to tell you?

Because a professional art director can save you a lot of money in the long run. Without someone to oversee or place a guiding hand on the entire project, then your vision, (and all the money you're investing in it), may come to nothing. 

You CAN get by without an art director. But I'd suggest, (just as any sane person would hire an independent editor), it's as important to have an art director look over the total design BEFORE it's produced or illustrated. Someone who can pull the project together, advise on any design issues and look at the art from an outsider's POV.

It could be the difference between a project booksellers can't wait to get on their shelves, or that festival organizers are begging to have at their events. A poorly produced book, however stellar the writing or art, will NOT get a second glance from a professional buyer. Or hold the attention of a reader. Think about it.

Seeking out these individuals is a bit harder than locating an independent editor. But it can be done. Ask your editor if they know an independent art director that would work on your project. If you hire an illustrator or book designer, they also may be able to refer you. Ask contacts or your local SCBWI chapter for any information they have. Get a copy of the Graphic Designer's Handbook and leaf through the directory. Also of help might be The Graphic Artist's Guild and the Art Director's Guild. And then there is always the internet - but check references! A great website to look at for talented individuals is http://www.creativehotlist.com/.

What I wouldn't suggest you do is call an art director at a publishing house. They are working for someone else!

Don't leave it to chance. It could be the difference between a successful book or the waste of a great story.

(Also ... if you know any, OR are a freelance AD, leave a comment!)

Toodles!
Hazel

See my latest books at - http://hazelmitchell.com/Hazel%20Mitchell%20Books.htm
I'll be speaking next at the Europolitan SCBWI, Paris, France on 29-30th March.

Concept, Concept, Concept or My Dinner with Bill

by Craig

It’s been a decade now, since I had a fateful dinner with Bill.  I had completed a four-year run with Dreamworks SKG and successfully sold my first feature film, world-wide.  

Bill had recently lost his job of more than 7 years.  I could tell he was uneasy. We had never met and he didn’t know anything about me.  

I had been writing artsy indie scripts, having tired of the studio formulaic blockbusters.  Bill had a similar outlook.  LIke me he was opening his own "indie" film production company.  We started with a quick intro from a mutual friend (MSU Alumni) and eventually got on the subject of story and Bill said something that would change my life.

“Concept, Concept, Concept.  If you have a strong concept and a weak screenplay I can still do something with it.  But if you have a weak concept...even with strong writing it is almost impossible to sell.”

Now, you might be thinking this is not eye opening, especially coming from someone who had recently lost his job and was just starting an “indie” film production company.  But Bill knows something about story.  You probably don’t know his name or recognize his face, but Bill Mechanic KNOWS story.

Bill Mechanic took a doormat studio all the way to number 1...in THE WORLD!  Along his journey he was responsible for films such as X men, Ice Age, Braveheart and a little film called Titanic.  He hired James Cameron, fired James Cameron then hired him back again.  Bill also was responsible for a film starring some guy named Brad Pitt titled Fight Club.  This same film just happened to be largely responsible for Rupert Murdoc firing Bill Mechanic as the CEO and Chariman of Fox Studios.  (even though it garnered $37 million) Since leaving Fox, Bill has produced The Oscars and the animated film Coraline.  

Some of you might be wondering what this has to do with writing a children’s novel or picture book.  I believe everything.

At the time I was dining on chicken cordon bleu with Bill, the film industry was going through a similar constriction as the publishing industry is right now.  The bigger “houses” were reducing their slates, making fewer films.  Agencies were reducing their client lists, keeping only those A listers with proven box office history.

Is this sounding at all familiar?  

The indie film production segment was forced open by the emergence of technological advances like the DVD, Non linear film editing software and Digital Video Cameras which allowed smaller companies to create quality products at a much lower cost.  

Again, a similar change is occurring in our publishing world with Ebooks, Augmented Reality and Smartphone Apps.
  

But back to Bill and his wise words.  Three short months after our dinner, I penned a Horror screenplay with a focus on concept.  Not only did Script magazine give it an award but it gave me a shot at a three picture deal with Brillstein Entertainment.  

It has been a decade since all of that water passed under this bridge but one thing remains true.  All these events and advances will never take away that story counts.  So, no matter how your story finds its way to the reader, to make your life a bit easier, start with a great concept.  

Writer, Heal Thyself: First Aid for Creative Types from Julie Dillard

So many of life’s worthwhile adventures include RISK.  We might suffer scrapes and bruises on the journey, whether it’s climbing a mountain, falling in love, parenting, or choosing the life of a writer/artist… 

A Cautionary Tale about a Girl Who Stood on a Chair to Hang Art

While I haven’t scaled Kilimanjaro and I’m hopeless when it comes to matters of the heart (running for one's passport is apparently not "a healthy choice"), I do have experience with effective first-aid for kid ouches. I have ice packs shaped like frogs and bunnies, bandages of every size, ointments, sticky sweet pink, purple, and red concoctions, thermometers, and a slew of books about what to do with that seal cough or goose egg.

Surely we risk-taking creative types deserve a toolbox full of comforts and cures, too, but what to put in it? Ice packs in the shape of character arcs? Bottles of fantasy-inducing potions?

I got a referral to some creative specialists and asked what they would put in a first-aid kit for various writer injuries and ailments.  There were a number of references to the healing properties of whiskey and pale ale, of course. Heather Petty touted the magical properties of Swedish Fish candies (and having read her work, I do not doubt their powers).

Gummy Muse?

In the course of my research, Kristen Crowley Held shared her experience with a writer's "first aid kit made by her husband:

Dan once made me a writer's kit when I went off to a cabin in the woods to write by myself. He checked out a bunch of books on writing/books on the subject I was writing about from the library and included them in a box with some chocolate and a note that I keep in my wallet to this day.

Mustache + Glare= Impact

(Swoon, huh? I know I wasn't the only one who made a point of leaving THAT up on the screen for a horribly neglectful spouse to "happen upon." Cough.)

Presuming you are not married to Kristen’s winner of a husband either, we just might need to (sigh) stock our own writer/illustrator first aid kits.

Next time you face

·         waiting-induced rashes of the psyche,

·         “we just bought a book exactly like it” scalds

·         conflicting rejection vertigo (I love the plot, but not so much the  character/I love the character but not so much the plot),

·         sluggish plot movement (plotstipation), 

·         or the common cold of the writing soul—self doubt,

 see if one of these cures just might deserve a place in your “artist’s first aid kit”:

Therapies:

Editor/Mentor extraordinaire Harold Underdown shows how it's done

• Snack break (posting pictures of it on Facebook optional)
• Walk it off (Nature + Escape)
• Clean or organize (bonus points if you beautify your working space). Charlene Ellen swears by a broom and a yard full of leaves to brush off the mental cobwebs.
• Change  (Abandon your laptop for a giant sheet of butcher paper, etc.)
• Meditation (I've been wanting to do this forever for presence of mind and stress relief--anyone use meditation to good effect? I'd love to hear about it!) Om.

My Biggest Fan

Fill Your Habitat with Creativity-Inducing Things:

Craig Lew's Muse

Favorite pens/tools (Craig Lew vows nothing inspires like a fountain pen)

Pets (because they know how AWESOME you truly are) 

Writer’s notebook or a sketchbook (No censorship—just brainstorming. Let go of the pressure to produce and just play.)

Kristen Held told me of a friend who lights a scented candle whenever she writes, so now when the smell of cinnamon-infused wax wafts through the air, a Pavlovian response kicks in and the muse shows up. (I’m so adopting this. Where is that coconut cream pie candle?)

Nathalie Mvondo (Multiculturalism Rocks!)  agreed that the candle thing works, and she reminded me of the healing/helping nature of music. Work on a playlist or station for that project to get your groove on. Tried Pandora yet? I actually have a station called "emotional writing music." Yep. 

All these things remind me of the importance of a happy habitat for writing. What would help make your working space more inviting and productive?

Second Opinions:

When the writing or drawing life has you under the weather, get a second opinion. Phone a friend, set up a writing evening, enter a contest, or sign up for that conference you're on the fence about--artist friends are the ultimate first responders.  Take that risk of reaching out and branching out. It'll be good for you--and your work.

With a little collaboration, you, too, can feel, well--

star-powered

First Aid Manuals: As creative types, we're naturally drawn to books, right? 

Here are a few books you might take a look at for your first aid kit:

The Artist’s Way  by Julia Cameron (Thanks for the recommendation, Marilyn Hilton!)

Steal Like An Artist : 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon 

How Not to Write a Novel :200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them--a Misstep-by-Misstep Guide by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman

What acts, rituals, items, or books have you found helpful for writer comfort and mental health?   I'm stocking up!