A Little Inspiration From Those in the Trenches....

Happy Monday! As Carmela mentioned in her Friday post, some of us have taken the leap, challenging ourselves to boost our output throughout November with PiBoIdMo or NaNoWriMo (and if you're doing both, hats off to you!). I thought it might be fun to poll friends and see why they made the commitment to one or the other. May their thoughts inspire you – whether or not you're participating!

Question:  Why are you participating in Picture Book Idea Month or National Novel Writing Month?

Jewel: Sometimes my writing mind focuses on one subject and picture book ideas lay dormant. I am actively participating in PiBoIdMo to help me discover hidden picture book ideas just behind my two eyes and under my thick skull.

Miranda: Because for about every 30 ideas I have, I usually get one good picture book. So it's a way to ensure that I continue to fill my idea notebook, and to do it with others makes it more fun – and keeps me accountable.

Dorothia: I love to brainstorm. To me, PiBoIdMo is like a piece of flint chipping at the imagination to ignite new ideas. It's exciting to be a part of this huge creative spark.

Lee: I tend to over think things, worrying too much about making my writing 'perfect.' Having to come up with 30 pb ideas in 30 days is a great way to force myself to create on the fly, giving myself permission to come up with abysmal stuff that maybe isn't as abysmal as I think it is!

Dianna: There's something invigorating about joining a large group of people who collectively love writing and work feverishly together for an entire month. Perfection not needed!

Linda: It will be fun brainstorming new pb ideas every day and then  having a file of ideas to follow up on for the next few months. Since it can just be ideas, titles, and characters, there's no pressure to come up with a whole story in one sitting.

Debbie: The best thing about PiBoIdMo is it gives me a good "excuse" to set aside time to work on my writing. Knowing that others are doing the same thing is motivating, and the competitive side of me loves a good challenge....Especially one I know I can reach.

Breanne: I got my idea for my novel a year ago. Since then I've been slogging through a rough draft. I got to over 60,000 words and felt the whole thing was just a mess and that I still didn't know my characters. I've regrouped and added a new character that changes the dynamics of the whole story. I don't expect to reach the superhuman goal of reaching 50,000 words in one month, but I'm hoping that by participating in NaNo events, I'll more than double my usual paltry monthly word count – and gain some momentum with my WIP that will hopefully result, someday, in a draft that I want to show to beta readers.

Lisa: I love PiBoIdMo! It's the only time of year when all ideas – the great, the bad, the silly – are truly appreciated. So often writers view work through a certain lens: is it good enough? Who would publish this? What will my critique group/agent/editor think? This platform offers the freedom to experiment with the emphasis on effort. And who knows, the right combination of coffee and chocolate may just yield the dream.

Wendy: I'm doing NaNoWriMo as an exercise this year – to force myself to purge words instead of overthink words, which can suck away my enthusiasm for projects, especially a big project like a novel.

Elizabeth: NaNoWriMo gives me the jump start I need to put pen to paper without the dreaded temptation to self-edit.

Erica: I like the idea of a challenge and I think having a schedule will teach me to become more diligent in my writing adventures.

Kimberly: Since I have a full-time job and own a business my writing often gets pushed to the back burner. By doing PiBoIdMo I'm hoping that the routine of sitting down every day to try and write something simple will start a writing habit that I won't want to break after a month.

Pat: NaNoWriMo jumpstarted my return to writing one year ago. The deadline drives me and encourages creative juices. I don't plan.....I write and see what happens.

Renee: I am participating because I'm riding the wave of success with Woody's World that earned a Silver Medal in the international Children's Literary Classics Awards program. I figured I would write a new book, this time focusing on a girl growing up in the 60s rather than a boy growing up in the 30s. I usually have an historical component with character education in my fiction for pre-teens.

Katie: I think November is the perfect time to focus on fresh ideas before the complete craziness of the holiday season sets in. It also heightens my awareness to the little snippets of ideas that are floating around in our days.

Elise: Every time I finish a manuscript and dummy I waste several days feeling panicky and fresh out of ideas. (I need an arsenal to work from!) I also thrive on deadlines, so a daily assignment is right up my alley.

Patricia: I signed up because I love coming up with ideas for picture books. I have an "idea box" I keep my index cards in. PiBoIdMo gives me the opportunity to fill my box with at least 30 ideas. When I've finished one picture book and I need to let it "simmer" – or when I'm waiting to hear back from editors/agents – I can go to my idea box and start another PB. I also signed up because I like getting the inspirational messages from other PB writers.

Amy: Time to walk the talk and take the WANTING to write picture books more seriously; to have faith in my creativity for 30 consecutive days is also a good exercise in commitment to the story writing dreams... "The best way to predict the future is to invent/create it myself." –A. Lincoln

And on that note, go forth and write! Best of luck to you us all!

Jill Esbaum