Comic: Unhappy Muse

Comic: Cat Writer

"Writers need rejection as a reminder that we have to work for what we achieve." - Chuck Wendig.

Comic: Punctuation For Sale

Happy 20th Anniversary to the Harry Potter series!

Anyone else miss the rabid anticipation of a new Harry Potter book? I confess I sometimes feel like Moira:

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You can find stories EVERYWHERE. Yes, even in a coffee stain!

As some of you may have seen in my Instagram story yesterday, I was creating some more coffee stains for doodling. Jeff (my husband) was about to reject some coffee grounds since he had accidentally set our coffee grinder for the wrong setting; I asked if I could have them. And I used them to create some super-strong coffee in a French press, then dropped the coffee onto some mixed media art paper with a spoon:

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Writers & Illustrators: All the networking/promo in the world can’t help unless you get your book FINISHED first.

A comic for you Oxford comma fans/haters out there

Comic: Canine Assistant

Kidlit Restaurant Library

Best birthday gift for a writer

A comic for the modern-day princess

Advice to writers/illustrators: Take the long way. Shortcuts rarely pay off.

Writers & illustrators: DO YOUR BACKUPS. Here's my backup system and how it saved me when an Adobe Creative Cloud update bug ate my work.

While Adobe Creative Cloud is convenient in so many ways, an update bug removed a LOT of my files last year, including entire file folders of PSD book illustration files. Even a year later, it makes me queasy to remember staring at the screen as I watched in horror as files were disappearing RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYES and having no idea what was going on.

Cloud backup service Backblaze discovered the bug. Happily, my tech-savvy husband had set up a backup system for me using Time Machine, Backblaze and a physical offsite backup, and he helped me rebuild my hard drive. 

Yes, it can be a hassle to set up a proper backup system but trust me: IT'S WORTH DOING. Imagine how you'd feel if your computer quit working or was stolen right now, and your content wasn't backed up. Even apart from your work, what about some of the personal photos of moments and people you will never be able to replace?

People tend not to really think about a backup until they need one. I can't imagine what I would have done if I didn't have a working backup when Adobe Creative Cloud ate all those files.

Another tip: Do regular checks to make sure your backup system is working properly!

I do still use Adobe Creative Cloud, but I wait a while before installing any update. That way I let other people find the bugs for Adobe to fix before they release an updated update. :-)

Writers & illustrators: don't be so glued to your mobile devices that you forget to look around. You never know when inspiration may strike.

I go through this a LOT while working on my middle grade novel (picture books, too!)

 

Great advice for young readers from Jody Jensen Shaffer, author of PRUDENCE, THE PART-TIME COW about writing

Jody Jensen Shaffer writes books and poetry for children. Her award-winning poems have appeared in magazines like Ladybug, Babybug, Highlights, High Five, Clubhouse Jr., and more. Jody writes from her home in Liberty, Missouri, which she shares with her husband, two children, and their rescue dog, Sophie.

You can find more info about Jody at her website, on Twitter and her blog.

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To others who go thru self-doubt during the creative process: be kind to yourself & stay in your bubble while creating. Revise/angst LATER.

Common mistake by new picture book writers: assuming that short = easy or quick.

I once asked my editor at Simon & Schuster Children's, Justin Chanda, what he finds is the biggest mistake that aspiring picture book writers tend to make. His answer:

"The one that I see most often, and it covers a multitude of sins, is they do not take the time to really hone their project. Writers have so many ideas they want to work on one, move on to the next, flood an editor with a bunch of projects… Thing is, picture books take time. There is craft, there is fine tuning, there is CUTTING OF TEXT. All of this takes time. A book needs to be read aloud. It needs to be tweaked and made sure that every word is there for a reason — a good reason. Rushing to get through, or assuming that short = easy or quick is a recipe for disaster.

"That and thinking rhyming solves everything are the biggest mistakes."

Jane Yolen wrote a poem about one of my Broken Crayon drawings!

Thanks so much to Elizabeth Dulema for interviewing me about creative process on her blog recently. She included lots of photos and art samples, including my Broken Crayon dragon. After seeing the later, Jane Yolen (yes THE Jane Yolen!!!!) emailed me a poem she had written after seeing the image.

Jane has kindly given me permission to post her poem here:

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In the end, it comes down to having a good story. No amount of promotion or networking can substitute.