Welcome to Inkygirl: Reading, Writing and Illustrating Children's Books (archive list here) which includes my Creating Picture Books series, Advice For Young Writers and Illustrators, Writer's and Illustrator's Guide To Twitter, Interviews With Authors And Illustrators, #BookADay archives, writing/publishing industry surveys, and 250, 500, 1000 Words/Day Writing Challenge. Also see my Inkygirl archives, and comics for writers. Also check out my Print-Ready Archives for Teachers, Librarians, Booksellers and Young Readers.
I tweet about the craft and business of writing and illustrating at @inkyelbows. If you're interested in my art or other projects, please do visit DebbieOhi.com. Thanks for visiting! -- Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Entries by Debbie Ridpath Ohi (1630)
Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 8:02 AMTesting Padlet's embedding function with some Broken Crayons
As some of you (those who follow me on Instagram or Twitter) may have noticed, I've been having a ton of fun with broken crayons lately.
Because you never know what will come out of a broken crayon.
I've been experimenting with Padlet lately as another potential way of interacting with young readers next year. So far, I'm delighted by how easy it is to use! Once I've played around with it some more, I'll write up a blog post about what I've learned.
Thanks to the educators out there who pointed me to Padlet!
Madeleine L'Engle's A WRINKLE IN TIME was rejected 26 times before being published (and going on to winning the Newbery!)
Did you know that Madeleine L'Engle almost gave up writing when she turned 40 because of discouragement over rejections? "With all the hours I spent writing, I was still not pulling my own weight financially." She discovered, however, that her subconscious wouldn't let her NOT write.
"I had to write. I had no choice in the matter. It was not up to me to say I would stop because I could not. It didn't matter how small or inadequate my talent. If I never had another book published, and it was very clear to me that this was a real possibility, I still had to go on writing." (Source)
A Wrinkle In Time was rejected 26 times before John C. Farrar of Farrar, Straus and Giroux published it. It ended up winning the 1963 Newbery Medal and became a beloved classic.
Sources:
The Storyteller: Fact, Fiction and the books of Madeleine L'Engle - by Cynthia Zarin on NewYorker.com
Awards & Honors: 2004 National Humanities Medalist, Madeleine L'Engle
Penguin Random House Audio Publishing page about Madeleine L'Engle
Wikipedia pages on A Wrinkle In Time and Madeleine L'Engle (though I notice a lot of conflicting info!)
(Reprinted from an earlier Inkygirl post)
Donalyn Miller's 9th Annual Summer #BookADay Challenge and how I'm using it this summer
Yay, it's time for Donalyn Miller's annual summer #BookADay Challenge!
I do read all year round, but I find the #BookADay event a fun extra excuse to do some extra reading, plus I love the community aspect.
Here's where you can find more info about #Bookaday:
Productivity tip for writers: Learn how to write ANYWHERE and in the pockets of time others might normally discard.
If you're short on writing and revising time, try my Inkygirl Daily Writing Challenge.
Comic: It's Still A Book
I embrace reading in ALL formats but I do still love the tactile experience & focus of a print book, especially for picture books.
Thanks to Paul Carroll for the comic caption!
Writers and illustrators: Be brave. Fail. Try again. Succeed. Rinse & repeat. - Jenny Bent
Morning doodle inspired by one of my favourite pieces of advice, from Jenny Bent:
Writers and illustrators: "Be brave. Fail. Try again. Succeed. Rinse and repeat."
I may not look it, but I have Southern in my soul: SEA MONKEY & BOB Book Tour Thoughts (and a POEM)
I'm back from my Sea Monkey & Bob book tour through the Southern states! My head and heart are so full.
