Little Red Writing Desk
THE LITTLE RED WRITING DESK. . .
away from screens (except those on porches and windows).
Whatever creative project moves you, this is the
place to begin it, or perhaps to re-vision one that has lost its spark.In the Red Writing Desk’s drawers,
you will find your favorite pencils, pens, crayons,
markers, scissors, glue and glitter. There’s
paper with lines, paper with no lines, and construction
paper of every color. Also, in one drawer, there’s a
box with all your secret treasures, things you
collected, things that called out to you on your adventures,
that said pick me up, I’m important.
When you need inspiration, when you need to just be--
away from all the things that clamber for your time
and attention--come sit at the little red writing desk.
All the good stuff is here waiting for you.
Smoke Alarm Epiphanies and Other Lessons from Mazza
Day One at the Mazza Museum Summer Conference was a grand success. Each year those Mazza magicians create a masterpiece on a corner of the stage featuring books and gizmos meant to introduce the authors and illustrators who will present. I think this year’s display is one of my favorites.
Chris Barton charmed the crowd with pictures and stories from his childhood, as well as reminding everyone that inspiration is everywhere…including the story of How Daddy Installed the Smoke Alarm…a simple story from real life that Chris’s toddler begged him to tell over and over and over. This inspired him to begin writing stories down for all children, and adults, to enjoy. 
Rosemary Wells told us true. Practice, she insisted is the key for writers and illustrators and anyone who wants to be good at what they do. Just as a pianist runs scales every morning, the writer must warm up with words, the artist must paint or draw or cut. Always be curious and learning. Write for your reader. Draw for your reader. Copy shamelessly! That’s how you learn. Work without ego entirely. She exhibited this trait brilliantly by taking time to talk to each person. Lucky me!
Barney Saltzberg helped us laugh and sing and remember that even an Oops can be Beautiful.
Hint of the Day: The artist is only the scribe, the vehicle. It comes from somewhere else.–Rosemary Wells
You never know what will start with only one–Chris Barton
There are no mistakes–Barney Saltzberg
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Barney Saltzberg, Chris Barton, Illustrators, Mazza Museum, picture books, Rosemary WellsOn the Road to Mazza Museum
Wow! What a busy summer.
So far a wonderful writing retreat in Maine with good friends, a visit to Candlewick Press
with fab friend and author, Michelle Houts, and now I’m on my way to the Mazza Museum in Findlay, Ohio for the Mazza Summer Conference. If you love children’s picture books this is the place to be. Stay tuned for updates from the field.
Hint of the Day: Though your writing desk may get lonely, you don’t have to. Take advantage of the many conferences and book festivals available. Find your people! (Especially if they make you laugh…)
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Illustrators, Maine, Mainely Writers, Mazza Museum, picture books, writing lifeWriting Outside (Your Comfort Zone)
So I love to write outside. 
It’s one of my favorite things to do. 
But outside my comfort zone? Not so much.
However, in the last year or two, I’ve been having stories come to me that don’t fit into a poem or picture book.
They insist on being (gasp) novels. Now, I love novels, but I have never believed I was equipped to write one.
I mean, I’m a short form gal. Yet those stories keep showing up at my doorstep, and I don’t have the heart to turn them away. 
So, for now, I’m going to the Little Red Writing Desk, and putting what I know into a notebook. Actually two notebooks. Because the ideas are growing. Somehow, it seems safer to scribble in a notebook than to sit down at the computer and type CHAPTER ONE. Now that’s terrifying for us short form folks. But messing about in a notebook…it’s as easy as journaling. No expectations at all at this stage except to get the ideas down and see what happens.
Maybe you have an idea outside your comfort zone too. Feel free to share! Remember we’re in this together.
HINT OF THE DAY: If you have a project that takes you outside of your comfort zone, approach it in a different way than you normally would. If you usually write at a computer, try a notebook.
If you most often write on lined paper, try the wide open blank page. If you never draw what you are thinking, sketch out your rough ideas this time.
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#Fiction, creativity, Writing, writing lifeSnow Day Picture-Booking
Because it is doing this today, school is closed, and I am busy at the Little Red Writing Desk. 
I’m dressed for adventure in my Agent Carter t-shirt, 
and patched from an earlier mishap in a Scooby Doo bandage. (Why I still have Scooby Doo bandages in the house, is a mystery…)
I’m picture-booking, studying Last Stop on Market Street, written by Matt De La Pena and illustrated by Christian Robinson. It just won the Newbery (yes, a picture book!) and a boatload of other awards, so it might be worth my time to figure out why it is so special. And it is. Then, with any luck and a lot of hard work, I can apply what I learn to my own projects.
Hint of the day: Use an old desk calendar page to see a whole picture book at once. Fold the page until you have 32 boxes in which to write the text and mark where illustrations go. 
What are you working on today?