![]() Weeks later, we were acting out the choruses of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt when it struck me. I could write an orientation book called We’re Going on a Book Hunt! The structure of the classic rhyme was a ready framework for my own bouncy tale about a class of bears who learn to use the library, complete with original choruses. Tweak the tried-and-true to make them your own. Library shelves are home to a plethora of piggy-backed productions--Little Red Cowboy Hat and The Wolf Who Cried Boy are two more. 2. Get Emotional My two-year-old granddaughter wanted to help make a shopping list. As I said peanut butter, eggs, bread, she made a squiggle for each. When I added tiger toes, monkey milk, and boo-boo fruit, she calmly added each to the list. Her bit-lip intensity and self-confidence charmed me. That emotional *ping* signaled to me that this incident was worth writing down. Negative emotions *ping* as well. Recently, we received a fancy invitation to the anniversary party of a couple I didn’t know. But my husband said he was a great guy, new to their golf group. So we went. We gave them a gift, signed their bridal book, and shared a lovely dinner with a table of strangers. When we finally asked someone to point out the special couple, we realized that neither of us knew them! How did we get invited?! As we slipped out undetected, I was confused and embarrassed. *Ping!* I added the incident to my idea notebook. Build a stockpile of emotional *pings* in your idea file. Cull them from real life and from your memories. An emotional connection helps kids identify with your character. But it can be difficult to generate while pressured by a blinking cursor. Stored episodes of affection, anger, admiration, embarrassment, etc. can be the yeasty starter for developing similar emotions in your work.
3 Comments
Charlotte Dixon
3/25/2020 12:47:01 pm
Great suggestion Pat. I try to keep a notebook close. I've scrounged for a paper fragment sometimes-LOL
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3/25/2020 12:52:51 pm
Great post, thanks for the encouragement Pat. I have made notes here and there for years, so I need to get a shovel and dig through them all.
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3/25/2020 01:45:55 pm
I read this post this morning, which primed me for a friend's post, which led to a Wikipedia article, which led to a citation within the article, which referred to a section of a book I'd written a blog post on several years ago, which started me thinking about how I could turn all of this into a new PB. Ah, syzygy. Thank you!
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