Update on my 2019 children’s writing projects

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ideas for stories, organizing ideas for writing

Tools of the Trade

It’s been a good year for 2019 writing projects. Most of my writing is for children and young readers and right now, most is non-fiction. I thought it would be good to do a review of what I’ve completed.

When I think back to where I started, well, it feels pretty good.

Editing

But at the start of the year, I completed two editing projects for adult readers. One book was about a non-profit. The other book was for a Human Resources professional.

Writing Club

Then I jumped into hosting my first ever after school writing club for kids in grades 3-6. We met once a week, worked on stories, and at the end of the club we produced a printed book with the collected stories. We even had a book launch!

I’m excited because writing club gave me a chance to develop some wonderful writing activities for kids who love to tell stories.

Educational Non-Fiction

Next, I received my first textbook chapter writing project with SocialStudies.com. The original email from the editor went into my junk folder, so I was very nervous all the available chapters were assigned. Luckily I was able to get the last chapter of an American history textbook. The audience was fifth graders.

After the textbook chapter, I was able to secure two non-fiction book projects with Captsone. One was about gadgets and inventions, the other was about medical history. The target audience here was third and fourth graders.

Magazine Articles

I heard back from an editor at Muse. My pitch about the Great Backyard Bird Count was accepted. I submitted my article to that magazine.

Two of my fiction stories were also published in the spring. They were published in magazines that were new for me.

In addition to these publications, I also sold a fiction story that I’ve been pitching for years to a new magazine!

School Workshops

Also in May, I had a chance to host two workshops on the Rainbow Plate for first graders.

Writing Summer Camp

When we returned from vacation, I hosted my first ever writing summer camp. I had to make some major modifications to my lesson plan once I spent the first two hours with the kids. But I think I now have a nice collection of creative writing and storytelling activities for pre-literate kids.

Writing Coaching

Throughout the first six months of 2019, I continued to do writing coaching with a young writer in Pittsburgh. I was so proud to see him complete his first official story submissions ever. It did feel like a big rush of projects arrived in the spring. I wanted to get them all done before school ended and we left on vacation. It felt great to work hard and complete these tasks.

In addition to the work for hire projects, I’ve also been bringing my novel to critique group and preparing to tackle a big revision. And add on the work I’ve done as Regional Advisor of SCBWI for PA West. It’s been a busy year! And it’s only halfway done.

How has your 2019 been?

New Publication: Why You Need a Questing Stone

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Are you ready for an incredible journey?

It’s time for a Questing Stone.

I’m excited to share that my new creative kids’ activity is now published in Highlights for Children! Check out the July 2019 issue and look in the crafts section. There you will find the instructions to make your very own Questing Stone!

(Read to the end to find out why this isn’t just for kids.)

kids writing creativity

Get Questing!

The Questing Stone activity is a perfect summer activity for kids. It’s something I would have made as a kid.

It’s a combination of some of my favorite things. I love going on imaginary adventures. I love anything with a hint of magic. As a writer, I love traveling and going on journeys. Stories – whether I am writing them or reading them –  combine all of those things.

I really enjoy all of the non-fiction writing I do, but it’s so fun to let go and jump into a fiction tale with both feet.

Here’s the part about why this stone isn’t just for kids.

You Need a Questing Stone

Grown-ups, it’s time to be brave.

We get so caught up in managing our days, getting our tasks done, doing what we have to do, instead of what we want to do. Wouldn’t it be nice just once to let fate decide? To discover your destiny instead of following the same old path?

Go somewhere new.

Writers, illustrators, artists, dreamers, this is your chance. Make your Questing Stone. Start your journey. When you come to a fork in the road, a moment of choice, let the stone guide you. Let the possibilities awake. Don’t limit yourself to what should be. It’s time to find what could be.

See what unexpected adventures await.

When you stop trying to be in charge then a different part of your brain emerges. Stories bloom in new ways. Images shift their orientation. Perhaps a shy character from the background shows you their heart. Maybe a hero turns to a villain. And a new twist makes you catch your breath.

Discover the unexpected, the surprising, the wonder waiting inside you.

Ask the Questing Stone.

What Would Your Character Do? The Hill

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Scenario:

You character encounters a huge hill.

It’s steep, but climbable.

Does your character go up the steepest part or look for an easy route?

Does your character search for a marked path or forge their own?

Does your character worry it’s against the rules to climb it?

Does your character give up halfway?

Once your character is at the top, what happens?

What Would Your Character Do? The Creek

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Scenario: Your character arrives at a creek. The water is fast but not deep.

How well do you know your character? What would they do?

Stay high and dry on the bank?

Explore the muddy shores?

Venture out onto the rocky peninsula?

Fall in accidentally? On purpose?

Would they not even know what a creek was?

Would they hunt for food?

Getting Stories Published

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There’s nothing like the rush of getting stories published. I have lots of magazine publications and now several educational publications. Every time I hear that a magazine or publisher wants to use my writing, I celebrate.

Making it Happen

I was able to share that feeling with the kids in Ross Writing Club. We just finished the first ever Ross Writing Club at our elementary school. We met after school on Mondays for an hour for six weeks. Kids wrote all kinds of stories. We talked about plot, character, endings and word choice. They revised their own stories. They critiqued each other’s writing.

Then we published a collection of their stories. We had 31 writers and this book is 64 pages long!

We had a book launch to celebrate their hard work and creativity. At the book launch, some of the writers sat at a table and were interviewed about their work. It was so memorable and fulfilling for me. I truly hope the kids felt the same. I’m especially proud of these two writers.

The book is also available in the local authors section of our library! I know the kids were especially excited about that. I knew just how they felt.

Finding the Right Place

Writers of any age love getting stories published. But it’s never easy.

In addition to writing club, I’m also a writing coach for a young man. His goal is to be a horror writer. That’s not easy for a young person. One of his first obstacles, like a writer of any age, was finishing his stories. He worked on that. Now he has several completed stories. The next step is getting published stories. He wants to submit them to magazines or journals. But it’s tough finding the right fit for your work.

One of his first choices is closed right now. His second choice doesn’t accept work that includes cannibals. Since his story includes cannibalism, we crossed that off his list.

I finally found a publisher for a story I wrote back in 2013. It only took six years. I’m persistent.

It’s not easy finding a place to publish your work. What are your strategies for finding the right publication?

 

Writing Weekend

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This is a big writing weekend!

On Saturday, I’m heading to an SCBWI workshop exploring diversity in children’s writing. I’m really looking forward to learning from the two exciting speakers at the event. They are Lorian Tu, an illustrator, and Brittany Thurman, an author.

There’s still time to register for this event and add it to your writing weekend.

I love learning about cultures, perspectives, experiences, and ideas through reading and art. I expect these two presenters to offer some challenging questions for the workshop participants to consider. But they will also take questions from the audience.

I have questions for them about how to write with sensitivity and honesty, but I also want to learn how to improve my storytelling in general. I am looking forward to this event very much.

On Sunday, I will join members of the Ross Writing Club for their book launch celebration at Riverstone Books. After six weeks of hard work, the young writers will get to see their finished stories in a book. I can’t wait to hear their thoughts about the whole process. I’m also excited to see them share their stories with family and friends.

If you’re in Pittsburgh this weekend, join us!

 


What is on the agenda for your writing weekend?

Write Anywhere

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I will write anywhere. You never know when inspiration will strike.I usually carry a little notebook with me and I always have my phone and my laptop. I used to have a small bluetooth keyboard by Zagg that made it easy for me to type on my phone fast. It was wonderful for when I was somewhere with small surfaces. I could also type without pulling out my giant laptop, so it didn’t attract as much attention. It died, so I got a new one. My middle and my youngest are in writing club this winter and they want to work on their stories at random times. My middle likes to type right before bed. The youngest recently worked on his story using my mini-keyboard while we were waiting for our food at Chili’s.

When you’re a writer, you write anywhere, any way you can.

 

Rejections and Acceptances in Writing 2018

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I like to keep track of my writing rejections and acceptances by year. Sometimes when I’m feeling frustrated, just knowing I have submitted ideas, stories, and projects gives me a boost.

I use Numbers to track my submissions, but I also use an old-fashioned paper notebook. The paper notebook might be my good luck charm, like an athlete who won’t change socks after a winning game.

My submissions are usually a mix of old ideas and new ones. I like to have a big fat pipeline of stories in production and swirling around in the publishing universe. I really believe you can’t sell if you’re not submitting.

Submissions

Let’s take a look at my submissions for 2018.

A grand total of 126 submissions is pretty good! I had the chance to work on a project for teachers that totaled 11 different submissions, so that boosted the number. Also, I pitched a bunch of greeting card ideas this year, I think about a dozen. But I only counted each email as one pitch. So the number could go even higher.

If you add the rejections and acceptances, you might notice it doesn’t equal 126. That’s because most of the time, I just don’t hear back from places. I could assume those are rejections, but one time I received an acceptance over a year after I had submitted something! So I usually just leave it blank until I hear back.

I also completed one ghostwriting project in 2018 and will complete another in 2019. I could count those as “acceptances.”

In total last year, I had a 20% acceptance rate. That feels very good. I feel very confident when I send some stories out to my favorite magazines. But I also signed a deal for my first non-fiction book that will come out in fall 2019. That felt amazing.

A Busy Year

Here’s how my work looked month to month.

My busiest month in 2018 was November, and I didn’t submit anything in February or June.

I’d like to change that this year and try to submit something every month, even if it’s only one thing. So far, so good on that goal in 2019. I already have 21 submissions. I’m bummed to report I also already have six rejections. But that also means I have six stories that could work somewhere else! Revise! Repurpose! Resubmit!

 

Do you keep track of your submissions? Rejections? Acceptances?

You can see my other yearly recap here.