Thursday, April 29, 2010

First Drafts And Dandelions


I love dandelions. They dot the grass like yellow smiley faces stamped by a five-year-old. My girls pick the puffs and blow wishes and seeds across the backyard. I know the dandelions will have to be tamed, but to me, they are lovely.

I also love rough drafts. They spring up, wild and free. I try to fence out my inner editor until they have bloomed. Adverbs, passive verbs, and exclamation points can be weeded out later. The important thing for me, is to let the ideas land and grow.

May 1-7 is National Picture Book Writing Week. Paula Yoo challenges anyone who wants to participate to write seven picture books in seven days. Let your inner editor have a week off. Blow your wishes and ideas into the universe. Don't worry about what the neighbors will think. There's a big privacy fence surrounding your work and plenty of time to revise and edit before the submission party.

Who will be joining me for a walk on the wild side? Leave a comment and let me know. For more information on National Picture Book Writer's Week, check out http://www.paulayoo.com/ and follow #NaPiBoWriWee on twitter.