What are you writing about?
If you think about the books you read, you will discover that writers write about important things. That is, writers write about topics that interest them. As a picture book writer, I write about things that I find interesting. By choosing to write about topics and ideas that have a personal connection makes my job as a writer easier. When I am invested in a topic, I want to share everything I know and I add details to engage the reader.
Groundhog Day
As a child I loved Groundhog Day. I thought it was so cool for a groundhog to be able to predict the weather. Over the years I shared my love of Groundhog Day with my students. I shared a number of picture books with my students that helped me to learn a great deal about groundhogs and celebrating Groundhog Day. When I first started writing children’s stories, it was easy for me to decide to write a story about Groundhog Day. I taught elementary school for many years and so I decided that the setting was going to take place in a school. Since most famous Groundhogs are males, it just felt right to have my main character be a female. Gertie Saves the Day was written because of my interest and love of Groundhog Day.
What are your writing interests?
Now that you know my secret to writing; what are you going to write about? What are your interests? You can start by making a list of your hobbies, pets, favorite books, movies, sports, games, music, and food. I bet you will discover that you have many different interests that you can write about.
Don’t write about things that are of no interest to you; things you don’t care about. Write about those things that are close to your heart. Things that you are passionate about and want to share.
What form of writing do you prefer?
Your writing can take any form. It is important to think about the form that your writing will take. There are many forms of writing such as a story, poems, song lyrics, or a journal entry. What form of writing do you prefer? I like challenging myself and trying different types of writing. It helps me grow as a writer. While I do not like to write poetry, I have written poems. I am not fond of rhyming, but I have tried it. You should write in your preferred style, but don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and try something different.
Now you have a list of your interests and you hopefully, have a preferred style of writing. The only thing that is left to do is for you to start writing.
Leave me a comment and let me know how your writing is going. I am looking forward to hearing from you.