Raise your hand if you’re feeling incredibly productive with your writing goals right now . . . Don’t be shy . . . No one? No one? No wonder . . . we are still smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic [heavy sigh]. Know this . . . you are NOT alone! See all those hands raised [there are no hands raised]. . . that’s how many people’s writing is thriving right now. If you’ve been following my writing journey (thank you!) you may be thinking . . . but you *JUST* had two different book deals announced “smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic [eye roll] ” and, you are not wrong. I’m so excited about the announcements for SOMETIMES LOVE & another picture book, and the TEENY HOUDINI Chapter Books announcements! But, remember, that in order to announce a book deal with an author and an illustrator, it requires both to receive, review, sign, and return the contracts. And when the project is acquired first with text only, and then an illustrator is chosen by the publisher, it can take a bit of time. Teeny Houdini was acquired last July, so it took almost a year before we were ready to announce it. Sometimes Love’s announcement happened a bit quicker. It was acquired late January 2020, and we were able to announce it six months later. So . . . all this is to say that the deals began pre-pandemic, and happened to announce during it. I’ll share more about both upcoming projects in the months to come. But let’s get back on track! We were talking about being unproductive with our writing---feeling like we’re smack dab stuck in the middle of goop. So how do we get UNSTUCK? On July 16th, I had the great pleasure of joining my friend, author Josh Funk, on his new Instagram Live Show: Funk & Friends. We talked about books, the inspiration behind them, and he asked me to share some writing tips on getting unstuck. Check out the episode to listen to our fun conversation. After the show, I realized I had much more to share about ways to get unstuck, which I will finally . . . without further ado! Disclaimer: I cannot promise that any one of these tips will work for you. I’d suggest trying out a few (or all) and seeing what sticks, er, unsticks! Personally, I use a variety of these and often discover new ways that work through experimentation and play. Here we go . . . GETTING OUT OF THE GOOP:
The key here is to make sure they're different (one you're starting and one you're refining, or different genres, structures, etc.) so you can approach each with fresh eyes. Also, this way, your writing for one project doesn’t bleed into the other, leading to two projects that are too similar. *I elaborate on this in my chat with Josh on Funk & Friends around the 22 min. mark*
-No censoring -No erasing JUST KEEP GOING
And again, because it’s worth repeating...know that you are not alone. We are all in the ucky mucky goop together. And we can help each other to get unstuck, and back into a writing groove, together.
Wait, what about the first elephant?! Well . . . here’s what happened (as is convenient for the purpose of this blog post 😎). Baby Elephant found that the way out was not by staring at the slippery wall it couldn’t climb, but by turning around, and finding a new way out. TA-DA! I hope these tips help you see a way out of the goop. One foot at a time. And lots of self care. I’m wishing you some writing magic, too. I’ll talk about voice in the next blog post: What it is, how to hone yours, and exemplary examples of voice in children’s literature. Make sure you’re signed up for the blog (see sidebar) so you don’t miss the post. I also tweet new #writingtips as they come to me. So if you’re not already, connect with me on twitter to get fresh tips every now and then. Happy Writing!✨ -Katrina Katrina Moore writes in New Jersey. She holds a M.A. in Teaching and has been an elementary teacher for ten years. Her mission is to create books that children will hug for ages. She is the author of the picture books, ONE HUG, illustrated by Julia Woolf (HarperCollins/Tegen Books, Dec. 2019), GRANDPA GRUMPS, illustrated by Xindi Yan (Little Bee Books, April 2020), and the forthcoming SOMETIMES LOVE, a powerful and poetic exploration of love---from giving, to growing, to sometimes letting go, illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz (Penguin/Dial, Summer 2022). Her humorous chapter books series, TEENY HOUDINI, illustrated by Zoe Si, star the magical, mischievous, mayhem-maker Bessie Lee. Books 1 and 2 will publish Winter 2022 (HarperCollins/Tegen Books). When she is not writing or teaching, she is cooking without a recipe, painting outside the lines, or snuggling up with her two kids, husband, pups, and of course, a cozy book. Connect with her on twitter @kmoorebooks or at www.katrinamoorebooks.com.
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AuthorKatrina Moore is an author and former elementary educator. She writes in Georgia. where her mission is to create books that children will hug for ages. She's the author of ONE HUG, GRANDPA GRUMPS, SOMETIMES LOVE, GRUMPY NEW YEAR, HOPE IS A HOP, and the forthcoming CHANG'E ON THE MOON (HarperCollins, 2024), and THE STAR IN YOU. (RBP/Macmillan, 2024), as well as the humorous TEENY HOUDINI chapter book series, starring the magic-loving, mischief-making Bessie Lee, and more. Connect with her on twitter! Freelance EditorKatrina has professionally critiqued over hundreds of picture book manuscripts at writing conferences she has presented at, through her work as a council member, mentor, and presenter for the Rutgers One-on-One-Plus conference, as a Critique Ninja, and through her freelance editing services. Her editorial work and services, attention to detail, and ability to bring manuscripts to the “next level” have been highly praised by editors, agents, published authors, and those receiving critiques. For more details, and to inquire about rates, contact Katrina.
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