Shutta Crum's Blog, page 20
December 31, 2011
A New Year's Gift for Lovers of Kid Lit. . . .
What a gift to start out the new year! I absolutely LOVE this funny little article in the New York Times about the science behind some of our favorite children's books. What, exactly, does brown bear see? Why is George so curious? And could the Pigeon drive the bus better than a human? If, like George, you're curious to know the answers to these perplexing questions click on the link below. Enjoy!!!!
LOL!
Shutta
Shutta
December 7, 2011
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2011
YAY! MINE was named an SLJ Best Book this year . . . I am so proud of this title. Four starred reviews, a great NY Times review, and now this. And, I do bow down before Patrice Barton's incredible talent. The artwork makes this book come alive. For all of you with very small children (especially if you have more than one young one). In choosing MINE! as one of those to be included on the list, SLJ said:
"As an intrepid toddler struggles to take possession of a passel of playthings, he is keenly observed by a frolicsome pup and a winsome infant who is preparing to make her move. The characters' spot-on body language and facial expressions create a virtuoso visual portrayal of nascent social skills. "
The complete list of SLJ Best Books here.
Enjoy!
Shutta
December 3, 2011
We Have a Winner! (CWIM giveaway)
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Krysten H. is the winner of the free 2012 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market, published by Writer's Digest Books. (Thank you, Chuck Sambuchino!) The CWIM giveaway was in support of all the writing done this month by folks signed up for the National Novel Writing Month, Picture Book Idea Month, or Picture Book Month–as well as those simply nurturing their muses this past November.
Congratulations to all of you!
One of the requirements of the drawing was to relay what you each did to feed your muse in November. Krysten says, "What I did special for my muse this month was to start an idea journal. I get ideas that I think, oh I'll remember that and then poof–gone! So now I jot down all the ideas so if I get blocked, I can thumb through my notebook and see if
there's anything there to help me out." Good idea!
Continue feeding those muses!
Shutta
December 2, 2011
Winding up November . . . NaNoWriMo, PiBoIdMo, and Picture Book Month
WOW!
What a month it has been . . .
We've celebrated National Novel Writing Month (I met my goal of 1,000+ words a day for a children's novel. Not done yet–it still needs an ending. Yikes!), Picture Book Idea Month (30 new picture book ideas, one per day. Plus I ended up with a bonus–a draft of a new pic. book from one of my ideas.), and the month that we spread the gospel of the need for picture books: Picture Book Month. (I donated to the cause, did you?)
Please drop me a line and let me know what you did for your muse this month! Also, don't forget . . . midnight tonight is the deadline to enter the drawing to win a 2012 CWIM (Children's Writers & Illustrator's Market guide), through the generosity of Writer's Digest Books and Chuck Sambuchino. (I'm extending the deadline by one more day . . . in case you all were too pooped from writing to enter before.) Enter below!!! You must be a member of SCBWI-Michigan to win. I'll pick the winner and notify him/her tomorrow, Dec. 3rd.
Ciao, all you tired writers! Just think–now comes the fun part: REVISIONS! [image error]
P.S.: If you're in southeast Michigan you may want to attend a program I am doing at the Pittsfield Branch of the Ann Arbor District Library on Saturday, Dec. 10th about revision.
Go here for more info: http://www.aadl.org/events/list?id=10677 .
Shutta
How have you fed your muse this month?
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November 26, 2011
Mourning the Passing of Poet Ruth Stone
Ruth Stone died.
You may not know her name.
She never stopped loving a husband hung by his own necktie.
Blind, and in her 90s, she dictated poems–
each dressed in weapons-grade plutonium
and the haute couture of grief.
And I mourn her passing.
Shutta
Obit: http://www.legacy.com/NS/Obituary.aspx?pid=154740533
Some Poems (Including MANTRA): http://www.thedrunkenboat.com/stoneinterview.htm
An interview with Ruth Stone: http://www.thedrunkenboat.com/stoneinterview.htm
November 25, 2011
Tucking In . . .
While you're tucking into your leftovers, take a little sidetrip over to Tara Lazar's site for my Picture Book Idea Month post about how to tuck your reader into your story with a good lead!
It's at: http://taralazar.com
November 15, 2011
November Nurture Your Muse & Win a Free Copy of the CWIM.
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This giveaway is open to anyone who is a member of the Michigan Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrator's (SCBWI-MI).
You do not need to be doing NaNoWriMo or PiBoIdMo.
However you must do something special for your muse this month . . . whatever it is/was, write me (use the form below) and tell me what you did that was "special."
And you must write me by midnight Dec 1, 2011.
I will use a random number generator to choose the winner who will be notified by Dec. 3, 2011. If you have not heard by that date if you have won, then you haven't. I will post the name of the winner on my blog.
Here's keeping my fingers crossed for all of you, and hoping you are feeding your various muses well!
Shutta
How have you fed your muse this month?
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November 14, 2011
Creativity & Time & The Infinite Monkey Theorem
A fun and interesting short video about creativity and the pressure of time has been making the rounds of writers and illustrators. (By KreativMagazin) I share it here with you. One thing I do wonder about, though, is that the kids in the video were essentially made to stay at their desks and work on the task at hand. If I am given unlimited time to create . . . I wander off into other activities that momentarily catch my attention, like washing dishes or doing the laundry. Perhaps I need to hire someone to make me stay at my desk.
On the other hand: there is the infinite monkey theorem which (According to Wikipedia) states "that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare.
In this context, "almost surely" is a mathematical term with a precise meaning, and the "monkey" is not an actual monkey, but a metaphor for an abstract device that produces a random sequence of letters and symbols ad infinitum. The probability of a monkey exactly typing a complete work such as Shakespeare's Hamlet is so tiny that the chance of it occurring during a period of time even a hundred thousand orders of magnitude longer than the age of the universe is extremely low, but not actually zero."
Hmm . . . so let me get this straight. If NaNoWriMo was infinite I could be Shakespeare!
It's an enjoyable video and gives one pause for thought. Enjoy!
Shutta
November 10, 2011
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2011
PW has just posted their Best Books of 2011 list—just in time for folks to do their holiday shopping.
The link is here: http://secure.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2011/childrens-picture#book/book-1
Enjoy!!
Shutta
November 7, 2011
NaNoWriMo Inspiration: 6 Famous Novels Penned in Under a Month
For those of us doing NaNoWriMo check out this nice blog article from Mental Floss (link below) about 6 novels that were written quickly. Perhaps it will inspire NaNoWriMo participants to keep on keeping on!
mental_floss » 6 Famous Novels Penned in Under a Month.
Shutta
(Who has made it so far . . . through the first week. Only three more weeks to go!)
