Where does the heart crack open?

"Here’s the thing . . . where the heart cracks open is where our deepest longings lie, and that is what Story is all about."

If you write, please read this post by Kathi Appelt. Then be brave enough to ask the same question.

I am trying.

It's not easy.

But who said anything worth it is?

Thoughtful Thursday

"Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -Samuel Beckett

I believe God allows seeds to root and flourish in barren cracks to show humanity His character. Nothing is impossible with him. Nothing, how seemingly unimportant, goes unnoticed. He is faithful. Hope persists.

Friday Five

1. Thanks to a 3rd grade class in Indiana, NASA remembered we might have planted "Moon Trees". I kinda love those kids.

2. Speaking of NASA, we made a spontaneous road trip to Tulsa to see some friends and tour a mini Air & Space Museum. The kids saw a show at the planetarium, and my oldest worked a robotic arm used by astronauts for space station repair.

3. Oldest also photographed friend's dog, rescued from Hurricane Katrina. Aww.

4. In 3 weeks i hope to have my middle grade out with beta-readers. Um, who set this deadline? I need to speak with her.

5. Also, I need betas. Versus bettas, because that would just be weird.

Chocolate, please.

My family and I are on a 30-day diet of insanity. No dairy, no gluten, no processed anything, so I might have swooned like a teenage girl next to a vampire over this jacket.

I am dying of cuteness.

Bunnies + chocolate = irresistible.

And the cake is bigger than her head! That's my kind of slice.

Her peachy shirt and polka dot tights? Spunky.

The swirlies behind her name? Adorable.

This totally throws my premise of Bunny looking for just the right carrot in the nearest compost pile. (Come on, I can't be the only neurotic soul that searches for the perfect elusive baby carrot.)

Back to the eating, I've persevered to Day 11 and am happy to say I've rounded a corner. You might have found me, oh say 4 days ago, in bed crying and dreaming of buttermilk pancakes slathered with maple syrup, pecan scones, crusty French bread, or oatmeal chocolate cookies. Just the mention of Valentine's creme brulee, I mean He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, nearly sent me in a tailspin.

Or was that red velvet cake? (The first step is to admit there is a problem.)

But the headaches are gone! I have energy and have found a suitable recipe for BROWNIES!!! All is right with the world.

I'm one happy bunny. Maybe not as happy as Betty, but happy.

Feel free to send tried-and-true gluten free recipes.

Or wine.

:) Kristin

Friday Five

1. We had a mini-blizzard in my corner of the world, where they cancel school for a few flakes and are not accustomed to such blustery-ness and frigid temps (-18 F).

2. That's right. I made blustery a noun.

3. My family has experienced LOTS of togetherness. And there's only 4,141 minutes until Monday morning. Not that I'm counting.

4. My new picture book critique group is lovely, and friend Tammi Sauer's latest book, MR. DUCK MEANS BUSINESS, is out.

5. A little late to the party, but I'm reading - and adoring - COSMIC by Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Make a Superlative Book

by Mo Willems.*

• Biggest thing one needs to do…decide whose side your on…the key: BE ON THE KID’S SIDE.

• Realize that childhood sucks.

• Life is filled with restrictions for kids.

• Keep in mind that the book must be read aloud…it’s like a script or play.

• Study improv comedy.

• Our picture books are THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES.

• Sound of the words is very important.

• Mo says…if he can read a ms and understand what’s going on, there are too many words.

• Take out as much as possible and let each word do as much as possible:

Nouns and verbs are important.

• The more words you have on the page, the faster it’ll be read and vice versa…example: in Leonardo the Terrible Monster there is one page that contains only one word…Sam. When a teacher reads this page, she reads it slowly.

• Characters who are enemies are so b/c they are essentially the same.

• It only takes one moment of empathy to turn enemies into friends.

• Storyboard your ms so you can see what happens in the page turn.

• Work for an audience…always keep the audience in mind.

• Once you care about the audience more than yourself, you are a writer.

• Develop a loud sense of empathy—how would I feel if I were in a kid’s position?

• Mo says, “Their [kids’] misery is HILARIOUS. Just be on their side.”

• With ideas…the easy part is coming up with one…the hard part is keeping it alive.

• Look for emotional truth in a story.

• Seeming effortless is KEY.

• “Books should not be read. They should be played.”

• He plays with characters and situations.

• He explores characters before putting them in a story.

• He designs the star of every book so a kid can easily render the character’s image.

*I was cleaning old files and found this fantastic list saved from August 2006. My apologies I cannot properly credit the note-taker. :(

Perfect Story Arc in Under 1 Minute

No dialogue.

Showing vs/ telling.

A character worth rooting for.

A cute dog. (Never hurts.)

Authentic kid emotion and experience.

A twist ending.

Sure a grown-up swoops in, but by then, I don't care. I want this kid to reach his goal.

Way to go, Volkswagen.