At the core of genius

Sorry to break it to you, but I have nothing inspiring to say today. Personally, I'm okay with that, because writers don't just write when they're inspired. In fact, from what I've read, writers spend most of their time writing when they aren't inspired at all.

There's a saying that you've probably heard: genius is 1 % inspiration and 99% perspiration. I don't agree. I think genius is all perspiration, because if you aren't willing to sit down and work when you have no inspiration at all, you'll never get anywhere.

What do you think? Is genius really about showing up when you don't feel like it?

Children's authors and illustrators interviews give you the inside scoop on success

I'm so excited about the author and interviews I've been doing over at Examiner.com and wanted to share the links in case you haven't seen them. Drop by so you can take advantage of the valuable advice by these proven children's authors and illustrators.

Sometimes writers start out in other occupations, such as teaching. Laura Crawford is a teacher whose desire to help kids learn has resulted in multiple picture book sales. Check out her interview for help in developing your own creative ideas.

Laura Crawford (part 1)

Laura Crawford (part 2)

Illustrator Jeff Mack started drawing and writing as just a kid but never quit. His spectacular illustrations will wow you while his advice encourages you in your own writing journey.

Jeff Mack (part 1)

Jeff Mack (part 2)

Jeff Mack (part 3)

Children's author Tammi Sauer has provided exceptional fun for kids (and adults) with books such as Mostly Monsterly and Mr. Duck Means Business. Get to know her better and read about her path to writing success in this two part interview.

Tammi Sauer (part 1)

Tammi Sauer (part 2)

Children's author Lori Mortensen has written many stories, articles, and children's books. If you want to know how to go from unpublished to published, don't miss any part of this three part interview.

Lori Mortensen (part 1)

Lori Mortensen (part 2)

Lori Mortensen (part 3)

Playing picture book lotto and beating the odds

Honestly, writing picture books is not exactly like gambling. It just feels like you're throwing the dice and waiting to see what comes up sometimes. In writing, however, you have more control than you might think. Here are some ways you can improve your odds for a sale and escape the slush pile.

• Study English

Ah, yes. We start with the ever popular study of the English language. You'll need it if you're planning to get anything published. Grammar is important if you want to communicate well or show an editor or an agent that you know what you're doing. Unfortunately, many manuscripts are unusable simply because they "ain't got no good grammar."

• Read all the time

You have full permission to immerse yourself in great picture books. Read as many as you can every day. Possibly the two biggest differences between a picture book and a short story is that a picture book needs a lot more visual potential and has a different type of rhythm. You'll develop a sense for picture book rhythm and plot that will serve you as a writer if you read many picture books.

You get extra points for this one if you set up a spread sheet, one slot per page number, and type in the text of a few of your favorite picture books. If you do, you'll begin to see a pattern which will help you in your own story development.

Double your extra points by reading Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul.

• Don't send your manuscript out before it's ready

Most writers have done this at least once. I did it more than once. (Ouch!) When you write something, of course it sounds right at first. After you leave it alone for a week and come back to it, it won't look quite so perfect. Sometimes I work on a picture book manuscript for two years before I feel it's ready to go out. During this time I rewrite and rewrite, in addition to getting feedback from other writers in critique groups.

• Know what a publisher publishes before you mail to them

Publishers don't just publish books. They publish specific kinds of books. Each one tries to fill a niche. Please, for the sake of those poor overworked editors and agents, find out what the publisher wants before you send your manuscript. Get a catalog and study it like our life depends on it. Do they only publish picture books with child protagonists? Do they have stories about animals? Do they publish self-help books for kids? Do they publish fiction or nonfiction? Find out. Make sure you are a fit so you don't waste your time and theirs.

Special tip I picked up from the 2010 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market: Do an advanced search on Amazon by typing in the publisher's name, age level of book, and dates so you can see what they've published in the past few years.

• Direct your muse

This takes the previous point one step further. I actually picked this up from a book on writing and selling cartoons. The idea behind it is for you to research a specific magazine or publisher before writing a story or book so you can fit into the niche they publish for. As writers, we're often encouraged to follow our heart, and there's nothing wrong with that, but a skilled, disciplined writer should be to direct his ability and fill a need.

The bottom line

Approximately 80 to 85 percent of the slush pile is not usable by a publisher. Probably less than 5 percent might even be something they would consider with more than a brief glance. If you want to be competitive, you have to be willing to do what it takes to get into the 5 percent that interests them. I know that nowadays even published writers have concerns about the industry, but publishing isn't going anywhere right now. There are authors out there selling their work. This means that when it comes right down to it, the only thing really standing between you and publication is you. And that's definitely an issue that you can do something about.

Embracing the uglies

The awkward stage of life. Nobody likes it, but we've all been through it.

I don't know about you, but I went through my personal awkward (and what I considered ugly) stage when I was in junior high and most of high school. I was academic, wore glasses, and was shy. My clothes weren't as "in" as the other kids, and the only good thing I had going for me was that I didn't have braces. I have the Kodak moments to prove it.

On the flip side, eventually I grew up a little more and left a measure of my awkward stage behind. I was still shy, but in college it was not less than cool to like studying and get good grades. I got some contact lenses, although I still prefer glasses, and things seemed to have turned out well in spite of my earlier awkwardness.

Where, you might be asking, am I going with this? Well, in both writing and art, you have to travel through preliminary stages. This is unavoidable and necessary, because it is in the "ugly" stage that you discover your vision for a project. Without it, you'll never arrive at your desired destination.

I find this slightly easier to do in writing than in art. While painting, I always have the uneasy feeling that someone is looking over my shoulder. I know what's coming, because I'm in the ugly stage, and no one will understand that it has to be there unless he or she has painted before. It's a time of vulnerability that I do not enjoy.

I find this particularly true with murals. You're out in the open for everyone to see while you work. I've had people stare, obviously perplexed, at what I'm working on. I can see by the look on their faces that they were running under the assumption that I had some ability in the painting area, but suddenly felt they'd been grossly misinformed. Sometimes it's only when the complete vision manifests on the wall that they relax and smile. Now they get it. Now it looks good to them.

So this week, embrace the uglies. Don't let disapproval from outside or inside stop you. The uglies mean change, but they also mean growth, and growth is a good thing when you come out on the other side.

What kind of uglies have you had to face? Did you give up or press on?

Stop by to read the interview with author Tammi Sauer

Having enjoyed reading some of Tammi Sauer's books, such as Mr. Duck Means Business and Mostly Monsterly, I was thrilled to interview her this week for Examiner.com. Please drop by the site and read the first of my two-part interview with her.

If you're feeling particularly adventurous today, try out her dance "The Librarian," too. (It's also on the site.)

: )

Make an appointment to have a happy accident

This week I interviewed Jeff Mack, a writer and illustrator of children's books. Aside from the fact that it's always interesting to peak into the life of someone who is out there living the life that so many writers and illustrators dream of, one of his answers struck me as particularly interesting.

He said that while he's working on the first phase of his illustrations, he creates quick sketches of the layouts and characters. While he's doing these scribbly drawings, "accidents" sometimes suggest forms that he had not thought of before. These lead to more sketches, and as he allows the process of trial and error to continue, he eventually comes to up with his final art.

This struck me as somewhat profound, primarily because it applies to writers just as well as illustrators. As writers, we strive for the perfect word and the perfect story. Some times we muddle around in the middle, afraid to go forward because we want everything to be just right when we write our story for the first time. However, first drafts are not meant to be perfect. They are just like an illustrator's early scribbles. If we just allow the creative process to take it's natural course when we show up to write each day, eventually, we'll see something more finished and more beautiful than we first imagined. It will have more facets than the original plan called for. Hopefully, it will have more depth.

My challenge to you this week is to break out of any perfectionist mentality that you harbor as you write your first drafts. Instead, let yourself enjoy the happy accidents that result from quickly moving through your plot. In the end, they might take you in directions you didn't plan to go, which might turn out to be a good thing.

If this is something you've struggled with (as I have), leave a comment after you have permitted yourself to let go more in your writing. How did it work out? Did you have some happy accidents that actually produced something you were glad of in the end?

If you'd like to read my interview with Jeff Mack, click on this link and enjoy!

Interview with the talented Jeff Mack!

If you're just stopping by, please follow the link to read my interview with children's book illustrator Jeff Mack.

: ) Beth