Writing Prompt/Brainstorming with Lisa Wheeler

I have known Lisa Wheeler since she spun her first tale in WOOL GATHERING. Since that time, I have done some gathering of my own, as I now have in my collection WOOL GATHERING, FARMER DALE'S PICK-UP TRUCK, TURK AND RUNT, OLD CRICKET, AVALANCHE ANNIE, ONE DARK NIGHT, PORCUPINING, SIXTEEN COWS and SAILOR MOO, to name just a few! It looks like she has served up another treat with UGLY PIE, which  is next on my "To Buy" list! Shop at Amazon.com! The cover is scrumptious and even somewhat matches the style of my kitchen and my Jim Shore Folk Art animal and seasonal art collection http://www.jimshore.com/content/ . I think I want this book on display in my kitchen cabinet when we're finished reading! But enough about my kitchen. I'm extremely psyched to have such a prolific author here this UGLY Saturday morning in New York, to prompt me (and the rest of you) to start the morning writing.  When I read the exercise myself, I not only found it inspiring, but LOVED hearing the process by which she created this book (and Sailor Moo). Fun and fascinating, Lisa! I'm sure, with Lisa's seeds for thought, we all can make something good of the writing day and maybe even bake a marketable pie! *.*.*.* BRAINSTORMING: Word Lists by Lisa Wheeler When asked to do writing exercises in workshops, I usually freeze up. I have flashbacks of elementary school and having to perform on demand in front of the classroom. So when Lynne asked me if I would be willing to share a writing exercise, my first reaction was panic! But then I realized that maybe others out there are like me and freeze up when asked to write on demand. So I decided to share a little thing I do at the onset of writing my picture books. Simply put, I brainstorm. I am a character driven writer, so I usually have a character in mind but have not yet been ‘told’ what his /her story will be. This is when I sit down with my notebook and begin to brainstorm. Let’s take my newest book, Ugly Pie. I knew the main character was named Ol’ Bear and I knew he wanted Ugly Pie. That’s all I had. So I begin to make word-association lists. I made ne list for my character and another for either the setting or something important to story—in this case, pie. So the list might look like this: BEAR Cub Grizzly Brown Kodiak Polar Fur Claws Nose Woods Forest Tree Three bears Etc. And then, I brainstorm words that have ‘bear/bare’ in them, as I am a horrible punner. Bearable Barely Bare naked Embarrassed Barren Bariatric Etc. I move onto pie. PIE Pumpkin Apple Cherry Peach Sweet potato Rhubarb Bake Pan Crust Golden Sweet warm etc. Why do I do all this? First off, it gives me a sense of story. As I make list, I am getting images in my brain that set the tone as well as give the story a sense of place for me. Second, as I begin writing the story, chances are, I may get stuck. Happens all the time. When that happens, I pull out my lists. Aha! There I see a word that may lead me to a place I never anticipated going. For instance, when I was writing Sailor Moo, I had three pages of word lists. Some were under the COW heading and some were under OCEAN. At one point in the story, I had no clue where the story was heading. I went to my lists and saw that under both headings, I had the word ‘seacow’. I knew I must have one in Sailor Moo’s adventure and that is how she came to befriend the manatee. I realize this way of beginning won’t work for everyone, but the next time you decide to write a new story, give it a try. You ever know where those lists might lead you. BIO: Lisa Wheeler is passionate about children’s books. “I love everything about them, including the smell.” To date, Lisa has twenty-eight titles on library shelves, with more to follow over the next few years. She’s written picture books in prose and rhyme, an easy reader series, three books of poems, and creative nonfiction for the very young. Awards include the 2004 Mitten Award for Old Cricket, given by the Michigan Library Association, the 2005/06 Great Lakes, Great Books Award and 2005 Missouri Building Blocks Award for Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum, the 2006 Bluebonnet Award for Seadogs , the 2006/07 South Carolina Picture Book Award for Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum . and most recently, the 2008 The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for Jazz Baby given by the American Library Association. Her newest titles include Dino-Baseball, illustrated by Barry Gott (CarolRhoda), and Ugly Pie, illustrated by Heather Solomon (Harcourt) Lisa shares her Michigan home with one husband, one dog, and an assortment of anthropomorphic characters. Check out her website at http://www.facebook.com/l/9f49eUVpSLmLEfwBneIMqjYGUhg;www.lisawheelerbooks.com

Writing Prompt/The Write Start by Dianne de Las Casas

It's a cool rainy day in New York, so I grabbed a cup of Hazelnut coffee to sit down with this delicious morning writing starter by my very first (((GUEST)))
Storyteller/Author pal Dianne de Las Casas:

Want to write but feel stuck? It’s natural to stare at the “blank page” and blink a few times, not knowing what to write. Sometimes, our creative juices get bottlenecked in a quagmire of over-thinking and over-analyzing. Here are some story prompters to help you “loosen the plug” and get back to your effervescent writer self. Remember the child you once were. Tap into that. Bottom up and pens down! Don’t think. Just write. And don’t limit your recollection. Feel free to stretch your imagination muscle. A lot!

1. The most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me as a child was…
2. The funniest thing that ever happened to me as a child was…
3. Do you want to hear a story of adventure? When I was a kid, I used to…
4. The scariest moment I ever had as a child was when…
5. I have this scar. You’ll never believe how I got it…
6. My favorite place to visit as a kid was _______.
7. When I was a kid, I was quite a trickster. Once, I…
8. I remember the first time I lost my tooth (learned how to ride a bike, got my first shot, any childhood “firsts”).
9. As a child, my favorite pet in the whole world was ________. He was the best ________ ever! We used to….
10. When I was in ________ grade. My best friend was ___________. We did everything together. Once…
11. My favorite teacher was __________. In her class, we…
12. Here’s a story about my Aunt/Uncle ____________? He/she used to get into so much trouble! Once…
13. One of my favorite memories as a kid was when my team won the ________ game! It all started when…
14. When I was a kid, I could never go anywhere without (favorite toy or blanket). One time…
15. When I was a kid, I won a (spelling bee, achievement award, essay contest, etc.). I couldn’t believe it…
16. When we were little, my family used to go camping. Once…
17. My favorite Christmas was when…
18. When we were kids, we used to play… (Name an outdoor game, board game, card game, etc. Recall that experience.)
19. My favorite cartoon as a kid was ________. I love watching it because…
20. One time, when I was little, we had a disaster in the kitchen…

Bio:
Dianne de Las Casas is an author and award-winning storyteller who tours internationally presenting programs, educator/librarian training, workshops and artist residencies. Her performances, dubbed “revved-up storytelling” are full of energetic audience participation. Her children’s books include The Cajun Cornbread Boy, Madame Poulet & Monsieur Roach, Mama’s Bayou, and The Gigantic Sweet Potato. Dianne’s professional books include Story Fest: Crafting Story Theater Scripts; Kamishibai Story Theater: The Art of Picture Telling; Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take; Tangram Tales: Story Theater Using the Ancient Chinese Puzzle, The Story Biz Handbook, Scared Silly: 25 Tales to Tickle and Thrill and Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales. Visit her website at http://www.storyconnection.net/.

Dianne de Las Casas
Author & Award-Winning Storyteller
The Story Connection
dianne@storyconnection.net
storyconnection@gmail.com
http://www.storyconnection.net/
Friend me! http://www.facebook.com/diannedelascasas
Fan me! http://www.facebook.com/fanofdianne
Follow me! http://www.twitter.com/storyconnection

Children's Books:
Dinosaur Mardi Gras (Pelican Publishing; 2011)
The House that Witchy Built (Pelican Publishing; 2011)
There's a Dragon in the Library (Pelican Publishing; 2011)
The Gigantic Sweet Potato (Pelican Publishing; 2010)
Mama's Bayou (Pelican Publishing; 2010)
Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach (Pelican Publishing; 2009)
The Cajun Cornbread Boy (Pelican Publishing Co., 2009)
Shop at Amazon.com!

Professional Books:
Tales from the 7,000 Isles: Filipino Folk Stories (Libraries Unlimited; 2011)
Tell Along Tales: Playing with Participation Stories (Libraries Unlimited; 2010)
Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales (Libraries Unlimited; 2010)
Scared Silly: 25 Tales to Tickle and Thrill (Libraries Unlimited; 2009)
The Story Biz Handbook: How to Manage Your Storytelling Career from the Desk to the Stage (Libraries Unlimited; 2008)
Tangram Tales: Story Theater Using the Ancient Chinese Puzzle (Teacher Ideas Press; 2008)
Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take (Libraries Unlimited; 2007)
Kamishibai Story Theater: The Art of Picture Telling (Teacher Ideas Press; 2006)
Story Fest: Crafting Story Theater Scripts (Teacher Ideas Press; 2005)

WRITING PROMPT: Word Play

As writers, we all recall days when we finally sit down to write and can't find a thing to write about.

When this happens, don't panic or even mention the word "writer's block." Just grab a pen or go to your computer, choose a writing exercise and begin writing. Writing exercises, such as the one featured here, will warm up the imagination, stretch the creative muscle and massage your muse.

"Word Play" is a random word exercise that's quick, challenging, motivating and best of all--fun. Both writers and poets can utilize this form of warm-up to begin their writing sessions or to write their way through a temporary block. You'll be surprised at the results.

To begin this "Word Play" exercise, let your favorite dictionary fall open to any page. Close your eyes and land your pointer finger randomly on that page to choose a word. Write down the word. Repeat the process. Pick ten words and one bonus word in this fashion. Then, challenge yourself to play around with the words and use ten in a story excerpt or poem of no longer than 200 words.

If you write for a specific genre, i.e., children's or medieval romance, you can choose words from pertinent resources as "The Children's Writer's Word Book," or the "Medieval Word Book" rather than the dictionary. You can even apply the exercise directly to your "work-in-progress" by relating it to those characters, if desired.

NOTE: Writing prompts and exercises like this one by me (as well as several fun and fabulous Guest Authors) will be featured here on a regular basis. Please click the Follow button so you don't miss a tip or a trick!