It's the tertiary and quarternary (?) plots that get me in trouble. #kidlitchat #thetroublewithpoets

Night, ya'll. We've got this. Let's make something rad this week, to report at the next #kidlitchat.

So many drafts in different directions as my brain shoots the story off multiple ways. #kidlitchat

My aspirational tagline- Seriously unserious shenaniganating. #kidlitchat

Not in the query trenches yet but have a tip page going with generous advice from agents+publishers on #favoritepodcast @literaticat.bsky.social , @ktliterary.bsky.social , @picturebooksummit.bsky.social , 3 Point Perspective, Illustration Department. Queries- hard but not mysterious. #kidlitchat

2/2 In a writing seminar she gave the ex. of a man she met w a scarred hand(?) as a result of something in his past he was deeply ashamed of, which morphed into Adam's hearing loss in #RavenBoys. My simple #kidlitchat ex: my kid's *hatred* for wet grass led to an antagonist having a sensory downfall

I used to think it was cheesy or cheating, but I always have to 'steal' one small spark from real life to ignite a story. #YA fabulosa Maggie Stiefvater talks about it as snagging one moment's 'beating heart,' then reshaping the details but with the stakes & emotion intact. 1/2 #kidlitchat

Late to the party, as usual so far this year, but excited and a little proud to duck in before the DJ went home. Hey there, #kidlitchat party people!

Does anyone enjoy *eating* macarons? & Can you explain why, beyond "cute"? I admit I'm more nonprofit-office-leftovers-garbage-disposal than foodie but these are down there with supermarket brownie bites. At the local patisserie they're $5 honey lavender supermarket brownie bites. #hottake ?

Recent lol #kidlit : How to Count to One & This Is a Book of Shapes, both winks at concept #pb genres. A forever fav: Eileen Spinelli & David Slonim's Silly Tilly, 'a daffy down & dilly goose who takes her baths in apple juice, wears a pancake as a hat, tries to ride the farmer's cat' to #kidlitchat

Late for #kidlitchat & up much too late - but in service to a DIY victory! 1st time filling my own #watercolor pans! Then went a little nuts mixing, to use up 3 pans I'd duplicated. Bc of course 2 were pthalos (tinting strength of tanks)... #illustratorproblems #didittomyself #hyperfocus

Feeling lucky, privileged, grateful for any head space for #kidlit while so many of us have jobs, healthcare, personal rights exploding. So, double congrats to each of us on #kidlitchat with good updates + love x2 to all whose beautiful creative seeds are buried deeper for now. Hang in. Grace. 2/2

I'm pretty sure it's still January, so I'm not sure how this is quarterly. But to play along...I'm hitting my major #12x12pb goals. But sadly too wiped each week to explore the forums & friendships. Balancing creative needs, parenting, mutual support in my circles, eating, ya know? #kidlitchat 1/2

Hey there, #kidlitchat pals. Flopped in bed after another long week. But wanted to say hi because what inspires me most is everyone who is keeping their eyes up, heart open, hands reaching out. It might be next week - but looking forward to reading over all your favorites. I have so many names

BEANS ON TOAST! It's all fun and bonding with your children til mum laughs so hard she has to run to the dunny. #kidlitchat

I'm hearing illustrators predict a rise in maximalism, along with traditional media and visible human touch, in this era of ai 'digital slurry'. I am here for it, esp the maximalism. Take 10 crystal goblets, arrange em in the path of the sun to go full constant prism onto a series of rainbow flags..

Can we all form a pact to stop dropping Harry Potter references into any future books? Such an overused shortcut in YA, quirky romance. #kidlitchat

Plus to everyone's point about mild curses being the best language, that Lithgow album got my kids to use "oh gosh, oh gee" #kidlitchat 2/2

Music is a great reference, too. Anyone else know John Lithgow's album Singing in the Bathtub? (Yes, he sings. It is amazing.) The songs are all from the ~1920s-40s. The names and food in them are telling, and just one line like "turn off the Telly, Nelly" sets a whole scene. #kidlitchat 1/2

I'm seeing a lot about word choice and metaphor choice here. Worth saying that what the character notices/misses/feels allowed to speak aloud also varies considerably from historical to present. #kidlitchat

Leave it to me that my fav web communities are 1sided: podcasts! It feels like great company to draw along with 3 Point Perspective, Good Ship Illustration, Illustration Dept podcasts. All 3 have web learning communities that sound fab but I got suckered into skillshare for a yr first...#kidlitchat

I second everyone else about their local SCBWIs for tips & webinars. Tho I do wish I knew how to make the listserv not explode my email... Love #kidlitchat for weekly checkin (not just sayin it bc this is your party). The final Twitter pb pitch was a great push to focus. +Just into my 1st #12x12pb!

Free bird! I also went full extra...in the exact opposite direction... and did mine in watercolor. Thank you for the 2025 Bingo idea, @vbartles.bsky.social (& @krsilverstein.bsky.social ). Rad of you both to make shareables and invite playing along. #12x12pb #kidlitchat #writingcommunity #goals

Countdown clock is chiming! I'm chuffed to be able to join in the fun of @12x12challenge.bsky.social! Been following since spring. See any of you on the call tonight? #kidlitchat #12x12PB

@deniseganley.bsky.social Aaaaand there it is. Forgot the #kidlitchat on the one where I asked everyone to shower me w their goodreads profiles.

Learning about StoryGraph from last week's wishes. While I debate & forget to look into it, I'd love to swap Goodreads with fellow pb obsessives. I mostly get recs from my MFA era; I am so not in the limits-of-language, genre-blurring literary mindset this...decade. www.goodreads.com/user/show/14...

2/2 Two beauties that came out this year were Popi's All Souls Song and Winter Solstice Wish. Kudos to the creators and @beamingbooksmn.bsky.social for soulful, artful books to celebrate rich parts of the seasonal/liturgical year. I loved adding them to our rotation. #kidlitchat #pb

ADORED Nen and the Lonely Fisherman (queer eco-conscious mermen, whaaaat!) #lgbtqbooks A few years old but but new to me (& US markets)! It's such a clever, emotionally intelligent and inclusive update on The Little Mermaid. #kidlitchat 1/2

Why limit ourselves to either/or? #kidlitchat

Very slight proposed amendment- my greatest thrill is that after handing my kids so many blank books to cocreate they've started offhandedly showing me booklets they've made solo. As easily, delightedly as blowing bubbles (to paraphrase I think Leonard Cohen about children casting song)❤️ #kidlitchat

So glad to say that polls in my swing county in swing MI were 400% smoother, more #faithinhumanity inducing than expected. Other precinct chairs agreeing. Strangers checked on each other. Voters sent elsewhere said great, thanks. All kinder than average grocery lines. 2/2 #kidlitchat #election2024

I know we're all talking around the election but honestly the most uplifting kid thing was working the polls today! So many kids there being coached about rules & also how to move through that space. Esp 2 teens who showed autism-like traits & so patiently worked through the process #kidlitchat 1/2

Bet you're impressed by my inner city Northern Lights. It really was dreamy - green strobes and pink puddles evanescent through the thinning crowns of trees. Even a fairly humble #auroraborealis turns me to #poetry at the beauty of our Earth.

I adore all ages of #cozyfantasy, from DePaola's Strega Nona & Four Scary Stories, up to #mg A Wrinkle in Time or Bridge to Terabithia, to Stiefvater's #ya Raven Boys & Scorpio Races, to Practical Magic, Tanya Huff's Keeper trio & Sing the 4Q, Pern, Rivers of London #bookrecommendations #kidlitchat

Here's to all our beloved family eccentrics. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them. #kidlitchat 2/2

A #kidlitchat miracle! Not for the 1st time I just wove pretty deep in the interwebs iso a beloved #mg #fantasy novel title. I mostly remembered building a fairy ferris wheel from old bike tires and straws as a book report.Then *poof* #reddit takes me to 1999 Sarah-Kate in her hiking boots and slip

So many, but I was particularly fascinated by the tiniest ones- the Borrowers using thimbles as cups and matchbox beds, Ralph from Mouse and the Motorcycle making engine noises, Hunka Munca the naughty mouse from Beatrix Potter's world who broke the fake ham off the dolls' plates. #kidlitchat

Samesies. I was just posting how fabulously scatterbrained I am. I had to make my spouse help me choose only ONE wip, which seems cruel. But, shockingly, a few weeks later I'm kicking along with drafts and several illustrations. #kidlitchat

I'm a creative tornado, who used to lose ideas on loose scraps til I found the perfect pocket-sized notebooks and retrained myself to keep ideas on separate pages and start new ones for each conference or season. Gamechanger. #kidlitchat

My only (stamp-related) regret is the Tomie DePaola Strega Nona ones sold out. Thus begins my scavenger hunt at the local USPS branches. #booknerd #kidlit

In other words, describe what happens every time you start another #pb... Write another 2 versions, be unsure which you prefer, get a critique, scribble notes, set it down for a week, see what's exciting on a new look. #kidlitchat

The secret lives of kitties who live in bananas - It's back!!! 3 min episodes. Ridiculous. Cutest things I've ever seen. Meta. Gateway #tvseries into #anime. #bananya #kawaii #cute #artistwithadhd Yes I'm throwing hashtags at this because everyone should know. #cats #animecats I love it so much.

Today I am a kindergarten parent. Which mystical creature stole our sweet little baby loafs and left us with people-sized changelings? #firstdayofschool #kindergarten #twinmom

This is why I cultivate 13 backup hobbies. Time to paint/sew/crochet/native plant/thrift/play with tiny vintage porcelain dogs/pour resin/cue up a cozy fantasy audiobook/political organize/swim/find my closet floor/accept that standing invite to a KPop zoom party. Anything to immerse in. #kidlitchat

Link me to your fav #kidlit themed tshirt for sale. My dryer seems to have graduated from eating socks to a larger cottony snack it can chew longer.

Was partner's 40th so missed this but feel reflective. My 15 years covers 10k train miles, 12 houses, MI farm> Prague>WY>NOLA>house in the woods>actually feeling grounded. From student>grad student>prof>community building>love>twin mom. Poetry>painting>comics>novels> kidlit. Wonderstruck most days.

Things that always make me happy: sweet treats, tiny tiny toys, fresh grass smell, #muppets, stumbling upon muppets in the wild.

Thanks for the follow, @ckwritesbooks.bsky.social! I'm *so* excited for the release of Popi's All Souls Song. All Souls' Day is 10/10 my fav underrated holiday+liturgical observance. Def preordered at Beaming Books. #kidlit Looks so beautiful, @shellyswann.bsky.social & @naomijkrueger.bsky.social

In the spirit of Birthday Month (TM), I must share and participate in this challenge. Also I love poetry.

I let my twins eat a parade-amount of red, white, and blue candy at 9 am. So far #noregerts #punintended. Happy Birthday, America.