writing journey

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October 7, 2019

My KidLit Fall Writing Frenzy 2019 Entry (And What I Learned From Entering)

Writing contests can be intimidating, especially for newer writers. It’s easy to assume your work isn’t ready, that other writers are more talented, or that there’s little chance of being selected. Yet contests offer something valuable regardless of the outcome: a reason to create, finish a piece of work, and put it into the world. In 2019, I entered the KidLit Fall Writing Frenzy, a picture book writing contest built around visual prompts and strict word-count limitations. The challenge encouraged creativity, brevity, and experimentation. While the contest itself has long since ended, I wanted to preserve both my entry and the experience because it represents an important part of my growth as a writer. To my surprise, the submission was selected for a picture book manuscript critique prize. More importantly, it reminded me that opportunities often come from simply showing up and participating. Below is the original contest entry exactly as submitted.

December 30, 2017

Lessons I Learned Hiring a Children’s Book Illustrator During My First Self-Publishing Project

Writing a children's book manuscript felt like a major accomplishment. Then I discovered I was only halfway through the journey. As someone with little artistic ability, I suddenly faced an entirely new challenge: finding an illustrator who could bring my story to life. What I imagined would be a simple handoff of the manuscript turned into months of collaboration, feedback, revisions, and creative problem-solving. Although the book itself was never published, the experience taught me valuable lessons about communication, creative partnerships, and the realities of producing a picture book. If you're considering hiring an illustrator for your own children's book, I hope these lessons help you begin the process with more realistic expectations than I had.

August 21, 2017

How Writing Slowly Became Impossible to Ignore

Some creative ideas arrive quietly. At first they seem small — easy to ignore, easy to postpone, easy to dismiss as unrealistic. But the longer they stay with us, the more difficult they become to silence. What begins as curiosity slowly turns into obsession. We think about the idea constantly, research it, revisit it, and eventually share it carefully with someone we trust. For many writers and creators, that is how the process begins. Not with certainty, but with a growing sense that something meaningful needs to be made.