As I speak with students and even other adults, many people ask where my ideas come from. I am sure every writer has their own creative process and it’s definitely not a one size fits all kind of thing, but my ideas normally start as a fleeting thought and then either splutter out or keep building until I realize an actual story can be formed.
For me, I find most times, short rhymes come to me in bits and pieces so I jot them down. As more rhymes begin to form the story begins to take shape and although I don’t always know where it is going, I keep writing whatever comes to me. Obviously not everything is going to make it into the final draft, but even sentences that don’t work push me down an unexpected path and the story goes in a different direction. Sometimes that works, other times it doesn’t.
One of the most important aspects of writing these rhyming books is the actual flow and rhythm of the book itself which works in tandem with the story. Mapping out a rhyme scheme helps me craft a stronger and more readable story. It also means a lot of editing and creative thinking to develop a sentence that follows the rhyme scheme, contributes to the story, and moves the story forward. At times, it can be very stressful to try to fit my thoughts into the rhyme scheme I’ve determined, but the challenge is also very exciting and in the end, I believe helps me develop a stronger story for my readers.
Recently, a story has been percolating in my mind and I think it is finally time to tackle a new story and see where it leads. This is always an exciting time in the process, because even though I have a general sense of what I want to write, it is so exciting to create a character and develop a completely different world for kids and parents to jump into when they sit down to read a book together.
I LOVE thinking about kids and parents snuggled up together reading the stories I have poured my heart into developing. It is such an honor to hear how people are connecting with Ramone‘s journey and I can’t wait to hear how parents and kids alike relate to my second book which will be released in 2022. Until then, enjoy following Ramone on his journey and know I am continuing to craft stories that I am hopeful will become a favorite book for some child somewhere.