Staying Creative, Inspired, and Resilient

By Melanie Ellsworth

A huge challenge for writers, illustrators, and any creator these days is staying inspired and continuing to create. The news is oppressive and scary: Black people being killed by those who are supposed to protect them, a leader who bullies instead of leading, voter suppression, abusive immigration policies, out-of-control wildfires, and a deep fear that the U.S. democratic system is collapsing. And wait — I nearly forgot the worldwide pandemic that is taking lives, keeping people out of work, and forcing us apart (and turning some of our children into anxious, Minecraft/Roblox-playing zombies).

If you skipped that introduction, I don’t blame you. You didn’t need to read about it — you’re living it. So, what to do if you still need/want to create? Here are 20 things that have helped me or fellow creators.

1. Write a 6-word-pandemic memoir.

It’s cathartic. And brief! 

2. Count everything as writing.

Try a pandemic gratitude list. Top on my list is the extra time I’ve had at home to cuddle with my 14-year-old dog as he gets grayer. Or write to your senators — I bet you’ve got a lot to say.

3. Identify an issue …

… you’re coping with and write/draw about it. I just wrote a picture book on loneliness.

4. Create something for someone else.

My daughter and I made a greenhouse from a kit for her garden-loving grandparents and turned a rock into a guinea pig for her musical aunt.

5. Read picture books for hope and resilience.

Check out the Soaring ‘20s debut books — you’ll find books that bring laughs, joy, hope, courage, and new information. Maybe one will provide inspiration for your next book!

6. Try collaborating with another writer/illustrator …

… like Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley did with their new picture-book poetry anthology, No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History. David L. Harrison and Jane Yolen worked together on their new picture book, Rum Pum Pum. And Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick did on Bob, Not Bob and Dear Substitute. Writing solo is hard enough in the best of times.

7. Play Spider Solitaire …

… when you just can’t write. (Please don’t tell my husband that’s what I’m actually doing in my office.)

8. Share prompts with your critique group partners.

It’s fun and inspiring to watch the different stories birthed from the same prompt.

9. Create in a different genre.

I always love writing picture books, but I’m trying some flash fiction now, too. I can work in shorter chunks of time when it’s harder to focus.

10. Vent to your critique group.

You are not alone!

11. Let crazy things crack you up …

… like a silly turn of phrase or the way your child just pronounced the word, “piano.” Maybe it’ll lead to a story.

12. Take a nature walk.

This keeps me going every day. If you can’t get outside, you’ll probably notice how light moves across your ceilings and floors — like ever-changing art.

13. Reread your favorite books …

… sometimes for fun, and sometimes through a writer’s lens to see what you can learn.

14. Exercise.

Wherever and however long you can.

15. Plant bulbs.

We all need something to look forward to next spring.

16. Introduce yourself to new neighbors.

Maybe they don’t want your home-baked brownies just now, but how about a pumpkin? (Don’t forget your mask!)

17. Rescue a spider from your bathtub.

You’ll feel better and so will she.

18. Take impossible stuff off your list.

I’m not sure why cleaning the vacuum filter seems impossible, but just now, it does.

19. Get professional help if you need it.

You can only create if you are well.

20. Stop reading posts like this one.

Sneaky that I saved that for last, eh? It’s OK if you have to unsubscribe from something, or lots of somethings, right now. No worries. It’ll be there when you’re ready to log back in again!

BONUS IDEA:

If there’s something that helps you be creative, share it with others. We could all use your inspiration!

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Melanie Ellsworth is lucky enough to live and write in lovely coastal Maine. Her dog and daughter provide daily inspiration for her picture books. Many school years of playing the clarinet in bands and orchestras led to her first picture book, CLARINET AND TRUMPET, about a woodwind/brass rivalry taken to extremes (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020). Her second book, HIP, HIP...BERET! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020), features a repeating rhyme set to the rhythm of Hip, Hip Hooray, and tells the story of a beloved beret that takes an incredible journey on a series of surprising heads before finding its home. As a former ESOL teacher and literacy specialist, Melanie loves all parts of the writing process, from gathering ideas to revision to sharing books. Visit Melanie on Twitter @melanieells, Instagram @melaniebellsworth, and at her website, www.MelanieEllsworth.com.

Illustrator Interview: Junyi Wu on creating BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST

By Lindsay H. Metcalf

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Illustrator Junyi Wu

Many people outside the children’s publishing industry don’t realize what goes into making a picture book. Notably, authors often have no contact with the illustrator while the book is being made. That’s why I was so excited when Junyi Wu, the illustrator of my debut, BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST, agreed to answer a few questions for the Soaring ‘20s blog. I’m thrilled to be learn how she rendered the gorgeous illustrations for our book, new this month from Albert Whitman & Co.

Lindsay: Welcome, Junyi! Tell us about the illustrations for BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST and how you landed on this style.

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Junyi: We really wanted the art in this book to reflect Beatrix’s fascination with science, nature and drawing. I worked really closely with Aphee Messer, the book’s designer, to come up with ways to reflect Beatrix’s journey and the complexity of her scientific studies. We tried to keep a nice balance between detailed depictions of Beatrix’s drawings and more vivid and dreamy depictions of the English and Scottish countryside that inspired her.

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© 2020 Albert Whitman and Company

Did you run into any particular challenges along the way?

There was quite a lot I had to learn about Beatrix Potter and this side of her work that is lesser known! I did get a lot of helpful notes during the sketch rounds for the interior art — both from Lindsay and Aphee on ways to help the art better fit the timeline of Beatrix’s life and work.

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© 2020 Albert Whitman and Company

The book features scenes from late-1800s England and Scotland. How did you go about researching all the historical details?

Lindsay and the team at Albert Whitman put together a huge image library of photos of Beatrix and the many drawings she did. That helped me tremendously when it came to picturing Beatrix at various stages in her youth, as well as in recreating the sketches she made through her studies. Other than that, I did look up Kew Gardens, Beatrix’s writing desk, and various scientific and artistic instruments to try keep the settings in the story true to how things were.

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© 2020 Albert Whitman and Company

Can you walk us through your favorite illustration?

I really enjoyed illustrating the scene of young Beatrix following the postman through the mud and landscape along his route. I imagined she’d be fully immersed in the sights, sound and smells of the Scottish Highlands, so it was fun to draw a lush scene with little details hinting at things she’d see while chasing her curiosity!

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Cover by Junyi Wu

You also illustrated SCARY STORIES FOR YOUNG FOXES by Christian McKay Heidicker, which won a Newbery Honor this spring! I only recently realized that this book features a creepy taxidermist rendering of Beatrix Potter. Our book features a scene in which the real Beatrix examines her dead pets’ skeletons. “But when the animals die—after she cries—she removes their flesh to admire their bones. There’s care in every measurement, from head to fingers to tail.” Can you talk about this connection?

Yes, that was definitely an interesting parallel! I think both books introduce us to a version of Beatrix that we might not have pictured from reading her children’s books full of idyllic scenes and charmingly realistic characters. She was someone who observed the world meticulously, documenting every detail of the composition and structure of the flora and fauna she encountered. The delicate accuracy of her storybook illustrations reflect the extent of her study. I would agree that the same qualities that make Beatrix a brilliant naturalist and artist can certainly make her quite scary through the eyes of a fox kit.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you be?

A special fx makeup artist. It would be so amazing to be able to bring things to life in that way!

What’s next for you?

I'm currently working on a couple of other book projects, including my debut author-illustrator book CORGI CAN, with Scholastic! I'm also working on some fun animation projects with Chromosphere Studio.

Congratulations on your upcoming projects, Junyi, and thanks for sharing about your process!

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Virtual Event: All About Beatrix Potter!

Join Junyi Wu and Lindsay H. Metcalf, along with Linda Elovitz Marshall, author of SAVING THE COUNTRYSIDE: The Story of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit (Little Bee Books, 2020).

When: 7 p.m. CST September 23

Hosted by: Mainstreet Books in St. Charles, Mo., and the St. Charles City-County Library

Where: Facebook Live at facebook.com/VisitMyLibrary

Signed bookplates: Order BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST from Mainstreet Books and receive a bookplate signed by both Junyi and Lindsay.

Book Details

BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST

by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Illustrated by Junyi Wu

Pub Date: September 1
ISBN: 978-0807551752
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co.

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Junyi Wu is an illustrator currently working in children's publishing and animation. She is the illustrator of Beatrix Potter, Scientist, Bicycles in Beijing (written by Teresa Robeson, Albert Whitman, 2020), and Scary Stories for Young Foxes, the Newbery Honor-winning book written by Christian McKay Heidicker (Henry Holt and Co., 2019). Junyi lives in California with her handy husband, clever cat and boisterous bunny. She grew up admiring Beatrix Potter’s stories and illustrations and is now very happy to be creating picture books of her own. Like Beatrix, she enjoys exploring the beauty and nuance of nature in her work. Recently, she’s been very into making stews, baking and playing board games.

Website: junyiwu.com
Instagram: @junyiwu

Lindsay H. Metcalf is a journalist and author of nonfiction picture books: Beatrix Potter, Scientist; Farmers Unite! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices (Calkins Creek, November 2020); and No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History, a poetry anthology about contemporary young activists co-edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley, illustrated by Bradley (Charlesbridge, September 2020). Lindsay lives in north-central Kansas, not far from the farm where she grew up, with her husband, two sons, and a variety of pets.

Website: lindsayhmetcalf.com
Twitter: @lindsayhmetcalf
Instagram: @lindsayhmetcalf

So You Want to Create a Recipe for Your Picture Book…

By Carrie Finison

PREORDER GIVEAWAY

NOTE: During the month of June, I’m running a special giveaway for people who preorder DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS, which publishes July 21. Everyone who preorders gets something, and can also win a special pretend-play prize pack for your classroom or for a little baker in your life: an adorable apron just like the main character, LouAnn, wears; a dozen fleece mini doughnuts to play with; and doughnut hand stamps & stickers. Use this link to enter by June 30: https://www.carriefinison.com/giveaway

When my daughter was about four, we read the fantastic picture book Bee Bim Bop by Linda Sue Park. My daughter was intrigued, not only by the lively rhythms of the text, but also by the recipe in the back of the book. Of course, we had to try it! There’s something about reading a picture book about food that can entice even the pickiest eater to want to try something new, and it’s extra fun when a recipe is included.

As I worked on writing DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS, I knew I wanted to develop a doughnut recipe to go with the story. But I had no idea where to begin. I’ve always enjoyed baking, but only as a home cook. Would I need to take a Johnson and Wales correspondence class before I could put a recipe in my book?

After talking with writer friends and researching online, it turns out that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel (or the recipe for doughnuts) in order to develop a recipe to go with your book. Below are some tips based on what I learned along the way.

1. Recipes can’t be copyrighted.

According to the US Copyright Office, the list of ingredients for a recipe cannot be copyrighted. However, the explanation and exact wording of the directions can be, so it’s important not to plagiarize and to restate things in your own words. Here’s the statement from Copyright.gov:

“A mere listing of ingredients is not protected under copyright law. However, where a recipe or formula is accompanied by substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, or when there is a collection of recipes as in a cookbook, there may be a basis for copyright protection. Note that if you have secret ingredients to a recipe that you do not wish to be revealed, you should not submit your recipe for registration, because applications and deposit copies are public records. See Circular 33, Works Not Protected by Copyright.”

Here’s a link to an article with more detail about copyright and recipes: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/recipe-attribution/

2. Look online and in cookbooks for several variations of your recipe.

There are MANY doughnut recipes out there. Some doughnuts are made with yeast and some are more cake-like. Some are fried and some are baked. I searched many recipes online and in classic cookbooks like The Joy of Cooking to come up with five to six different recipes to try.

3. Consider your audience.

I wanted my recipe to be kid-friendly. That’s hard to do with doughnuts, which are somewhat difficult to make, especially when deep-frying is involved. I thought baked doughnuts might be safer and easier. However, after testing MANY recipes for baked doughnuts, I realized they just don’t hold a candle to the fried version. Baking doughnuts also requires special equipment: a doughnut pan, which most people don’t have. Fried doughnuts (with the help of an adult) seemed more approachable. It’s also what my main character, LouAnn, does, so it’s more true to the book.

Here’s one attempt at baking doughnuts. I even tried making doughnut muffins.

Similarly, yeast doughnuts require a long rise time—difficult for children with their short attention span. I wanted a recipe that could be made quickly without rise time. Ultimately, I settled on cake-like doughnuts that are fried in a small amount of oil.

Here’s a good guide I found to kids’ cooking skills at different ages: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/guide-cookery-skills-age

Fried doughnuts are the way to go!

4. Think about variations.

These days, many kids have allergies or special dietary concerns. If your recipe contains a common allergen, especially tree nuts or peanuts, consider recommending a substitution.

Here’s a website that can help you find substitutions for common food allergens in recipes: https://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/recipe-substitutions.aspx

5. Put your own spin on it.

Even though copyright law allows you to copy someone else’s ingredient list, I wanted to put my own spin on my doughnut recipe. That meant making many batches with a variety of spices, and changing up some of the liquid ingredients. My family didn’t seem to mind! And in the end, having a recipe that’s truly my own makes me feel better.

6. Give credit where it’s due.

If you use a source for your recipe, give credit to the original source. I found my base doughnut recipe on the New York Times website, so I put the simple line, “Adapted from NYT Cooking” on my recipe.

7. Be aware of your page count.

Most likely, you’ll need to keep your recipe simple enough to fit on one page (or a spread at the most) at the back of your book.

As it turned out, my book, even at 40 pages, did not have enough space in the back for a recipe. But, I was able to salvage that work and now plan to use the recipe as a giveaway.

And so, without further ado, I’m sharing LouAnn’s doughnut recipe below. I hope that you and your kids enjoy making them as much as I did. If you do end up making some, hop over to my website and use the contact form to let me know. I’d love to see your creations!

Click on the image for a printable PDF.

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Carrie Finison writes picture books with humor and heart, including DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS (2020) and the forthcoming books DON'T HUG DOUG (2021) and HURRY, LITTLE TORTOISE (2022). She lives in the Boston area with her family. Find her online at www.carriefinison.com or on Twitter @CarrieFinison.