Day #92: Drawing Helps Me Write

During the past year, I have had several breakthroughs with my picture book writing, and it's all thanks to doodling.

I used to just type up a story and assume that an editor and illustrator would be able to make it fit into 30-32 pages... but ever since Eugene's lecture at SCBWI, I've realized the importance of visual page-turnability. And so after I write the first draft of a book on the computer, I print it up and then pretend I'm an illustrator. I sketch the story onto my journal, and see if the story actually works on the page.

My new "Rainbow" themed book is my latest success story. The first draft was pretty good, but after I created a sketch version, the writing improved tenfold.

Day #91: Revision Projects

So many papers to grade... but once I'm finished, then I'll have so many creative projects to revise...

Here's what I need to accomplish:

#1) Revise Camp Omigosh (70% Complete)

#2) Revise "Rainbow Book" (0% Complete... but it's only 800 words!)

#3) Revise "Strangers" (0% Complete)

#4) Revise "Field Trip Through Unicorn Forest" (0% Complete -- and I'm really stuck on this one.)

#5) Wait for revision notes from Charlesbridge

#6) Wait for revision notes from Candlewick

Day #90: Camp Omigosh Update

We're at 83% with our challenge total... Hopefully we'll get at least another $100 from a generous soul within the next 12 days.  But I just received an invoice, and it looks like it's gonna be about $825 with the formatting, editing, and cover design.

That means we've got some stretch goals to take care of... Which means I need to keep spreading the word for the next two weeks!

Day #89: Challenge Total - Early April Edition

Just got another little royalty check in the mail. This one is from about six months of Kindle Royalties, mainly from the play Tomorrow's Wish.

Amazon Digital Services sent me a whopping $102.59... Which means the new grand total for my 365 day challenge is now: $483.79

That means I've been earning an extra $5.43 a day. Wow. Pathetic, huh?

Or, another way of looking at it...

I still have $19,516.21 left to earn, and only 276 days to accomplish my goal!

In other words, "we've got a long way to go and a short time to get there. We're gonna do what they say can't be done!"

Day #88: Gratitude

I need to show more gratitude to others, more often and more enthusiastically. Sometimes I get lost in my own little world.

Case in point, I have a lot of great artists and technicians who have been working incredibly hard on "The Three Musketeers." One such person choreographed all of the fight scenes, and I failed to list him on the production crew list. I didn't find out until after Friday's performance. (Which means it's been three shows without me knowing about the accidental omission.)

I feel like crap. Hopefully, my assistant director and I can make it up to him by putting an insert in the rest of the programs.

Day #87: The Waiting Game... Yet Again...

So, now that one of my new picture books is sitting at an editor's desk somewhere on the East Coast, it's time for me once again to play the waiting game.

To quote Homer Simpson: "I Hate the waiting game. Let's play Hungry, Hungry Hippos!"

Day #86: Indiegogo Campaign is at 83% - No Foolin'!

Camp Omigosh funding is inching its way towards its goal. We've got one hundred more dollars to earn and then we can be considered a success!

In the meantime, I've been spending much of my spring break revising my manuscript. So far I've lowered the word count by about 4000 words. Not bad!