RhyPiBoMo | Cathy C. Hall Writes

Last summer, I had the most delightful time in North Georgia, spending a week with a most delightful bunch of picture book writers. I wrote all about it here and when all was said and done, I decided that I had to be done with picture books and get back to my heart. Because I had the beginning of a middle grade story on my heart that was begging to be written.

So this year, I’ve been writing, writing, writing that middle grade story. And I am this close to being done with it. But that, my friends, is just the first draft I’ll be finishing. I’ll need to go back and weave in some good stuff, take out some of the stinky stuff. And that revision has been penciled in for…yep, April.

It just so happens that RhyPiBoMo (that’s Rhyming Picture Book Month, in case you wondered) begins in April (and you can register now!). And I’m just not talented enough to revise a 35,000 word middle grade manuscript and follow along with Angie Karcher’s great posts and read all those great picture books, too. And okay, I know I’m prone to hyperbole, but not this time.

Oh, no, people, not this time. Angie (did I tell you I met her? Up in North Georgia at that weeklong writing workshop?) works so hard to bring such a lot of great writing information your way. I mean, she is committed. And I guarantee that you will be a better picture book writer if you commit to RhyPiBoMo. You can’t be half-a…er…baked about it. You have to be all in.

Kind of like I’m all in on my middle grade story. So best of luck to all of us, wherever our heart is leading us (but dang, I’ll miss all those fun picture book writers)!

I started April with the best of intentions.

I had a couple of rhyming children’s picture books and thought it would be a good idea to get some in-depth rhyming know-how from all the experts blogging over at Angie Karcher’s RhyPiBoMo. And it has been seriously in-depth! You can’t sign up for the challenge at this point, but you can most certainly benefit from a read-through, no matter what kind of rhyme you write.

I haven’t had much time for the challenge–or even a chance at a read-through. Mom took a terrible tumble a week or so ago and I’ve been in Savannah, where I stayed at my parents’ house at the beach. But Dad had disconnected the Internet.

You do not realize how dependent you are on technology until you don’t have it.

Anyway, after a whirlwind of catching up–and honestly, there’s just so much information that one can catch up on after a week offline–I sent a post over to the Muffin where I was scheduled for April 20th. I’ll be catching up with the Beneficent Mr. Hall (and really, Mister Man is a good egg, and I should be happy that the house is still standing, but how does a body not notice a zillion sugar ants parading around the kitchen???). Next, I’ll be preparing for Holy Week, so I won’t be working for a few days. But I hope you’ll have a minute to check out my Easter post, “Finding a Writing Eggs-travaganza,” in between the deviled eggs and ham.

And if I could ask one more favor, if you have time to add one little thing to your list of intentions?

Please send prayers for Mom. Thank you.