DAY TWO - CONTINUED
Chapter 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of How to Write a Children's Book: a 7-day Workshop in a Book
CRITERIA
In the second mining session, we will start to find some clarity.
To continue the mining process, you will choose three items from your lists that have the most potential. Do not just select your favorites. You need your chosen items to reflect specific criteria.
The items you select from your list must meet the following requirements:
You must have more to say on the subject.
You must be interested in writing about the topic.
It must be easy to write.
MORE TO SAY
During the first mining session, you might have found yourself spending more time on one concept than the others.
Perhaps, the details came to you too quickly and easily.
You may have even stopped filling in the details because there were far too many.
If you had an item like that, choose it to move on to the next round. It’s a winner.
INTERESTED
If you found yourself thinking about a particular item after your ten-minute mining session concluded, you might have another candidate to move on to the next round.
Perhaps, you wrote something on your list that is your area of expertise or is a hobby of yours.
If it can be translated easily into teachable content for children, then bingo! It makes it to the next round.
EASY TO WRITE
The subject of your book must be easy for you to write. If there is research or planning involved in an item on your list, skip it for now. You’ve got your whole life to work on the other items, but now is your time to finish a book.
Choose the items that feel like you could write it in a day. Find the story subjects that seem to write themselves. Those make it to the next round.
Once again, you’ll need your trusty ten-minute timer, because this exercise, in particular, can get out of hand if you aren’t careful.
This is what my second mining session looked like when my ten-minute timer was up.
I underlined all the items on my list that I thought were potential candidates to move on to the next round. With one minute on the clock, I had five items selected to move on, so I had to make some quick cuts at the last minute. The same might happen to you.
Every item on your list might be great. If that’s the case, you are a lucky, lucky writer. Keep the list. It’s yours, and you can come back to it again and again. For now, though, you must choose three items that fit the previously mentioned criteria.
I had to cut #7 and #1 at the very last moment, because I knew they were going to be more work to write than #5, #11, and #16.
DAY TWO - SESSION TWO
Now, it’s your turn.
Ready your writing implements
Set a timer for 10 minutes
Add any details that come to mind
TIP: If you finish choosing your items before the ten minutes is up, use that time to fill in more details on the items you’ve selected.
One more mining session to go, and it’s a big one, so I’ll save that for next week.
You’re doing great! Keep going!
I hope you enjoyed this excerpt from “How To Write A Children’s Book: A 7-Day Workshop In A Book”.
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