By Kelly Carey


In celebration of National Reading Month, I thought I’d share
the ways I add books to my KidLit reading wish list.




Publisher’s Weekly Newsletters 
First, I use the free Publisher’s Weekly Newsletter to learn about new KidLit books. You can opt for a variety of different PW Newsletters that arrive in your email inbox daily or monthly, and cover everything from general publishing news to reviews of newly released children’s books. Those reviews are “want to read list” gold. These books are all newly published, hot off the press, and if they are in my genre, I want to read them. Check out this link and pick the PW Newsletter that works best for you: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/email-subscriptions/.

A Kids Book A Day
I’m a big fan of Janet Hamilton’s blog, A Kid’s Book A Day. Janet is an elementary school librarian who reviews a recently published children’s book every day on her blog. You can sign up to receive her free daily blog emails. This blog is a great quick hit reminder to add current books to your reading list. Information on Janet’s blog can be found here: https://kidsbookaday.com/ .

ReFoReMo
 
ReFoReMo stands for Reading for Research Month and it coincides with National Reading Month in March. This great challenge produces blog posts from industry professionals who recommend picture book mentor texts and offer guided advice on how to learn from the best in KidLit books. ReFoReMo’s recommended reading list is always available, as are the blog posts. For more info on ReFoReMo check out the 24 Carrot Writing blog http://www.24carrotwriting.com/-blog/take-the-reforemo-challenge and http://www.reforemo.com/p/reforemo-mission.html.
 
Goodreads
 
Goodreads is a great online website that acts as your own virtual library. See the 24 Carrot Writing blog about the benefits of using Goodreads for cataloging the books you’ve read, and finding those comp titles you need http://www.24carrotwriting.com/-blog/use-goodreads-to-build-your-virtual-library. An added benefit of Goodreads is automatic email notification if authors of books in your Goodreads virtual library come out with new books. Goodreads also sends a monthly email newsletter that includes reviews of newly published books, a list of the Goodreads Best Books of the Month, and suggested reading lists from authors.Check out www.goodreads.com.
 
Around and About Recommendations
 
I keep a special “Want to Read” journal with me all the time. (Okay, truth. Sometimes I don’t have it on me so I have to resort to scribbling a book title on a scrap of paper. But eventually all these titles make it into the journal. They do. Really. I swear!)This journal helps me track books I hear about when chatting with other writers, when taking workshops, while strolling through the library or my favorite books store.
 
There are more books to read then space in my journal. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. The industry newsletters, targeted blogs, and websites are a way to make sure the best books bubble up to the top of my “Want to Read” list.
 

by Francine Puckly

​One of my favorite takeaways from the SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City each year is a refreshed reading list. Tying into Annie’s blog last week (March into National Reading Month) and the celebration of National Reading Month regardless of age, here are some young adult fiction and craft books being discussed by agents, editors and fellow writers at the conference. Select a couple titles to add to your reading list!
 
Young Adult Fiction Highlights:
All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry
The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry
The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
American Girls by Alison Umminger
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
I Capture the Castle by J.D. Salinger
Wonderful Feels Like This by Sara Lövestam
Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin
Dear Reader by Mary O’Connell
The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake
Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
 
Books with a Craft Focus:
The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults by Cheryl Klein
Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom
Edit Yourself: A Manual for Everyone Who Works with Words by Bruce Ross-Larson
The Hero Is You by Kendra Levin 

Books in the Category of “Why not?”:
The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits by Les Standiford
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
 
None of these books casts a spark for you? Fear not! Generate your own list. Chat up your local librarian and bookstore salesperson or ask critique group members and friends for suggestions. I’ve asked complete strangers about the books they’re reading. My experience has been that people who love books love to share their thoughts about books! So whether the coming days are rainy and dreary and you’re curled up on a couch or the first warmth of spring beckons you to a park bench, take along a new story.
 
~ Francine

  By Kelly Carey

For years, I’ve watched Project Runway and Project Runway Junior for pure entertainment. But recently, I’ve realized I’m finding lessons and inspiration for my writing in these shows.


The excited itch the designers get when they sketch, and the fevered way they run around Mood collecting fabric seems familiar.  I have that same feeling when an idea for a new picture book pops into my head. I sketch characters instead of hem lines, plot outlines instead of patterns, and consider setting instead of fabric.  I may not possess the skill to turn yards of fabric into jaw dropping outfits, but I feel a kinship with the creative process of the Project Runway designers. That connection validates my assertion that I, like those designers, am an artist.

When the designers put their works in progress up for Tim Gunn to critique, I relate to the look of fear mixed with hope that flashes across their faces. I feel that same play of confidence and terror when I share my manuscripts with critique partners, agents, and editors. In that instant, you are as equally convinced that your work is brilliant as you are sure that it stinks. You’ll watch designers hold their breath for that first telling comment. And as I see how they react to Tim Gunn’s feedback, there is often a direct correlation to my own responses. But which responses make the most sense? Produce the best outcome?

I’m as intrigued by the designer who takes a critique at face value, rips out stitches, and starts over, as I am by the artist who holds firm with a righteous commitment to their design decisions. As writers, we have to assess which bits of feedback require a revision, and which we can ignore. Do we cave in to criticism too quickly and scrap good ideas? Or, do we defend too staunchly and miss the message crit partners are making? You can evaluate your own attitude toward criticism from the comfy voyeur couch and perhaps, in the words of my fellow blogger Amanda, you will conclude that it is “always the people with the humble and teachable heart who make it to the end”.   Those designers who accept criticism with an open mind and a willingness to learn are often the most successful.

But, despite how open hearted and humble we are, negative feedback, no matter how constructive, has the ability to rattle our confidence. You can see that as the designers react to unflattering comments from Tim Gunn and the judging panel.  It’s fascinating to watch what happens to the designer and the design process when it is interrupted by criticism. I find solidarity in the anguish of designers whose work is trashed and courage in the fortitude of designers who persevere despite a poor critique. As writers, we can easily be knocked off course by a rejection letter. But, if you watch an episode of Project Runway, you will applaud those designers who keep plugging, who take a cleansing breath and keep creating. And to those who take in the feedback and use it to learn and grow. Often, you will see that a challenge or two later they are reveling in praise. In cheering for them, you will be cheering for yourself.

There are so many connections between your writing and Project Runway. When Tim Gunn and the judges say “is this you as a designer?” you’ll know they are talking about voice. Is your manuscript reflective of who you are as a writer? Are you in your manuscript?

When the designers can tell the judges, with great detail, about the person they are designing for and where the garment would be worn, the garment is almost always stronger. In writing, you know this is about character and setting and about knowing your reader.  You might jump up off the couch and scream, “I know just what you mean!” and it will be inspiring.

Watching Project Runway has helped me to recognize that I can find inspiration and courage in the journey of artists who work in different mediums.  It has given me a mirror from which to judge my own creative process, and my own response to feedback, and I am a better writer for it. 

And really, if you need a relaxing way to improve your craft – what could be more fun than an episode of Project Runway? 

​by Francine Puckly

I have been a Lifetime Member of Weight Watchers for 27 years. Recently at our weekly meeting, a member who has endured several bumps and challenges in her year-long journey shared this story.
           
Her husband asked if she planned to attend the group meeting the next morning. She said, yes, she did. He said, “It takes a lot of your time, doesn’t it?” She thought about the diligence required for the food and exercise journaling as well as preparation of wholesome, nutritious meals, and responded, “Yes. Yes, it does.” To which he said, “It’s been an entire year. I’m not really seeing much of a difference.”

We gasped, cried out with indignation, and offered to knock out his front teeth, amongst other things. But she was steady in her response and her belief in herself. “I told him—‘Look at you. You joined Weight Watchers with me, lost 45 pounds, quit going to meetings, and proceeded to gain 75 pounds. Imagine where I’d be if I had given up!’”
           
Her story struck a chord with me from a writing standpoint. (It was more like a slap across the face, actually.) This week as I prepared to attend the SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City, an event that marks my tenth year on the writing journey, a little voice inside my head whispered, “I’m not really seeing much of a difference here.” Another conference. Another year that came and went without a publishing contract.
           
To the outside world, by traditional measures of success, there have been no visible changes to my writing experience. I’m still the woman without a ‘real job.’ I have no steady income. People aren’t lining up to get my autograph. Yet every year I remain optimistic and think, “This is my year.” But every year so far has not been my year. When you hope and dream for recognition of your effort, it’s easy to start thinking that you’re wasting your time.  
           
I applaud my Weight Watcher friend who shouts to the world, “Hey! Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean that change isn’t happening!” I have decided that I, too, will adopt her stubbornness and choose to evaluate my progress on a different scale. In doing so, I realize there are a great many steps I’ve made toward success. My characters, plot, dialogue, and settings are far more refined and polished than they were ten years ago. I am consistently blogging and offering thoughts and advice to colleagues in the writing world. I have developed a handful of presentations and taught a workshop at a regional writing conference. I designed and posted a new website. I have completed three full-length novels which included numerous drafts each. And even more importantly, I’ve made lifelong friends along the way.

So, no. I haven’t achieved success by the traditional measures. Yet.
           
But we do not have to accept that a publishing contract is the only thing that defines our success. We must celebrate the development of the writer, not just the final product.
           
One of my favorite quotes is from Markus Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief. “It’s much easier, she realized, to be on the verge of something than to actually be it. This would still take time.”
           
​Those words ring true for the artist. Because imagine where we’d be if we had given up.

~ by Amanda Smith

As I prepared my yearly goals for 2017, I studied my 2016 goals, asking myself which goals I met and why. More importantly I pondered which I goals eluded me, and why. In Take Control of your Goals in the New Year, Annie blogged about setting goals that are within your power. Her aggressive 2016 goals were hard to accomplish because of factors beyond her control.

Some of my goals for last year, were sunk by, wait for it... phrasing. I aimed for 50 rejections during the year. Having heard of other writers who set this goal, I figured aiming for rejections would motivate me to submit more queries. It worked for the first two months, until those rejections started pouring in. All I could think was, “Ten more months of this?!” The rejections completely stopped me in my querying tracks. For months, I sent NO queries, even though I had multiple submission-ready Picture Book manuscripts. What I thought was a cutesy, fun, roundabout goal, turned out to be a complete switch-off. Collecting rejections might spur on some writers. I am not that writer.

This year my writing goals include very specific submission goals: To send novel queries out in batches of 10 during certain months. I took into account school vacations and busy times of the year to determine which months I will send out these queries. This goal focuses on the part of the process that is my responsibility. My ultimate goal is, after all, to get yesses. Of course, there will be rejections, but my goal still highlights progress, and requires action from me.

This year, as you set your writing and submission goals consider the following:

• Know who you are. What motivates you? What deflates you?
• Focus your goals on what you can control.
• Phrase your goals positively. They are, after all, meant to inspire.
• Remember to reward yourself with a carrot as you meet each goal  

We have posted our writing goals for 2017 under the Goals tab. Feel free to browse our ambition, and set your own positive, achievable goals.

By Francine Puckly
 
Here we are. Two weeks into the New Year. How’s it going? According to statisticbrain.com, only 68.4% of resolutions make it to the end of week two. And the percentage of people who report success in achieving their resolutions? A whopping 9.2%.
 
Like soaring over a lovely green meadow, our goals and resolutions are colorful, pristine and doable when we’re flying at a bird’s eye view. But it looks a whole lot different when we’re in the trenches doing the work. There’s a lot of mud.
 
So two weeks in, when one third of all people have given up on their goals for the year, let’s talk about some basic tools to keep us on track in 2017.
 
CHALLENGING BUT DOABLE GOALS
How do your annual goals look and feel now that you’ve launched the new year? Even the most thoughtful goals are set to challenge us. After all, it wouldn’t be a resolution to improve our craft or elements of our daily lives if we thought we were already perfect. But if you feel your goals are slipping away after a mere two weeks, it might be time to regroup and revise. It’s better to adjust than to abandon. Check out two of Annie’s goal-setting blogs:  (Take Control of Your Goals in the New Year) and (The SMART Key to Your Carrots). Be sure your goals are completely within your control and not relying on divine intervention or other miracles from the publishing industry!
 
ROUTINE
Staying on track is tough work. Daily life can derail the best intentions. Children aren’t the only ones who benefit from routine! I’ve come off a very busy and highly disruptive ten weeks, but I realized last week that I had exactly 30 days without any scheduled travel or guests in my home. It presented the perfect starting point for a 30-day challenge to reestablish a routine that I crave and need. As Twyla Tharp insists in her book The Creative Habit: Learn It and Live It For Life, creativity is “augmented by routine and habit.” Our routines are repeatable and doable, and we’re far less likely to skip doing important daily tasks that feed our creativity, projects and goals.
 
FOCUS
Once we have a schedule it’s still difficult to stay on track with our goals if we’re constantly distracted by…well, everything. Phones and computers ding and demand our immediate attention. Laundry piles whisper to us. But, good news! We can shut them out.
 
The Timer
My number one go-to tool is the timer on my phone. Over and over, day after day, it is the one thing that picks me up by my plot-straps and gets me back to the page. With a clock ticking, I have permission to focus. And the timer works for everything from plotting to decluttering my workspace to free-writing to help me break through writer’s block. You can also time energy-draining habits such as Twitter, television breaks, or those cute little videos on Facebook that suck up precious time.
 
Lockouts
For laundry, you just have to shut the door. But for people trying to reach us about anything and everything, here are just a couple of electronic solutions:

• Silence your cell phone during your work time and, even better, tuck it away. At a minimum, you can set it to airplane mode to stop the dings while you’re hard at work.
• Manually turn off the Wi-Fi on your computer, tablet or phone.
• Put a lockout app to use. Some of these apps include, but aren’t limited to, Cold Turkey, SelfControl, and FocusMe.

 
TRACKING
Research shows habits are formed in 21 days, and the best way to make a change is to hold yourself accountable.
 
Pens, Stickers and Charts
The easiest trackers of all—red pens, stickers, and the like—can be used to mark daily accomplishments and provide visual satisfaction of having completed your tasks. Good old-fashioned charts have come to my rescue more than a few times as well. I used a chart to track my progress during NaNoWriMo, and I have a 30-day chart for the next few weeks to make sure I’m re-establishing routine. Keep those goals in front of you.  
 
Apps
While I prefer the paper method for tracking a streak, Kelly showcased Habit List in December (Make 24 Carrot a Habit - Get the Habit List App). There are several other tracker apps out there in the electronic world, including Twords, Productive, Coach.me, Momentum, and Habatica (which includes tracking your rewards! How cool is that?!).
 
With appropriate and challenging goals, a conscious commitment to routine and focus, as well as a tracking method, you’ll be able to keep a tight rein on your goals. This year, let’s blow past the 9.2% success rate!
 
~ Francine
​

by Annie Cronin Romano​
Ahh, here we are again. Weren’t we here last January…staring over the cusp of a newborn year into its canyon of vast potential? (Yes, that tiny squirrel in the picture is you, and that gigantic chasm is a whole heck of a lot of potential.) It’s quite overwhelming, that sense of unknown possibilities. What does the New Year hold for me? you wonder. No, wait. Let’s rephrase that. What will I put into action to make this year spectacular? That’s better! Don’t leave it to the fates of the New Year to do something for you. Sit at the controls of your life. Push the buttons. Turn the dials. Determine your goals and see them through to the best of your ability. Will you achieve all the goals you set for yourself this year? Maybe. Maybe not. But if you do not set them, you certainly have no chance of reaching them. 

One key to meeting your goals is to make them challenging yet still within your power. (Yup, I said power. You are powerful, you know.) For instance, setting a goal of landing a book deal probably isn’t the wisest objective, because you’re not the only person who controls that decision. But a goal of researching and submitting to three agents a month? Writing a chapter a week? Registering for your first writing conference? Or beginning that writing project you’ve been tossing around your brain for a few years? Those are goals you have the power to achieve. Those are challenging and doable.
 
Last year I set a goal for myself to write one picture book draft a month. I started the year strong, with four picture books drafted in four months. I was a rock star! I was unstoppable. (Just ask my critique group. I got pretty arrogant.) Then an unexpected life event happened, and I was thrown off track for several months. This event derailed the possibility of meeting my goal, as I hadn’t built in any time for unexpected occurrences. I also realized, as the year progressed, that I hadn’t allowed sufficient time to revise those drafts. I had several half-shaped mounds of clay which I’d submitted to my critique group but no schedule to rework them. Not the smartest plan. So this year I again have a picture book goal, but I have built in more time. I now realize that life has a habit of getting in the way, and those ideas are by no means finished once they’re drafted. So this year I plan to draft, submit to my critique group, revise, resubmit to my critique group, revise again, glaze, polish, buff—you get the idea—three to four picture books. It's a far more reasonable goal which builds in some time for unexpected twists in the road as well as the revision that produces far better writing in the end.

So, yes, here were are again at the start of a new year of unlimited potential. What goals will your set for yourself? Take a seat at the control panel, assess your current position, and start planning. Use your power! Before you know it, you’ll be pushing the buttons and turning the dials on your writing goals for 2017! Happy New Year, and Happy Writing!
~Annie 

~by Amanda Smith
Usually we share our best writing advice, inspire you to set goals, and help you find strategies to meet those goals. We’ll be back to that soon enough, but it is December. Snow has fallen. Trees are decorated, cookies baked, gifts wrapped, and candles lit. So grab a cup of hot chocolate and a candy cane because December is a time of…

​Reflection:
This season let’s take time to ponder our accomplishments and the goals checked off the list, our disappointments, and our triumphs in writing. Also, let’s reflect on what worked and why. Thomas Carlyle said, “The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none.” Let’s look into our mirrors, acknowledge what we see, and start planning new writing goals for 2017.

 Family:
 That being said, this season is also a time for family. Let’s trust our work, our  characters, and our muse to still be there in the new year. For a few glorious  days let’s enjoy the small moments with our families – the movies, the baking,  the games, the songs, and celebrations. Let’s allow ourselves guilt-free time  away from writing so that we can soak up all the precious expressions; gleeful  laughter; teenage snark; fiercely frustrating, absolutely infuriating, delightfully  humorous family interactions. (And don’t be surprised if some of those show up  in future writing projects.)

​We look forward to a productive new year filled with goals and writing tips, but for now, from our 24 Carrot Family to yours, Happy Holidays!