Sharing Our Notebooks - Inspiration for Starting (Or Improving) Your Own

Author and Poet Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's Sharing Our Notebooks blog offers inspiration...

Hi Writers! I know that some of you are home from school these days, and I hope you will find some new notebooking ideas here. I love keeping a notebook for writing, for drawing, for making a place for ideas and dreams and wishes and facts and feelings. This blog is home to many peeks into others' notebooks, and in each post you will find photos, notebooking-thoughts, and an idea to try. Feel free to poke around, notebook by your side, and explore your own brain and heart. Sometimes we don't know what we really think until we write.

Check out the many, many different approachese to starting or improving your own notebooking. (I call mine a journal.)

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

p.s.: Thanks to Kate Messner and her excellent round-up of resources, Read, Wonder, and Learn, for sharing this.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Creativity Advice: Make Time To Play

This is very well said.

"No matter how busy I am, I always try to carve out a few minutes every day to do some art and writing purely for the fun of it. No pressure to show anyone or have anything be perfect....just to PLAY." —Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Make time to be creative every day. Even if it's just a few moments. Play with words. Or images. Or story.

It's excellent advice.

Thanks, Debbie!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Give Yourself the Best Gift Of All For 2018 - Time For Your Creativity

Whether it's filling-the-well time (as suggested in Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way) and/or being part of a writing/illustrating group that meets regularly, and/or scheduling time in your calendar once a week (or five times a week) for you to do your writing/drawing/creating, take charge of your creative journey in 2018 by honoring how important your voice is — and giving yourself the gift of time to express what only you can express.

Happy New Year, from everyone at SCBWI!

Here's to a powerfully creative 2018 ahead...

Jake Green goes inside illustrators' studios

Check out this photo feature in the Guardian, where Jake Green visited the studios of illustrators including New York Times Bestseller Oliver Jeffers (in New York), The Association of Illustration Children’s Illustrator of the Year Benji Davies (in London), and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award-winner Kitty Crowther (in Belgium.)

It's fascinating to see these glimpses into their creative spaces!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee