I recently wrote a guest blog post for Penumbra eMagazine. When I received that email from the blog manager asking if I was interested in writing a guest blog, I felt really pleased and flattered they asked me. That was my first reaction. My second reaction was panic. What would I write about?
We went for a family hike up Little Si, North Bend WA, on August 25. View of an interesting part of the trail, with criss-crossing tree roots.
I often think there is a certain arrogance or audacity to keeping a blog about becoming an author, especially since I am not in any way an expert on (well anything really, but especially) writing. There are many other blogs on the internet written by widely published authors who can give far better advice than me. (Links to some of my favorites appear in the “Resources for Writers” table on the right.) When I blog I try to stick to my own experience and the perspective of a writer just starting out and trying to get published.
So for my guest blog, I wrote about something that was going on in my life (sorting through my family’s collection of children’s books) and related that to writing speculative fiction.
But first, I read all of the entries on the Penumbra blog for the last three months to get an idea of what other blog posts looked like. (That actually increased my anxiety, because the site has interesting posts written by some very noteworthy people.) I also did some internet research, searching on “guest blogger etiquette”, to make sure I didn’t do anything really stupid or embarrassing. Then I wrote the post. Lastly, I submitted my guest blog post early (just-in-case it needed editing or revision:-)
If you read that guest blog post on Penumbra, you may be wondering which picture books among the collection were my favorites. I have many, but here are a few:
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw – I cried every time I read this to my kids.
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney – What will you do to make the world more beautiful?
I Love You, Stinky Face, by Lisa McCourt, illustrated by Cyd Moore – This is the very last picture book my kids asked me to read over and over.
The Paper Bag Princess, by Robert N. Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko – Princess Elizabeth is one of my all-time favorite heroines!
So now I’ve written a blog post about blogging. (Hopefully that’s not as lame as it sounds.) What are your favorite children’s books, and how have they influenced your writing?
Happy Writing,
Miriah
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