Lori Gravley was an active participant in ReFoRemo 2016 and we're happy to have her share her experience with us! Welcome, Lori!
Guest post by Lori Gravley
Guest post by Lori Gravley
My ReFoReMo journey began with promises I made to
myself. I committed to writing a poem a
day in 2016. I committed to writing a
picture book a month. Then, I committed
to reading 1,000 picture books in the year.
That led me to ReFoReMo.
The wonderful list that Carrie and Kirsti sent out was just
the inspiration I needed. With list in
hand at the end of February, I ordered books I’d never heard of. Using the mentor text worksheet that I
adapted from Romelle Broas, I started reading and taking notes on the books.
When Tammi Sauer talked about different
structures on Day 5, it inspired a daily poem that became a picture book draft,
a “How To” book draft. A draft I would not have written without ReFoReMo and my practice of writing a poem a
day. ReFoReMo gave me the inspiration. My poem-a-day promise gave me the
motivation. On day five, I checked off each
item from my list. Poem, done. Picture book,
complete. Picture books, ten more books read.
Sure, I would have written a picture book draft in March,
even without the reading challenges, but the picture book draft I produced has the
potential to become a beautiful, highly marketable book. It was a way to tell about something I’m
passionate about in a new way. Without
the ReFoReMo and the exploration of new forms of picture book story telling, I
would not have written it.
Some friends tell me that they could never be a
writers. For them, writing is a
challenge not a joy. Because I give
myself appropriate challenges, writing becomes a joy. It isn’t easy, but it is wonderful when the
reading and writing worlds collide to make something new. In my case, picture books full of possibility
and (hopefully) responsive to the market’s current needs.
Challenge yourself to read and challenge yourself to write,
then see how those worlds collide to form something wonderful.
Lori Gravley writes poems for adults and books for
children. You can find out more about
her and her work at www.lorigravley.com.
Your love of and joy in writing shows. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Unknown. I'm so thankful for ReFoReMo and the wonderful community of PB readers and writers I've found here. Can't wait until next year. Thanks Kirsti and Carrie!
DeleteI find challenges inspiring as well. I love how all of your challenges merged into a promising picture book. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMary, I'm glad I'm not alone in my love of challenges. The nice thing is, after a while, some challenges become the norm, and you can take the next step. Thank you.
DeleteI love this Lori, we're so glad to have you here on ReFoReMo!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kirsti. I'm so thankful for the wonderful month of reading you inspired, and I'm thrilled to be here. ❤️
ReplyDelete