Friday, February 19, 2010

Picture Book Marathon

I've made it more than halfway through the Picture Book Marathon. It's been a lot more fun than I thought it would be. It's also been a lot tougher. Thankfully, so far I haven't written anything that I've thought "Boy, that's trash!!" Some stories are better than others, and some may never see the light of the laptop monitor, but they are my stories. I created them, thought them up, gave them a life on paper. It's a rewarding feeling.

In the beginning I worried about not having enough inspiration of what to write. That hasn't been a problem at all. My biggest struggle has been feeling "not in the mood" to write. I usually wait to the end of the day to write my stories down and by then I'm normally exhausted. But I still write! That's what is amazing about pushing myself in a writing marathon-- I learn I can write under terrible circumstances. I wrote through the cataclysmic meltdowns of two very close friends a few weeks ago. I am still writing through my husband's last (and worst) writing stretch of his dissertation. And as of today, I'm writing through having a toddler with RSV.

But I'm writing. For three years, I had lots of excuses why I couldn't write. Looking back, I can honestly say they were all lame (super lame!) Last year's NaNoWriMo got me out of a long writing funk. This Picture Book Marathon is helping me to keep the momentum going. I'm always on the look out for more "marathons" to join. It's about time I used the talent I had instead of letting waste away while I make excuses about the children being too needy or not having an adequate writing area or....

1 comment:

jeanreagan said...

Sarah,
I'm so glad the PB Marathon is working for you. Yahoo!

By visiting your blog, I now have a friendly face to put with your name! Perhaps we'll run into each other at the next Utah Children's Writer event.

Jean Reagan
PB Marathon co-originator