Creating an inspirational writing environment

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Julie Stroebel Barichello

Where’s your spot?

Writers, you know what I’m talking about. The spot where you do the majority of your writing or creative thinking. Most of us have one.

For a long time, mine was the left side of the bed. Even though that’s technically hubby’s side of the bed, I wrote the majority of “Sarah & Katy and the Imagination Blankets” propped up with two pillows on his side. The reason being, the left side has the advantage of the bedside table, so I could have beverages close at hand while writing. Water or Mountain Dew are my constant writing companions.

Eventually I bought a desk and set it up in our rec room. (Although in our house, it’s referred to as “the back room,” because it’s at the back of the house.)

But writing at the desk didn’t come easily at first. Even though I have access to plenty of light and can look out on the yard and town through two windows … even though hundreds of books line the room’s shelves … even though I had every office supply imaginable at my disposal … something still felt off. I had adopted the left side of the bed naturally, without any thought. With the desk, though, there was intentional effort to build a creative haven.

And my mind resisted.

It took me a while to realize the root of the problem was comfort. The bed was a familiar, comfortable place. My new desk was against a bare wall, and the space felt stark. Blank wall, blank computer screen, blank mind … they all went hand in hand.

So I buckled down to decorate and make the space feel a bit more creative.

One of the best elements of our back room is a newspaper-patterned futon. And what better way to complement the futon, perk up the room, and inspire children’s book writing than these pillows by Desmond Brown Design?

13268289_637278317955_5046081228120066494_o(1)

The Shel Silverstein pillow is my new favorite piece of home decor. The poem is all about welcoming dreamers and creatives. I keep it handy to invite dreams and creativity into my writing environment as well.

20160526_131850(1)Then there’s my thrifty wall decor. First come four 4×6 prints I found online and printed onto photo paper. The frames come from Target. They’re a nice ode to books and writing.

20160526_131902Then there’s also my Dollar General discovery. Surprisingly, I’ve actually found a lot of wall art I like at Dollar General. I particularly love this one, though, for its homage to childhood joys. Imagination, running barefoot, wishing on dandelions, lying in the grass, jumping in puddles, dancing in the rain … all of them are reminders of the audience I write for. (And they’re also reminders that sometimes, the best medicine for writer’s block is jumping in puddles or cloud watching or partaking in the simple joys of life to clear the mind.)

My writing space is comfortable now, but I also want to improve it. Next up will be a bulletin board and dry erase board to serve as visual plotting devices.

What is your writing space like?

Posted in Writing | Tagged | 3 Comments

My name is Julie, and I’m an adult … really

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Julie Stroebel Barichello

Accepting adulthood was a process for me.

My path to adulthood was unusual. In many ways, I grew up more quickly than my peers. High school teachers were quick to compliment my maturity and good grades. Outwardly, I seemed to be growing up.

Inwardly, though, I felt much younger than my classmates.

Through junior high and high school, I still loved to daydream. More than that, though, I loved make-believe. Not that I would ever admit it to my classmates. Make-believe was for little kids, not for teenagers.

But that didn’t stop me from letting my imagination run away with me. I was the last student dropped off on my afternoon bus route, and sometimes I’d sit in the back seat, leaning on my backpack and pretending I was a runaway on a charter bus heading to an exciting new life in a city. Other times I’d take my dog out to play in our expansive backyard, and I’d imagine we’d been shipwrecked on a deserted island. I had only made it to shore by hanging onto my trusty dog, who paddled us to safety, and now we were fending for ourselves against the elements.

I turned 15, then 16, then 17 … and still I let my imagination carry me away. I acted out the daydreams quietly, inconspicuously, afraid someone would discover what I was doing. Often enough my parents would pop their heads in my room or out the back door and ask in good-natured curiosity, “What are you doing?” At which point I would freeze and say, “Nothing.”

I did a whole lotta “nothing” as a teen.

By age 24, I was living with my soon-to-be husband in a rental home along the Illinois & Michigan Canal trail. An afternoon walk meant for exercise soon turned into a make-believe journey through an enchanted forest. While other people my age were hitting the bars with friends, raising children, working, etc. that afternoon, my head was in the clouds with gnomes and dragons and tree spirits.

Redefining adulthood

For years, I had this idea of what adulthood should be, and I didn’t fit the bill. The words “responsible adult” jangled in my head, and my vision of adulthood was a boring one. Being grown up meant being serious and paying bills and doing laundry and dishes. It meant making money and household upkeep.

While adulthood includes some of those things, it took me a while to embrace that there can be so much more. And it took even longer to realize that being an adult doesn’t mean I have to put away all childhood things.

Dabbling in children’s fiction began to change my perspective on being an adult. Suddenly my daydreams and make-believe had a logical outlet. It didn’t seem like such an immature, out-of-the-ordinary thing for me drift into a daydream or have a multi-character conversation aloud (although I still was careful to keep these instances hidden from the eyes of others. My husband has never heard one of my character conversations, as far as I know.)

I also began to question the words “should / shouldn’t.” For example, I knew I shouldn’t blow bubbles in the house because bubbles are an outdoor toy. But Webster (our 18-pound fuzzy feline) loves to leap and pop bubbles in mid-air. So why shouldn’t I blow bubbles in the house?

Because I’m an adult and should behave like one, I would think.

Followed by, Psssh. It’s my house. Who’s going to care but me if I blow bubbles in the house?

Hence the reason we now have a bubble gun sitting on the dining room table and frequent slippery spots on the floor, where I’ve recently cleaned up bubble solution from a few dozen popped bubbles.

You Are Not Alone

12241433_1062966353727912_4818714981346671060_nI became an adult at a fortunate time. My generation has embraced geek culture and a redefinition of adulthood that includes acceptance of childhood joys. It’s almost become cool to break the mold of adulthood. Memes like the one at right make me realize I’m not the only adult who feels this way.

Maybe the internet is part of the realization. My parents’ generation only saw each other’s outward presentation to the world. But the safety of hiding behind a computer screen has let my generation share some of their internal thoughts and personality. (Sometimes too much internal thinking and personality, but that’s entirely another discussion.) For millennials, though, we can share memes such as the one above and realize, “Hey, there are others like me, even if they aren’t next door or in my office or even in my town.” Suddenly it feels safer to join the ranks and say, “I’m not your average adult, either.”

In fact, you start to realize there’s no such thing as an average adult.

At 29 years old, I’m finally embracing that it’s OK to sit on the train and read a middle grade novel, without caring what other adults think of me for reading juvenile literature. I feel more secure in engaging in games of make-believe with my nieces and not being ashamed to admit it.

And maybe even one of these days, when my husband asks what I’m doing when I’m staring off into space, I’ll share the latest storyline running through my head instead of saying, “Nothing.”

  • Footnote: For the Doctor Who geeks out there, that subhead is totally a reference to Season 3. You’re welcome.
Posted in Unplugged imagination | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The latest additions to our home library

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Julie Stroebel Barichello

Over the weekend, I visited a library book sale to stock up on children’s books.

Even though the husband and I don’t have children yet, we’re getting a head start on establishing our home kid lit library. We want to get a wide range of books that represent the classics, educational literature, diversity, and fun. This weekend’s book haul included:

PICTURE BOOKS

I added seven picture books to our home library with these titles.

Sale_01

  • The Market Square Dog, Only One Woof, and Bonny’s Big Day: All three of these titles are written by James Herriot, a British veterinary surgeon who practiced throughout the mid 1900s and wrote about many of his experiences with animals and their owners. My paternal grandmother bought me James Herriot books as a child, including a James Herriot pop-up book and “The Christmas Day Kitten” (which I still have). There’s a bit of educational value in these books, but mostly they’re endearing (and sometimes tear-jerking) pleasure reading.
  • Time to Sleep: This book addresses hibernation in a roundabout way and opens the door to an educational discussion, but even better, this book is just fun to read. It’s sort of like a game of telephone, and it’s very circular in how the end meets the beginning. It’s also a perfect bedtime story.
  • The Unbreakable Code: This book has a lot to offer. Diversity, history, educational value, gorgeous illustrations. The book is written as a conversation between a Navajo grandfather and his grandson, who has to move to Minnesota with his mother and new stepfather. It’s a story about hanging onto your heritage when moving to a new place. It also gives insight into a sliver of Navajo culture and language.
  • The Rainbow Bridge: Another book featuring diversity, this title peeks into the life of the Chumash, a Native American people from California. The book was inspired by a Chumash legend.
  • We All Went on Safari: This one falls soundly into the educational category. Set in Tanzania, this is a counting book for pre-K children featuring the animals of Tanzania. Our future kids’ geography-loving dad will especially love showing our little readers how to find Tanzania on a map and tell them about Africa.

CHAPTER BOOKS / YA

A bonus of library book sales is that you can often find a few classics for sale. As the old copies wear out and the library orders new copies, there’s a good chance they’ll sell the worn copies. That was the case when I found kid lit titles like “Stuart Little,” “The Trumpet of the Swan,” and “A Gathering of Days” over the weekend.

Sale_03

  • A Gathering of Days: This one is a classic Newbery Honor Medal winner.
  • Countdown: I’ve never read this YA book, but it offers a glimpse into the 1960s with clever design and storytelling. In the book’s description, it says, “Featuring a captivating story interspersed with footage from 1962, award-winning author Deborah Wiles has created a documentary novel […]” This book seems to capture both education and fun.
  • Belle Prater’s Boy: I remember this title being on my school’s Battle of the Books list more than once. Even though I wouldn’t call it a classic, it’s worth having on the shelf for pleasure reading.
  • Stuart Little: This one is, hands down, a classic.
  • The Trumpet of the Swan: Again, I’d qualify this one as a classic.
  • The Great Gilly Hopkins: This was one of my favorite books for pleasure reading as a kid. Even if our future children don’t enjoy it, I’ll be happy to have it on hand whenever I get the itch to read it.
  • Sounder: This Newbery Honor Medal winner is another kid lit classic.
  • The Devil’s Storybook, The Devil’s Other Storybook, and The Moon Over High Street: I know nothing about these books other than the descriptions I read on the jacket flap and the fact they’re written by Natalie Babbitt, whose classic “Tuck Everlasting” already is tucked away on my bookshelf. She’s an award-winning children’s author, so I figured I’d add these titles to the shelf for pleasure reading.

BIOGRAPHIES

One of my husband’s favorite subgenres of nonfiction books when he was growing up were biographies. He loved biographies and geography as a kid (and still does as an adult), so we picked up three children’s biographies at the book sale. These definitely fit the bill of educational reading.

Sale_02

  • Edward R. Murrow: As soon as hubs told me he found an Edward R. Murrow biography, I added it to our growing pile of books to buy. Both the hubs and I are newspaper journalists, so we have a soft spot for nearly all journalists in the pages of history. Even though Murrow was a broadcast journalist and our expertise is in print, we want our children to grow up understanding all forms of news media and the role news reporters play in daily life.
  • Oskar Schindler: This one is educational on multiple levels. Not only does it teach about a specific historical figure who made a difference, but it also approaches the Holocaust in a manner that is accessible and age-appropriate to kids. This book gives young readers an early introduction to a segment of world history.
  • Nellie Bly: Another journalist, because journalism is a major part of our household. Even better, this biography details a woman who bucked the trends of her time period to become one of the first female international correspondents and bring about social reform through undercover investigations and reporting. Whether we have sons or daughters, Nellie Bly will be a good example about women’s contributions to history.

 

Posted in children's literature | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Free ebook! Get first Sarah & Katy book for Kindle

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Julie Stroebel Barichello

Free SKIB

It’s Children’s Book Week this week! In honor of the annual celebration of reading and children’s literature, “Sarah & Katy and the Imagination Blankets” is free all week via Amazon and Kindle.

Every child who wants to read deserves to have a book. For that reason, anyone who wants to see where the adventure begins can receive a free digital version of the story.

To download your free copy, click here. Don’t be deceived by the button that says “Buy now” — click that to automatically download. No fee will be charged.

Happy reading!

Posted in kid lit | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Classroom visits one of the best parts of the job

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Julie Stroebel Barichello

The job title for writers is a bit misleading.

You’d think the majority of the job would be writing, but it’s a pretty even split between writing and promotion. After I finished writing my first book, I dreaded the promotion side of things. Not only was I uncertain where to begin, but I also wasn’t looking forward to the social side of being an author. I was perfectly happy to stick to the keyboard.

Then I started doing classroom visits. Suddenly the social side of writing wasn’t so bad.

Classroom visits are great for children’s authors on multiple levels. For one thing, it puts us face to face with our audience and gives us valuable insights. We get to see firsthand what makes kids laugh, what they’re interested in, and what they’re looking for in books.

Last week I made two visits to McKinley Elementary School in Ottawa. I had particular chemistry with the fourth-grade class I visited, which included many avid readers and writers. During the question and answer session after the presentation, one student asked me to name my favorite book. After I named a few of mine, they shared several of their favorites as well. (I especially enjoyed the kids who prefaced their response with, “You ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO read this book …”)

ClassVisit01School visits also offer the benefit of being an ego boost. One McKinley fourth-grader proudly displayed the “book box” she made for “Sarah & Katy and the Book of Blank.” It was a humbling moment to see a school project based on one of my books.

The project required students to decorate a box themed to the books they read, then fill it with items related to the book. Some of the items in her box included a bottle of sand to signify the quicksand the Narrator sank into, and a paper airplane to symbolize the one at the end of the book.

A pattern has developed during classroom visits, and it has become my favorite moment of each presentation. At the end of every visit, before I pack my bags, a cluster of students builds around me. Usually the group consists of four to seven students who are eager to squeeze in a couple of last questions or share anecdotes of their own. During the last two visits, the kids who gathered ’round were eager to share their own story ideas and writing experiences.

There’s nothing quite like the eager excitement of children with new ideas to share.

There’s also no better audience than young readers. The excitement they show is genuine and heartfelt and endearing. Classroom visits re-energize me to write every time I start to question myself as a writer. Meeting the readers reminds me who I’m writing for and why.

And for the times in between school visits, the kids make sure to send me home with mementos to decorate my writing space and serve as a reminder of them.

ClassVisit03

Posted in Writing | 3 Comments