Words

I have been working on a couple of children's stories. It has been a very interesting process as I am usually wrapped up in pictures rather than words. Words are an entirely different animal.

While I can get a handle on the story and plot, and I begin to understand the characters (here are a couple of new ones), putting it into words requires a whole new skill set.

To a certain degree, though, I find that tapping into the emotional center of a child's world feels the same whether I'm looking for just the right word or making just the right image. It seems both sides of my brain recognize authentic when I am lucky enough to stumble across it.

Unfortunately, luck comes in small, infrequent doses. So I write and rewrite and share with critique buddies and rewrite again. I have to believe that practice will help make . . . better.