Meet Vincent, the Inspiration

I talk about him all all the time, but I should probably actually introduce you to our goat, Vincent van Goat. He is the star of three picture book manuscripts I am preparing for submission.

If you were meeting in person he would nibble your clothes and expect a treat. Peanut butter filled pretzels are his favorite. And yes, he really is interested in painting.

We let our goats out of the pasture when we are outside working. They are very curious.

Developing Vincent as a character wasn’t hard at all. So much of what I write is very true to him.

We adopted Vincent and Pi in May of 2018. We dreamed of having goats for years and we love having these cuties. Their previous owners had given them these names and we love them!

But no one loves them more than my 1 year-old daughter. They are so sweet to her.

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Looking Forward to 2019!

Last post I shared my goals from 2018, but it’s time to up my game.

In 2019, I’m really hoping to improve my visual storytelling by creating “dummy” picture books. (FYI, A dummy is a story told in sketches of pages and how they will be formatted in a finished book. I’m not calling names.)

This year I plan to complete 20 picture book dummies, which will pace me at a 2 page spread per day (with wiggle room).

I am also going to continue to write a new manuscript each month. 12 new manuscripts by the end of the year.

And then we come to submissions… I have no idea what to place as my goal here. My motives this year are to learn and grow in the process. When I have 3 dummies ready for submission, then I will submit to agents.

 

 

 

2018 was Only the Beginning

Thinking back on this year, a lot has changed. This year was the beginning of me getting down and doing the work to make my dreams happen.

I set goals…

At the beginning of the 2018 I set out to write 12 picture book manuscripts, pacing myself to about 1 a month.

I also wanted to get 1 submission in by the end of the year. To get me prepped and in the mindset that these stories weren’t just to sit in a drawer. I wanted them to get out of my hands.

I also did Storystorm in January and generated 30 new book ideas.

And one of the biggest game changers was participating in a writing group the met each month. This supplied motivation and much needed feedback to push through and make my writing so much better.

 

Now as I look back on 2018…

I have a lot more in my toolbelt than I did at the beginning of last year.

I have the support and network of people who know my ambitions and are supportive of my writing/illustration. Family/Friends/Writers thank you!

I have goats… which have led to much inspiration visually and story-wise. And are a dream come true in themselves.

I have confidence in the process of showing up and working through iterations of story drafts and illustration ideas.

I have a vision of what I’m trying to do, and I know the steps of what I can do now to work toward that vision.

I’m breaking down walls of perfectionism and enjoying the process of growth and learning.

I’m investing time and money in my development. No longer do I use the excuse of not enough time.

In 2018 I met all of my goals.

I nailed them and now I’m looking forward to challenging myself even further in 2019.

I’m so glad that this book dream isn’t a “someday” goal. I love doing it now.

What goals are you setting for this year? I’ll share mine next week 🙂