I’m not going to say that yesterday was a bad day because that wouldn’t be true. I had yoga. Yoga days are good days. Saturday I baked chocolate banana bread. Yoga and yum! What more could I want?
I was supposed to get a query or three out. One agent said she took nonfiction for all ages so I had saved her name. According to Query Tracker she is only taking picture book nonfiction. The piece I’m sending out is early middle grade. Another agent on my list is no longer representing any work for young readers. Yet another . . . where did she go?
Since I’m playing around with the idea for a new project, I could just work on that. The problem is that I have a good feel for several of my characters. I know my setting. I even know some of the day-to-day problems my characters will face. But I don’t actually know what they are going to do.
Finally my husband turned away from his desk. “You could probably go do something else? I bet you’d feel better.”
Yeah, I was probably irritating him at that point but he wasn’t going to say so. Still he knows me well enough to know that a change of scenery is usually a good idea. I decided to get on the treadmill and walk. I’m watching Judy Blume’s MasterClass on writing for children.
She talked about the number of ideas that she gets in the shower or when she’s walking. She said that she really feels for people who have ear buds in and are listening to music or a podcast. “They’re missing their best thinking time!” That’s me paraphrasing Judy there.
She’d probably be really disappointed that I’m walking and watching her class. But really, she needn’t worry. Because at one point ideas started popping into my mind. I can set up a situation that is similar to “I don’t want a new baby in the family.” It isn’t that my character hates babies, he’s just happy the way things are. But then he ends up saving a baby and . . . new baby in the house!
Don’t panic. My character isn’t a person. My character doesn’t save a human baby. But the real story line is going to be parallel to this and I think it be something that is easy for young readers to identify with. After all, adults are always telling kids what to think. My character can empathize.
Poor, Judy! I know she kept on talking but I was busy figuring things out. I don’t have enough situations to outline the whole story, but I know what my character’s arc is going to be. Now I need to figure out what he thinks his arc is. Note: They will be two entirely different things.
All it took was a walk for me to get started!
–SueBE
One Writer's Journey 
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