PiBoIdMo is the other challenge I took on for the whole month of November. I learned about it in 2010 and first took part in it then … but let me explain …
PiBoIdMo – Picture Book Idea Month – is the brain child of Tara Lazar. Check her out here: http://taralazar.wordpress.com/about/
The challenge is to write an idea a day during the 30 days of November. The idea can be as simple as the name of a character, or the title for a story, or as complete as the whole outline for a story, or something in between. Thirty ideas in thirty days. Sound daunting? I thought so.
In 2010 I did both NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo, and succeeded in both. It was exhilarating, exciting, tiring, fun. This year, I tried both again, and if you read my last post you will know that I didn’t get a win in NaNo, but I’m pleased to say that I did again meet the goal for PiBoIdMo. Yay! I got 40 ideas, maybe more depending on how you count them up.
I didn’t think I could do it. Some days the idea well ran dry, but on some other days I got more than one idea for a story so that by the end I had passed the target. whew!
Again, if you have been following my blog, you will know that life has changed a lot for me. Because of that I really wasn’t sure I could dredge up enough creativity, but I very much wanted to try. And I am so glad I did.
Tara Lazar, if you are reading this … Thank you (again) for a fantastic 2011 PiBoIdMo! 2010 was great, but I don’t know if this one was better or if I was more open to seeing more, but … wowsers!!
Last year I took the pledge, read all the daily posts, commented on some, gleaned a little here and there, completed the challenge, and then I put it all aside. I didn’t even get one story pulled together, so I guess in all actuality I broke the pledge. 😦 Sorry, Tara. (Really I should be apologizing to myself as it is not hurting Tara that I did not follow through, it is my own loss.)
This year I took the pledge, read all the daily posts (and was moved to tears a few times – what was that about??), commented on most, absorbed more this year, completed the challenge, and then … then? Then wow! I had a personal revelation, an awakening in my hopeful heart.
I don’t know ‘where I was’ last year in all of this, but this year… this year! … I realized Tara is making the way for me to move forward as a writer of children’s books. She is giving me all the tools to draw out what I need and what I need to do, and THEN .. after the 30 days were over she didn’t stop there. Just as she had guest bloggers write pre-PiBoIdMo posts this year, she had a few more guest bloggers post for several days afterward. wow! And somewhere in there I got it. I see now.
I took on PiBoIdMo in 2010 for the challenge and fun of it. I learned things, I worked at it, I succeeded in meeting the goal, and I was delighted that I had some nice story ideas that were worth developing … some day. This year, all of the same things but with one major exception. I have to complete by honouring the pledge. And I think I should do it twice .. to include last year, too.
I realized that this is not just fun and games. If I really want to write children’s books then Tara Lazar has handed to me all I need to do just that! duhhh!
This year, I got it, Tara. I understand. That is what the tears were about. That is what PiBoIdMo did for me this year. I am learning how to be the writer I want to become. Thank you.
And one of these days I may just say, “Hello, my name is Lynn, and I am a writer.” One of these days .. 🙂
How about you? Have you had any personal revelations or awakenings lately that have had an impact on you?
Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂
Polilla Writes 
Wonderful, Lynn. You’ll truly feel like a writer one of these days in the near future and why? Because you are one.. 🙂
I haven’t had any personal revelations, but there’s a lot going on at the moment which may take quite awhile to iron out. In the meantime I’m hoping for that revelation to catch hold of me and help lead the way. Sorry about the vagueness. When I have more I’ll divulge more.
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Thanks, Laura, you made me smile. 🙂
And now you have me very curious, and excited for you, and I don’t even know for sure what it is you are hinting at in your vagueness! Oh, please include me in your inner circle! 🙂
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YAY for doing 40 ideas! Did you hear about Ms. Hedlund’s 12×12 challenge her blog is writeupmylife dot com? She wants everyone to take their ideas from PiBoIdMo and make them into actual books.
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Hello, Erik! How lovely to see you after our PiBoIdMo experience. 🙂 Thanks for the cyber pat on the back. I know you got at least 30 ideas, and got to be one of the bloggers who posted for Tara. How cool is that? 🙂
Yes, I did hear about the 12×12 .. visited her blog and stopped there. I always think I may start a challenge and not be able to complete, which happened with NaNo this year, but how can I know for sure unless I try, right? Thanks for the reminder. I will seriously reconsider, and if you are going to try it … maybe that will motivate me more. 😉
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I did sign up for it! I learned a lot from PiBoIdMo that I wanted to see if I could write a book 🙂 I told Ms. Hedlund that I didn’t think I could do 12 books 😦 but I would like to try at least 1 book and she said OK! I hope you decide to – even if it’s just one like me!
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Wow! good for you! Okay, you’re on .. I will sign up and see what comes of it. If you and I each write at least one book, then that’s more than we had before, right? See you for 12×12 in 2012! 🙂
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Wahooo! 😉
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I’ve never even heard of PiBoIdMo (did I get that right?) but it sounds like a good tool.
When I began blogging, I was so afraid I would run out of ideas. Ha! Now, over three years down the road, I have more drafts in my files than published posts. Some of them are just sketches, or outlines, or quotations or titles, but every time an idea comes to me, I’m sure to put it in that file. I’ve come back to drafts two years after the initial idea, and finished them up.
My biggest issue now is to push myself into trying a short story. I have a couple in mind, but haven’t figured out how to carve out the time to keep up with the blog and begin something larger. That’s my goal for 2012!
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That seems like a great goal for 2012, and I have no doubt you will succeed. 🙂 As for blogging, I had not even thought of keeping a file of blog topic ideas, guess that goes to show that I usually don’t think that far ahead.
Today I signed up for another writing challenge, though, which will take me through the whole of 2012, plus there is a poetry challenge coming up in January. Lots of writing opportunities!
Thanks for your comment. 🙂
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You are ALREADY a writer, my sweet friend. You need to make a shirt that says, “Hello, my name is Lynn. And I AM a writer of children’s books… and T-Shirt Logos.”
🙂
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haha! You make me chuckle, Donna. Thank you. I am getting there, and .. hmm .. maybe a writer of children’s books, but it would be lovely to have one get recognized as a book. That would make it easier to believe. But, I have lots of ideas from PiBoIdMo 2010 and 2011 that I am starting to sift through to start working on. I haven’t given up. 🙂
Thanks for your encouraging comment, it’s great to see you.
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I haven’t heard of this before, but it sounds like a fun and marvelously insightful way to get the ideas out of our heads and into the realm of possibility. Sometimes, I lose great ideas because I thought I would remember them and didn’t – of course. Merry Christmas Lynn.
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PiBoIdMo is quickly gaining a following, perhaps it is something you would like to try?
I lose ideas too easily, so I certainly understand what you mean.
Merry Christmas to you, too!
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