It all starts with a trip! 

This is near the Gold Bug Mine in California.  It is a mine that has been sealed up because it is not safe anymore.  Probably wasn’t too safe when it was getting dug either.  I wonder how much gold they found here?  What if . . . ?

And the story begins.

This is how I start to put it down on paper.  On the floor where I am grounded.  I can make as many mistakes as I want.  I scribble and cross out, rip out sheets and spread them out.  Anything is possible.  You might say I start a story from the ground up.

I move up a little now and pencil the picture book story onto notecards and spread them out on the ottoman.  Imagining how the spreads will look in a book. 

And the final process is at my desk, typing it into a word document and trying to make it look presentable to send to my editor. 

Now go have some fun and create your own story!

Posted by leighann on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 10:49 am under Books, Writing and . Comment RSS 2.0 feed. Comment, or trackback.