As I ponder topics for picture books, so many rush into my head. Just because it pops into my brain, does that mean it has potential? Does it mean anything to anybody else? As I bounce ideas off my patient husband I am reminded of the Jerry Seinfeld book- Is This Anything? I imagine songwriters go through the same thing. Where I don’t have to do that is in the classroom – lesson topics are obvious because I know what my students need. I know how to get them from a to z and what strategies work. But writing seems more than strategy – it’s heart and a good story. Judy Blume said, “The best books come from someplace deep inside. You don’t write because you want to, but because you have to.” And Madeleine L’Engle said “You have to write the book that wants to be written.” Well, I believe I will take a word from those wiser than me and try my instincts and heart. So what if it seems ridiculous? After all the best books are filled with ridiculous – like a talking donut who doesn’t want to get eaten, or talking grass blades that ponder identify, or a stubborn pigeon who refuses to be just a pigeon. It’s time to trust those crazy ideas and see where they lead. What crazy idea have you had that led you somewhere amazing (in life or in writing)?

For those crazy books referenced above, they are Arnie, the Doughnut by Laurie Keller, We are Growing by Mo Willems and Laurie Keller, and any of the Pigeon books by Mo Willems.