Dogger by Shirley Hughes was originally published in 1977. It is an an example of a picture book based on a true life story.
Category: #HowToWrite
How to Write & Illustrate a Picture Book – Exhibit at Jacki Kellum Studios – Classes Beginning in January
In November, Jacki Kellum Studios Opened at 32 South Main Water Valley, Misssissippi Today, I am finisihing hanging a new exhibition at Jacki Kellum Studios in Water Valley, Mississippi – Illustrating a Picture Book – The Process – From rough sketches to hyper-realistic studies to the magic. The work on exhibition focuses on my books…
Memoir Mondays – A Free Writing Platform Begins September 8 at Jacki Kellum Studios & School of Arts – Harvest Your Past
I am an advocate of Morning Pages — of Writing Each Morning — to Free One’s Creativity. For that reason, I am offering the Water Valley Breakfast Club as a time and place to congregate and Free Write together. The Best News is that the Breakfast Club is Free–both monetarily and in terms of its…
Myth and Memoir Writing – Understanding the Difference Between Magical Thinking and Harsh Truth – #MemoirMonday
On Mondays, I like to create a special post about writing a memoir. I call those posts #MemoirMondays. My goal for today is to explain that a memoir must be truthful– But it should not be a harsh account of reality. That is one of the differences between writing for an encyclopedia and writing a…
November 1 Is My New Year: Time to Set New Resolutions – New Goals
For the past several days, I have been talking about how some of the ancient civilizations celebrated the New Year on November 1: I have decided to start my new year today, too. As of today, November 1, I have officially left the skeletons of my old self behind me, and I have resolved to…
Another Shout-Out for Stream of Consciousness – I Also Create My Youtube Videos in a Stream of Consciousness
Some of you may not know this, but for a couple of months, I have gone out into my garden several times a week, and I have talked about what is or is not growing there. Quite often, my videos pivot into something that is rather philosophical, and I label those thoughts as “Learning from…
Planning in My Garden and in My Writing
A peek into my garden on October 8, 2024 – This spot is the view directly out from my screened porch A peek into my garden on October 8, 2023 – This spot is the view directly out from my screened porch–BEFORE I created the garden there. What a difference a year makes–IF you plan…
Another Parable of the Soil: Prepare Your Soil – Plant in Faith – Lessons from My Garden
This time last year, I was spreading one of several truck loads of garden soil to create raised beds in my garden. I had lived in my current house for 6 months, and I had just begun my efforts to transform the barren field behind my house into a natural haven. View from my screened…
Studying Other Artists and Illustrators – Studying Other Writers – The Importance of Copying the Masters in Becoming Better at Your Craft
In addition to being a practicing visual artist and writer, I have taught both writing and art 3/4 of my life. Although I have NEVER allowed my students to submit a copied piece for a grade, I have always told them that copying more accomplished artists and writers is a wonderful way to learn. Many…
Turn A Tiny Memory from Your Past into A Picture Book – How to Write Memoir – #Memoir Mondays
The first ingredient of any picture book is a story. After we find our stories, we writers need to polish them a bit–but the effort begins with a story. I am an advocate of looking within for our stories–at looking at the memories from our pasts. I have recently studied the massive library of Tomie…