Learning Project: From Scribbles to Storybooks

Learning Project: From Scribbles to Storybooks

January 19, 2025 2 By Kimberly Kipp

Contextual Preamble…and I do love to (r)amble

Since I first read the assignment description, my learning project has fluctuated between two choices; thus, this post is less timely than my usual routine. Initially, I was drawn to learning American Sign Language (ASL), something I have dabbled with using the Lingvano app since I unexpectedly woke up with unilateral Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) a few years ago. SSNHL affects between 5-20 Canadians per 100,000 annually. Let me tell you, it rocked my world to go to bed as a teacher who could hear a swear word whispered across a room, then wake to find myself another number in this unfortunate statistic. I gained a deeper appreciation and commitment to students who face and overcome disabilities, especially the ones largely unseen.

And yet… I have realized that learning ASL will not be my learning journey, this time anyway. Another dream has been nagging at the back of my mind, wriggling around since I was 12, typing away on my then state-of-the-art ‘98 Hewlett-Packard OmniBook.

Finish your children’s book, Kim.

Overcome that sometimes crippling ADHD Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. Put it out there, to be rejected or accepted, but with that bucket list item finally ticked.

Flashy ’98 Omnibook; picture retrieved from Wikipedia. I think mine is collecting dust in my crawlspace.

During the pandemic, I was an online learning consultant with a wealth of available screen time. Somewhere in those surreal, timeless years, I began my Masters and completed an online course for aspiring writers. A children’s storybook – as well as several imagined storylines –  already exists. I self-published online op-eds and poetry. EC&I courses and mandatory blogging consistently reminded me of my love for the written word.

But always – persistently, pervasively –  excuses. In high school, it was I’m too young. In undergrad and my early career, it became I’m too busy. With kids, it turned into Okay, now I’m really too busy. And so it went, on and on. My mind is a creative escape artist.

This learning project, combined with the undeniable reality of time zooming by, has reopened old possibilities. On Friday, I watched an Instagram reel that quoted Robert Fritz:

“If you limit your choice to only what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.”

And that was it. A random reel was the firm shove deciding factor for my learning project.

Be vulnerable. Be scared. Choose the path of most resistance. Everything else is compromise.

Onward to planning…

What’s In a Plan?

“Let’s start at the very beginning” (Maria, The Sound of Music)

Image retrieved from https://daily.jstor.org/the-sound-of-music/ Original image courtesy of 20th Century-Fox, 1965.

WEEKS 1-2: Children’s Writing Foundations 101

Even though I have taken a previous online course for story writing, it was so long ago it seems advisable to follow Maria’s advice to begin at the beginning. Since the advent of AI, children’s books have become an oversaturated market; I want my work to be authentic and grounded in best practice.

FOCUS: Writing principles, genre specifics, introductory online tools

Tasks and Resources:

  1. Look at my previous story draft – David’s Perfectly Imperfect Creations. A storybook inspired by my son, who always likes to get things juuuuust rightConsider the other three storylines I’ve had swimming around my mind since ’21.
  2. Children’s Writer’s Guild Website:  Provides articles and advice on writing and publishing children’s books. My quick skim of the site shows that it caters to new writers.
  3. Canadian Children’s Books Centre (CCBC) Website: Offers book lists, author spotlights, and resources focused on Canadian children’s literature. It’s important to me that my work stay Canadian-based.
  4. Reedsy’s Free Course on Writing Children’s Books (Online Course): Sign up for the step-by-step email-based course, covering writing basics like brainstorming and plotlines.
  5. Storybird (Online Tool):  Focused on young writers (in other words, not me) but the platform allows for experimenting with creating stories using pre-made illustrations. Having used it in my ELA classroom, I recommend it for your middle years students, too.
  6. Instagram Accounts: I was following a number of children’s authors and publishers already, but here are a few I will be looking at more closely: @kidscanpress, @penguinbooks, @miriamlaundrypublishing (Miriam is a friend of a friend, so I will be looking at her free guides more closely in the coming weeks). Please recommend any good accounts if you have them!

WEEKS 3-4: Develop Writing Skills and Structure

Focus: Storytelling techniques, structure, and drafting format

Tasks and Resources:

  1. Suck it up and write, write, write (just like I tell my students).
  2. ProWritingAid: The Storyteller’s Toolkit (Editing Tool): Online writing assistant site (initially free) that helps with grammar, readability, and finding your writing style. If I like the free version, I will be looking at purchasing the Premium Pro.
  3. Reedsy’s Writing Course: Continue working on the lessons sent to me by email; focus on plot structure, characterization, and creating conflict.
  4. Continue looking for and testing out other resources for this section.
  5. Start a writing journal – okay, another writing journal – to track ideas, challenges, insights along with my blog posts.

WEEKS 5-6: Character Development and Story Refinement

Focus: Improve characterization and storyline

Tasks and Resources:

  1. Wattpad (Writing Community): Explore online children’s stories for further inspiration and – gulp – share some writing to receive peer feedback.
  2. Goodreads (Website): Research highly rated children’s books.
  3. Continue testing out ProWritingAid to check character consistency and dialogue flow.
  4. Sift through the free guides from Miriam Laundry, provided in her Instagram bio.

WEEKS 7-8: Research and Build Writing Community

Admittedly, this is the part where my plans always sputter out. For me, I feel ripped apart, unbearably vulnerable, sharing my writing with other authors and – even more frightening – publishers. Imposter syndrome is real, and it thrives inside of me. But for the sake of this project, I will take the leap…

Focus: Expand research and find/engage with a writing community

Tasks and Resources:

  1. Skillshare: Sign up for Skillshare’s 7-day free trial (purchase if worthwhile). A quick skim shows it has a wealth of courses by professional writers and publishers.
  2. Critique Circle (in-person): I have already spoken to my pre-kindergarten – Grade 1 colleagues, who have promised to provide kind but honest feedback and share my first draft with their students (the ultimate critics!). My heart races just thinking about this…but maybe if I write it here I can manifest the courage it will take. As an aside, I just realized I’m currently listening to Wicked’s Defying Gravity – sign to just leap???
  3. Critique Circle (online): Find an online community that feels safe for me to give and receive feedback. Suggestions, anyone?
  4. SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators): Take a closer look at this global organization that specializes in webinars, events, and access to industry professionals.

WEEKS 9-10: Great Big, Scary Dive into the Publishing Process

Focus: Publishing options….the part of this tale where my momentum thuds to a sudden stop

Tasks and Resources:

  • This stage needs to be flushed out in more detail, as it is also the part that scares me the most.
  • Make sure my final draft is complete and formatted correctly for submission.
  • Sites I am considering: Kindle Direct Publishing, FriesenPress (Canadian self-publisher), Dundurn Press (currently accepting book submissions).

WEEKS 11-12: Draft and Feedback Stage

Blue loading icon png sticker, transparent background

Buffering. Image provided by StockPack.

WEEKS 13-14: Final Revisions and Illustrations

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And buffering. Image provided by StockPack.

WEEKS 15-16: Publishing and Marketing Strategy

You get the idea… I need to work on these stages.

WEEKS 17-18: Final Shaky Steps

mountain range and peak climbing in the mountains

Onward we all go… Image provided by StockPack.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Creation, Challenge, Release

This project scares me beyond words, and excites me more than anything I’ve dared since submitting my Masters’ application. If life has taught me nothing else, it’s that the most meaningful journeys are rarely the smoothest. Since my teens, my mind has been a constant stream of words, characters, and stories vying for attention; this project finally gives me the chance to release them. Deep breath; here we go…

Any suggestions, resources, and feedback are most welcome (contrary to my fear of criticism…hahaha!)