MO Day #6: Catherine Bailey Writes What She Loathes

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February 15, 2022 - Registration Post Hello March On With Mentor Texts!

AND NOW, HERE'S OUR MENTOR...

WRITE WHAT YOU LOVE LOATHE

by Catherine Bailey

As a children’s author, I am supposed to be good at coming up with ideas for stories. And, usually, my little brain complies. In fact, I have a mandatory brainstorming session with myself every week for at least 30 minutes. The rules are simple. I have to jot down as many ideas as I can think up in that time period WITHOUT leaving my chair – even once! – for anything – even snacks!

I’ve thought up ideas based on song lyrics, my dog, my children’s teachers, recent holidays, the nature I see outside my window, and the weird sounds that my house makes when I’m all alone and it is supposed to be quiet (it never really is!). It’s usually a happy, nice experience brimming with potential and positive vibes. But sometimes I encounter the dreaded blank-page problem where I can’t think of a single thing to write about. Not ONE.

It was exactly this sort of idea-drought that led to the creation of my latest book, HUSTLE BUSTLE BUGS. We were in full COVID lockdown and my creativity juices had pretty much all dried up. I was distracted by a husband trying to work from home, and homeschooling my children. Not to mention pets, parents, and the perils of pandemic life (like finding toilet paper). There was nothing left in the tank to put on paper. Oh, and I hadn’t sold a manuscript in what felt like decades. So instead of brainstorming lovely, sweet subjects to write about, I huffed into my chair and scribbled down a list of horrid, awful, yucky things I did not like AT ALL.

And on that list was spiders.

I am terrified of anything arachnid. If you ask me, those little buggars have too many legs AND they move too fast. Don’t get me started on the eyes. Why so many eyes, huh? What’s that all about?

So, as I sat there, all grumpy-like in my stupid chair in my stupid office during stupid COVID, it hit me. I could write about something I didn’t like. And what better topic than spiders, and more generally bugs? It is such a kid friendly subject! The more I thought about it, the more the idea grew, and I remembered that my daughter used to collect bugs in our Tupperware. No insect was safe from her toddler clutches, to the point where I had to tell her to “look and don’t touch”. I explained that the insects could not live in plastic tubs because they had important jobs to do.

And right there I had the seed idea for HUSTLE BUSTLE BUGS. The manuscript was originally a series of individual poems, (my favorite was called UGLY BUGLY). Then it was reworked into a day-to-night story. And finally, I wove in themes of community and exploration. It took a few months to polish it up, but the manuscript sold quickly.

So, my advice to you is this: If you can, write what you love.

But, if you can’t – if you are having a bad day, or week, or moment - write what you don’t love. Think of stuff that annoys you, or makes you sad, or scares you (like the fact that spiders can lay eggs, like, almost anywhere), and create a story about that. Because even bad emotions can inspire great books.

HUSTLE BUSTLE BUGS showcases the hard working talents of common backyard bugs, and compares them to real world workers. From ants chewing up old trees (like builders clearing a construction site) to butterflies spreading pollen (like gardeners planting seeds), we show that bugs belong to a busy community, just like people. The book is illustrated by Lauren Eldridge (laureneldridge.com) and creepy-crawls out from Little Brown Books for Young Readers on February 22, 2022. You may learn more about Catherine and her books at CatherineBaileyBooks.com.