The February Edit

Solar-punk picture books, my new class, and fun links

I’ve been working with a coaching client who came to me feeling overwhelmed because she had a lot of ideas and feedback, but nothing was finished or ready for querying. I went through alllllll the files, looked back at old drafts—we’ve been working together almost 10 years now!—and helped her come up with a plan for polishing and pitching. My client is incredibly talented and has a lot of impressive experience, but she’s primarily known for her visual art, and she’s still trying to figure out what kind of storyteller she is. So I asked her…

What if you describe the world YOU want to live in?

Can you write every picture book this way? Probably not. But gosh, it would be fun to try! She found the question inspiring and promptly revised a dummy she didn’t know what to do with before.

In adult fiction, solar punk is a subgenre of sci-fi that includes stories that tend to celebrate living in harmony with nature, caring for each other, and making rather than destroying beauty. It offers a counter-narrative to traditional dystopian narratives. ☀️

Most picture books aren’t dystopian, but they often feature bullies, injustice, and reasons to be brave. Of course, the world needs these books, but for me, the idea of writing something that reflects my values and shows my characters living in the kind of world I want to is incredibly invigorating. I love when picture books stray from the traditional narrative arc and skip over the struggle and linger in the joy and wonder of being alive. These are a few of my favorites. The authors’ values shine through, but they are also playful, creative, and totally kid-friendly.

Want to write a book about the world YOU want to live in? You don’t have to do it alone.

Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.

— Gloria Steinem

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Picture Book Class

In March I’ll be teaching Finding Your Star: How to Write a Picture Book online for The Porch. You can come to class knowing nothing about children’s literature and leave with confidence and fresh ideas. Each session will include an opportunity to learn, play, write together, and to get feedback on your WIP if you have one. By the end, you can expect to have a strong framework for writing a picture-book manuscript and a clear understanding of the publishing process. You’ll leave feeling energized and inspired in new ways.

“Heidi was a delight, and had such great examples of picture books to show us. Her workbook was super helpful!”

This Month I’m…

• Feeling incredibly proud to be the face of taking a “fun and flexible” approach to writing (One of the MANY things I talked about with Nicole Gulotta. Other topics include our mutual love of Queer Eye, the way I lean on notecards in my writing process, and how to adopt a playful mindset even if you feel decidedly NOT silly.) 🎙

• Talking more about why I love picture books 📙

• Celebrating my client Melissa Eggleston’s sweet new book—She’s created a whole world with her characters. You can order Purple Squirrels Can Paint Too here! 🎨

• Feeling so grateful that Jessica Slice articulated so much of what I’ve been thinking lately 💛

• Thinking this looks like a very cool way to text with your kid if you don’t want to give them a phone yet 📱

• Appreciating this survey on what creativity will look like in the future and why so many of us are adopting a do-it-anyway mentality 💪

• Thinking about how the places editors want to work keep changing 👩‍💻

• Relishing Amy Poehler’s interview with Carol Burnett (Her whole podcast is such a gift!) ☠️

• Trying to wrap my mind around Moltbook, where the chat bots chat??? 🤯

• Daring you not to cry at this story about donating books to kids in the hospital 📚

• Loving Amy Stewart’s call for the NYT to expand their book coverage in a big, juicy way 🙌

• Sharing the Muppets’ version of “Manchild” in case you’re eager for another chaotic video to add to the Sabrina Carpenter discourse after my recent post (You can also watch the Grammys performance and chime in as celebs like Jodie Foster and Emma Stone sing/read her lyrics.) 🐔

• Listening to this app constantly (Sign up for the free trial and go straight to the Soothe button. I’ve been keeping it on in the background and it’s helping me focus.) 🎧

XO

PS

Want to work together? I offer workbooks, manuscript critiques, and creative coaching at helloheidifiedler.com. My book Quickening: The Art of Being a Creative Mother will help you reconnect with your creative spark too.