New Angle on the Book Thing

I've really let my writing go over the past few weeks. I've barely been blogging - and I've done even less "real" writing (the kind that could potentially make me some money one day). All week, I've used my sore throat as an excuse to do nothing (except watch Law & Order, of course). So last night, as I fell asleep with no throat pain to distract me, I thought for a while about what to write next.

And, shockingly enough, I had an idea that still seems viable in the light of day: I'm going to write a children's book.

It makes so much sense, I'm not sure why I never thought of it before. My book collection includes a ton of kids books, all of which I read pretty regularly. Plus, in eighth grade, I wrote a children's book and my Home Ec teacher told me it was great and that I'd probably be published one day. OK, that's not the greatest source of encouragement ever, but it did stick with me.

Writing for kids solves a lot of the problems that I have with writing. There's much less need to show instead of tell. I won't have to feel insecure about the scope of my vocabulary. Shorter books are perfect for my attention span - and for my desperate need to reach goals regularly (I learned in business school that I am an "ambition-driven" person, so I need to constantly achieve and re-set goals in order to stay motivated...and yes, I am serious.)

I have a plan for a character, I developed a plot while laying in bed this morning, and I've already decided who to call about illustration. Next stop: Barnes & Noble's kid section.