Things I found, things I am saving for winter

Cory's Pinecone Mound

Hi there!

I found some treasures for you:
Ida, Always by Caron Levis

The Mess We Made

The Mess We Made is an informative picture book written similarly to There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. It illustrates the compounding consequences of the trash we create and the process of cleaning it up. The moral is overt without being preachy or boring. I am in love with these beautiful illustrations by Julia Blattman.

By Michelle Lord
Illustrated by Julia Blattman

  • I am always intrigued by accusations of plagiarism and this week I finally got around to reading The Boy on the Bench by Corinne Averiss and The Bench by Meghan Duchess of Sussex back to back. I can say with confidence that they are nothing alike. The suggestion that The Bench plagiarized anything from The Boy on the Bench is silly at best. There is not even any value in comparison, because they seem to hold only one thing in common: a bench.
  • The Bench is a letter to one's husband; not a picture book. This review is a really good explanation of why. Although, for the record, I did purchase The Bench for my library because of the merits it has, and personal interest in the controversies it caused.
  • This week I will highlight Elena Yampolsky who is making magical and richly detailed fairy and folktale illustrations on Instagram.

"Make a mess and then clean that mess up later. It is so much easier to clean a mess up and make it presentable than it is to create some kind of perfect thing from a blank canvas." - Thomas Frank

If you are stuck, try making a mess and cleaning it up. This is essentially my entire process because when I start with a clean sketch or vision in my head, I often end up with something very rigid and false. It boosts my productivity because I don't have to worry about perfection right away.

This week, don't worry about finishing anything. Just get started. Get started on 10 things. It is the most exciting part of any writing or art process, and if you allow yourself to be sufficiently wild and free, then it will fuel your motivation to finish them.

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xx

Cory

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