Way back last November, I had the idea to write a story based on the words "Operation Easter Island". Some brainstorms, a long break and more edits later, here is a somewhat stable draft of the story and some concept sketches (the numbers represent double-page spreads, like what you see…
I've written on several occasions before. Family parties, school dedications, friend's birthdays or just for my own enjoyment. But so far, I haven't been officially published beyond those kinds of settings. Well, that just changed: I got to sign my first contract with a small publisher in Germany (SCM Verlag)!…
This is it, guys: my last blog post of the 2010s. I thought I'd join the fun of recaps and share my top moments of 2019, my top 3 moments of the 2010s, and some goals for 2020. Recap 2019: Top 10 These are loosely in order of their occurrence.…
It's Christmas. I just had dinner with my family and got some writing cubes as a gift. Time for some rest until school starts up again. Before I got home, I had 5 days to finish writing a sermon, give a presentation, do prep research to write 2 exegetical papers,…
The classroom was divided into three parts: a classic "classroom" with the projector and student seats, a stage area with random props, and a craft area with colored paper and other art supplies: Yesterday was another round of my "creativity in the church" seminar - during which a participant called…
On Friday morning at 8.30, I got on a bus in Heidelberg, bound towards Zürich. I spent the weekend at a conference for children's book authors and illustrators, the SCBWI Europolitan. SCBWI is the "Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators" and offers connection and opportunities to grow in your…
A few posts ago, I mentioned that I was brainstorming for new story ideas. One of them was the word "pineapple juice". I just liked the sound of it and thought it would make a great title. So, a few weeks later, this is what came out of it: A…
"Somehow something is Missing!": I have been working on this children's book project for 3 months. And in the last 3 days, I was working almost all day on the last illustrations. The result: a book you can look at from start to finish. It's what you call a "dummy…
"The sun did not shine, it was too wet to play, so we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day..." (Opening lines from Dr. Seuss' book "The Cat in the Hat")Anytime I looked out the window this week, I could relate to these words. Not a single…
One of my goals for 2019 is to make some significant progress on my children's books and illustrations. So, as a professional step, I have just (yesterday!) joined the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). I have put off this decision because I thought I wouldn't have enough…
When you only have little talent or responsibility, you might look up to someone who has more. You might feel jealous or unhappy, thinking that a "next level" would make you more successful in some way. I'm not a super-famous artist (yet), but even now I can tell you that…
Act I: The Adventure begins I was driving back to school on the highway. It was a Monday afternoon, and it was an easy ride. Nothing special, apart from an insignificant drizzle. When suddenly, the windshield wipers decided to start an arm wrestling competition with me as their captive audience.…
I told you about the steps I go through to write stories. Idea, Brainstorming, Outline, First Draft, Editing. And I'm not "done", sure enough, I will have to do some more edits eventually. But I think the story is ready to share with you. Tell me what you think, or…
I am writing a new children's story called "Gary's Noodles". I first went from the basic idea to an "outline". Here's what I did next: Step 4: First Draft When you have a rough idea where you are going with your story, you can start actually writing. Some people swear…
I like to teach. I like to write. And I like meeting family and new people. But doing all these things in one weekend is a lot of work. Now, I am resting from the events of the past 2 days. Visiting my parents. Greeting my brother who was in…