I recently reviewed You Nest Here With Me, by Jane Yolen and her daughter, Heidi E Y Stemple.The book is brilliant on several levels. It’s a bedtime book that teaches about birds. It’s bird book that emphasizes the bond between mother and child. It’s a work of art to be studied and re-read and loved. Jane Yolen books make my heart sing. So spending four days with Jane last month for her Picture Book Boot Camp, was life changing. I felt renewed by Jane’s wisdom, wit and generosity. I felt so welcomed by both Jane and Heidi. It was as if they were telling me: "You nest here with me." In our efforts to imitate the best of birds, we can make our nest a comfy cozy place to hatch stories by doing three things. 1. Make your nest and write in it. On good days Jane writes about 8 hours a day. She’s the perfect example of how her saying “Butt in Chair” works. Almost 400 books later, she still writes every day. She suggests that we have a dedicated writing space where we can spread our stuff out and schedule time to write. For more on squeezing writing into your busy schedule, read my previous post. Jane let me snap a quick selfie in one of her three nests, where she wrote Owl Moon. 2. Send your story to a different bird. Jane says you can’t count on editors knowing what they want until they see it. They want a book they love. When you’ve written a book you know is good, sometimes you need to send it to someone who may not like it and take a chance that they will see the brilliance of it. 3. Persist and your story will eventually find a nest. During the picture book boot camp Jane received several rejections. In fact, we had an entire discussion about the worst rejections we’d ever gotten. Jane said: “Change is inevitable. Change is inevitable in you, in your writing, in the whole world. Don’t chase anything but the story because that’s not going to change. The story is bigger than you and your reader. The story becomes the conduit between you and the reader. Write the story and never give up.” Spending real time with Jane Yolen was like finding my writing home--a nest of learning and inspiration and revitalization of my writing life. As we take her advice by finding time for writing stories that soar, sending our stories out and persisting, we will reach our writing goals. Because after all, it isn’t every day that we have a chance to nest with Jane Yolen. Kirsti Call is a homeschooling mom of five. Her debut picture book, The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall, came out December 2013. Her family band, Calling Out, plays songs written by her children. She contributes to Writer's Rumpus, and Kids are Writers. If you visit her house, you’ll likely find her building a nest for current writing projects. You can find out more about her at www.kirsticall.com.
24 Comments
Kirsti Call
4/14/2015 11:07:04 pm
Tina, it was incredible!
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4/15/2015 01:11:06 am
Kirsti, thanks for sharing your insights with us. I have long been a fan of Jane's books. Now as I begin to pursue writing more seriously, and have read her books for writers: Take Joy, and Writing Books for Children, and delight in daily peeks into her daily writing through her shared poems, I am getting to know the woman behind the words. I so appreciate her no nonsense approach. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
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Kirsti Call
4/15/2015 04:36:47 am
When I started reading her shared poems, I realized how valuable a workshop with Jane would be.
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Ariel Bernstein
4/15/2015 05:27:31 am
The workshop sounds like an amazing experience! Thanks for sharing part of it!!
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Kirsti Call
4/15/2015 10:28:59 pm
It really was amazing, Ariel!
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4/15/2015 06:19:32 am
What a wonderful experience for you, Kirsti! Thank you for sharing your visit with Jane.
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Kirsti Call
4/15/2015 10:29:28 pm
Thanks for reading, Charlotte :)
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4/15/2015 11:16:05 am
I'm so glad you had this experience, Kirsti! My time at Jane's boot camp last year was life-changing.
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Kirsti Call
4/15/2015 08:13:05 pm
It definitely is life changing, Julie. I'm grateful I read your review of the PBBC or I wouldn't have applied!
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Rich
4/15/2015 01:37:58 pm
I found your advice applicable for writing our life songs in all the forms we use to create. Good advice.
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Kirsti Call
4/15/2015 10:31:08 pm
I'm glad, Rich. And I agree it is applicable for all creative endeavors.
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Carrie Charley Brown
4/15/2015 01:50:29 pm
This is such great advice, Kirsti. What an amazing opportunity you were chosen to be part of! :) As writers we also have to choose who we want to invite into our nest, too. Glad to have you in mine. :)
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Kirsti Call
4/15/2015 08:12:17 pm
Yes, Carrie...you're a wonderful friend to have in this writing journey!
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Jilanne Hoffmann
4/15/2015 02:37:18 pm
Very inspirational! I hope to be published one of these years, so that I, too, can get some nesting advice from one of the greats.
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Kirsti Call
4/15/2015 10:31:49 pm
If you persist, I'm sure it will happen!!! Jane really did say...NEVER give up!
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4/15/2015 09:02:25 pm
Thanks for sharing. Loved #3. Persist and your story will eventually find a nest. That's what I intend to do.
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Kirsti Call
4/15/2015 10:32:26 pm
And you shall!
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4/15/2015 10:09:57 pm
Kirsti, it sounds so cozy to "nest with Jane Yolen." Being with an amazing writer and all those books. Thanks for sharing!
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Kirsti Call
4/15/2015 10:33:00 pm
Manju, it really was life changing.
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4/16/2015 06:29:25 am
Thanks for the inspiring post, Kirsti. I absolutely LOVE this book, both the lovely lyrical writing and the gorgeous art, and just because I'm a bird nerd :)
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Kirsti Call
4/22/2015 12:59:53 am
Isn't it wonderful how a great picture book inspires us to write beautifully as well?
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Kirsti Call
4/22/2015 12:58:54 am
I think you'll really like it.
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