THE CHILDREN'S BOOK ACADEMY
  • Home
    • THOH KidLit Creative Retreat
  • WRITING
    • Craft & Business of Writing Childrens Picture Books
    • The Chapter Book Alchemist
    • New!! Middle Grade Mastery Instant Access
    • Mastering Graphic Novels
    • 2022 Kidlit Palooza >
      • 2022 Palooza Program
      • 2022 Palooza Faculty
  • ILLUSTRATION
    • NEW!! Craft & Business of Illustrating Children's Books Instant Access
    • Never a Dull Moment Workshop
  • TECH
  • About Us
    • Why Us?
    • Meet the Faculty, Lives & GT Judges
    • Testimonials
    • Books by Students
    • Our Bookshop
    • As Seen In
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
  • Blogfish
  • MN Course Access
  • Community
    • Our Bookshop
    • Come Play With Us!
    • Resources
    • Course Scholarships >
      • Yuyi Morales Picture Book Scholarship
      • Andrea Davis Pinkney MG CB Mastery Scholarship
      • Rafael Lopez Illustrating Childrens Books Scholarships
      • Larissa Marantz Merit & Need Scholarship

Write What You Know to Give Your Stories Voice

10/4/2021

2 Comments

 
By Candice Marley Conner
Picture
When I took the Craft and Business of Writing Children’s Picture Books course with Children’s Book Academy in 2019, Mira asked us to introduce ourselves so we could get to know our fellow classmates and build our writing community. Being in a silly mood, I included “gator slinger” as a past job (I grew up on a fish farm in rural Alabama and we occasionally had to remove alligators from the seine nets so they wouldn’t harm the fish, themselves, or us). Mira immediately latched on to this and through her encouragement and enthusiasm, it really sunk in that the old writing adage “write what you know” isn’t as limiting as one might think. It’s a way of giving our stories flavor and voice that only we can give. And it’s why making space for writers whose story it is to tell is so incredibly important and powerful.

Picture
I had two debuts release this June. A picture book, SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL, and a young adult novel, THE EXISTENCE OF BEA PEARL, both of which I started writing around nine years ago. And I discovered the inspiration to write these two very different books by “writing what I know.”

In the case of SASSAFRAS, it was a stroller-ride through our neighborhood. My daughter was around a year old at the time, so that’s about 365 strolls through our neighborhood streets. I had gotten to know them pretty well—which oaks cast the best shade on hot Southern summer days, which streets needed to be repaved (or avoided) due to the noise and vibration, and which gardens grew the best-smelling flowers.

Then one day in a neighbor’s lawn, a squirrel scurried down, looked at us, grabbed an acorn with its tiny paws, and scampered back up the nearest tree.
It had the tiniest, bristliest tail I had ever seen.

Picture
Picture
​What did I already know about squirrels? That they communicate through their tail movement, and that they use their tail as counterbalance. So what could that mean for this squirrel? What if she was bullied by other squirrels because she was seen as clumsy and had a tough time communicating? And the more I thought about it…how could she use her difference as an advantage? By the time we made it back home, SASSAFRAS, my brave little bristle-tailed squirrel was born.

​With BEA PEARL, one of my favorite pastimes growing up was reading Nancy Drew books creekside in the middle of the woods. The fish farm I mentioned earlier had been a recreational hotspot from the ’30s to the ’70s thanks to an artesian-fed pool, so I grew up listening to stories from teachers and old men in front of the hardware store of how they met their love out there as teens.
​
My family and I would find fossils in the limestone banks from when the whole area was under a primordial sea. We had ‘possums in the cat’s food, crawfish in the swimming pool, and had to check our boots for tadpoles or snakes before putting them on. It was a wonder-filled swamp-wild childhood with such history that I wanted to claim it somehow. Let the past and present exist together somewhere. Thus BEA PEARL was born. Her story is my love letter to the swamp and river that shaped me. As one of the most bio-diverse river systems in the U.S., I wanted readers to see past the mud and decay to the natural beauty and know it’s something valuable to treasure, so much that I had artwork commissioned and set up a merch shop where my proceeds go to the Alabama Rivers Alliance. (For more about the Alliance and a link to the shop: Bea Pearl Merch | candice marley conner)

I urge writers to ask themselves: what do YOU know? How can you turn your familiar surroundings and everyday observations into a tale of ability and bravery in the case of SASSFRAS, or a story of hope and believing in yourself as in BEA PEARL?
Happy writing! And thanks so much, Mira, for having me on the CBA blog!

Bio:
Growing up between swamps, a river, and the Gulf Coast, Candice Marley Conner’s stories emerge from gnarled cypress knees, muddy water, and salty air. She’s the kidlit haint at a haunted indie bookstore (but not haunted how you’re thinking), a Local Liaison for SCBWI, and an officer for her local writers’ guild. Her picture book, Sassafras and her Teeny Tiny Tail, and her YA, The Existence of Bea Pearl, both debuted this June. She has short stories and poems in various anthologies and magazines including Smarty Pants Magazine for Kids, Highlights Hello, Cabinet of Curiosities, Babybug, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and more. She lives in Alabama with her husband, two children (one of whom is possibly feral), two cats, and a guinea pig.

Connect:

candicemarleyconner.com

https://www.instagram.com/candice_marleyconner

https://www.facebook.com/cmarleyconnerauthor

https://www.twitter.com/candice_marleyc


2 Comments
Tutuapp link
10/5/2021 01:22:36 am

By keeping your home clean and storing your food properly, you can deter insects and rodents to keep your home in tip top shape.

Reply
Showbox link
10/5/2021 01:27:18 am

The best way to remove the threat of pests is to stop them from coming into your home in the first place.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our  awesome new bloggers!!

    Here's our lineup:
    1st Mondays begin with editor/art director, & CBA Director Mira Reisberg PhD who is handing her Mondays over to awesome former now traditionally pubbed students to widen their audience.

    2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books.
     

    3rd Mondays will feature
    Bryan Patrick Avery, published writer, man of mystery, and professional magician among other things.

    4th Mondays will feature STEM, STEAM & SEL obsessed author Kourtney LaFavre sharing delightfully dorky, quirky, and fun info.

    And 5th Mondays will feature Libyan American author Koloud Tarapolsi sharing wonderful diverse books.

    Enter your email address to follow this blog:

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

Picture
Discover
Why Us?
Courses
Blogfish
Book Shoppe
About Us
Meet the Academy Faculty
Community
Contact Us

Privacy Policy
Join Us
Social Media
Join our Community and receive a fabulous free gift, yummy newsletters, scholarship info, contests, and more!

Like us on Facebook 
Join our interactive FB Group  
Find us on Twitter 
Follow us on ​Instagram  
Look for us on Pinterest
​
Watch us on YouTube
© 2012-2021  All content on this website is copyrighted. Sorry, all courses are non-refundable.
  • Home
    • THOH KidLit Creative Retreat
  • WRITING
    • Craft & Business of Writing Childrens Picture Books
    • The Chapter Book Alchemist
    • New!! Middle Grade Mastery Instant Access
    • Mastering Graphic Novels
    • 2022 Kidlit Palooza >
      • 2022 Palooza Program
      • 2022 Palooza Faculty
  • ILLUSTRATION
    • NEW!! Craft & Business of Illustrating Children's Books Instant Access
    • Never a Dull Moment Workshop
  • TECH
  • About Us
    • Why Us?
    • Meet the Faculty, Lives & GT Judges
    • Testimonials
    • Books by Students
    • Our Bookshop
    • As Seen In
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
  • Blogfish
  • MN Course Access
  • Community
    • Our Bookshop
    • Come Play With Us!
    • Resources
    • Course Scholarships >
      • Yuyi Morales Picture Book Scholarship
      • Andrea Davis Pinkney MG CB Mastery Scholarship
      • Rafael Lopez Illustrating Childrens Books Scholarships
      • Larissa Marantz Merit & Need Scholarship