Category: Chapter Books

Posted in Chapter Books, Kidlit, KidLit Craft, mentor texts, Online Class, Workshops, Writing Goals

2025 Goal: Write a Chapter Book

Posted on by beckylevine
Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

At the end of last year, I set myself a few 2025 writing goals. One was to draft my first chapter book. I wasn’t sure when I’d get started or how I’d get an idea or how I’d learn the genre craft (other than, as always, mentor texts). Well, all that has changed.

  • I got started. I read a pile of first books in various chapter books series and fell in love with some, recognizing a bit of what I want to include in a book I write.
  • I got an idea…for a chapter book series. I’m in love with this idea, and–if I can do it–it’s going to be full of adventure and humor and conflict and at least one “aww” moment per book.
  • I’m starting to learn. Yes, yes, yes to mentor texts, but also–with magical timing–I signed up for Marcie Colleen’s two-session workshop on Planning & Plotting a Series for Young Readers, in the Inked Voices community. The class is finished, but if you are even considering playing around with chapter books or early/beginning readers, keep your eyes open for any learning opportunity with Marcie. I learned SO much!

I am in love with this idea and, already, with my characters. I know that first book often (rarely!) make it to bookstore or library shelves, but I honestly believe that my premise, at least, is something kids will love. I realized that I wanted this book/series to be active and energetic and positive and funny. I totally believe that kids need escape stories, especially when they’re learning to read for themselves, and I also totally believe that this author needs escape writing–especially when they’re learning to deal with the next four years. I’m happy when I’m brainstorming ideas for these books, I’m happy when I’m doing character studies, and I’m happy when I’m playing with plot. And I am realizing, as I get further into things, that this is going to be a series which will make kids feel seen and heard, which will validate the importance of anything that is important to them.

So…on I go. I added a Chapter Book Series board to my Pinterest page, with the first book in my favorite series there for you (or the young readers in your lives) to discover. While I was there, I also updated several other boards and added a couple of boards for grownups (slim pickings on these, since I read so little of these books; on the other hand, if a book is on a grownup board, you know it’s GOOD!)

Happy reading & writing!

Posted in Chapter Books, Getting Organized, Organization, Picture Books, Progress

Sometimes Life is Like a Snow Globe

Posted on by beckylevine

Okay, sometimes life is like being inside a snow globe. It’s an odd metaphor for a summer, but it’s a summer where things have been shaken up, settled briefly, then shaken up again. In July, we “hosted” my husband’s kidney stone about three weeks. (Go get a big glass of water. Right now. I’ll wait.) Then the heat wave hit, and now California is basically one big firestorm. I’ve been able to get things done at work and make some decent progress on a writing project, but concentration and focus haven’t been my friends for a while now.

When my snow is “settled,” I’m good with having a lot of writing projects up in the air. I can shift back and forth, letting one simmer while I move forward on another. When the snow is whirling, though, having that many first drafts and revisions in my head is like being in a blizzard. (Not that I’ve ever been in a blizzard.)

This morning, after I checked the news on the fires, I took a few minutes to sit and breathe (the smoke has been better at our house for a couple of days!). The wind in my head quieted down a bit, and my mind wandered over to my current writing projects: a new picture book idea I’m excited about, three revisions I have some good thoughts on, and whatever continued writing I want to do on my chapter book wip after the Highlights workshop at the end of this month.

Needless to say, the thought of all those projects waiting for me kicked up the wind, and my mind was back in the snowstorm. I reminded myself that, at times like this, it’s good for me to step back into a sheltered place, line up my goals neatly by the fire, and make some decisions about what comes next, then next after that, and then next again. A row of “nexts” is much better than a swirl of “NOW!”

I put my row in this order:

  • I want to write another chapter on the chapter book WIP. I’d been putting that on a shelf, because it isn’t required for the workshop, and who knows what direction I’ll be going when I’m on the other side of all that learning. But I realized this chapter is calling to me, I can see my MC struggling and coming out (temporarily) ahead by the end. This sounds fun, and fun is good. Assuming the snow settles a bit, that’s the writing I’ll do this weekend.
  • I’ll plot and think and brainstorm and get a first draft out of the new idea. When this year started, I had what I thought was four picture book manuscripts worth revising for (eventually) querying agents. Since then I’ve drafted and revised two new ideas into stories with a lot more potential. It’s clear to me that only one of those original ideas is good enough to revise right now, and the other three need to go on a shelf. I think this newest idea is another good one, and I want to get it drafted. Then I’ll be back to a stack of four, and a much stronger hope that I can turn them into something ready to show agents.
  • After the workshop, I ‘ll move into revision-only mode on my picture books. Four is enough, and I want to keep doing the hard work and getting more feedback from my critique group. I never say never, but at this point, I may not go on another idea hunt until Tara Lazar’s Storystorm comes around in January. (Which, the way time has been feeling lately, is right around the corner!) My goal is to start querying, and revision is going to be the best path toward that goal.
  • I’m not making any hard decisions about the chapter book until after the workshop. I may find out that this story idea just doesn’t have the potential for today’s market. I may find out that I’m on the right track, and I may “depart” from Highlights as or more excited about the story as I am right now. If the latter happens, then I’ll toss that ball into the air and have it handy to work on anytime I need to let all four picture books simmer for a few days.

Believe me, I’m perfectly aware that this list is my brain’s attempt to glue my snow globe to a shelf and keep anything else from shaking it up, and I’m even more aware that actuality is out of my control. But I’m looking at my plan as being like a snow shovel. If I don’t pick it up and do some clearing while I can, I’m never going to be able to get my car out of the driveway. (Not that I’ve ever held a snow shovel.)

How are you handling the chaos these days? Feel free to share any tricks and tips in a comment!

Posted in Chapter Books, Uncategorized, Workshops

Adventuring in a Summer of Sameness

Posted on by beckylevine

Still here, still in a place of luck and gratitude, still on a rollercoaster of anger and grief, still stepping into the chaos, and still pulling back when I need self-care.

And still striving to add new things to make daily life feel like it includes change and some kind of forward progress. In June, I made my first batch of (delicious) gluten-free scones AND a batch of gluten-free bread that actually worked for sandwiches. Next up: more scones, hamburger buns, and then I think it’s a toss-up between soft pretzels and donut muffins. Writing-wise, I decided I needed some possibility in my life, so I submitted two applications to Justin Colón’s #pbchat mentorship program. Announcements come at the end of the month–crossed fingers are appreciated!

And then July. With all the sheltering in place, virtual opportunities have been popping up everywhere I look. And I decided it was time to take advantage of that. So I signed up for my first Highlights workshop: Developing a Series in Chapter Books, with Debbi Michiko Florence and Kashmira Sheth.

Did I have a chapter book manuscript? Nope. Outline? Nope. Idea? Well, yes, but when I went back to look at it, I fell instantly out of like with it. So I came up with another idea for which I felt a much stronger affection. And with nothing but that idea, I registered. Which pretty much tells you how much I need an adventure right now, how much I need a shot of adrenaline that isn’t riding along on a wave of fear or hate or anger.

And the adrenaline worked. I’ve been reading piles of mentor texts.

The idea has stretched into a character, a problem, and a world. I’ve gone a few rounds with an outline. And I still have six weeks to draft a first chapter. As with everything, I have no idea where this will lead, whether I’ll end up with a first draft, whether I’ll work through any revisions.

Whether I’ll end up with anything I would want to show an agent.

But right now my brain is craving change. It wants some hours and days that feel different than all the others. It wants to learn. And, this summer, that means giving myself a Highlights retreat right here at home.

Posted in Chapter Books, Conferences, Picture Books, Uncategorized

Fall Writing Plans

Posted on by beckylevine

For a while now, I haven’t put any real schedules on my writing. I had been in a bit of a slump for a year or so, and I was changing jobs, and…well, life. But the slump seems to have shifted away for now, and the new job came with new hours, which unexpectedly got me writing in the morning again. I feel as though I’ve landed in a good grove.

I still don’t want to squeeze myself too tightly into must-do goals, but there are a couple of things coming up that seemed worth planning around.

In December, I’m going to the Big Sur Writing Workshop for the first time. I’m really excited about getting to get critiques on some of the picture books I’ve been revising. If I had to set a goal for outcomes, it would be that the feedback and ideas I get there will help me get to the next stop on the writing path–querying agents for these manuscripts. I want to have some flexibility about what I decide to share in the critique groups, depending on how each session goes. I have one absolutely ready to share, two that I want to run through one more time, and a fourth that was a picture book, but that I have taken down to one or two bones and am building back up. I will have at least the first three ready by Big Sur, and I want to have the fourth at least to a draft I’m not embarrassed to put out there. Assuming no creeks rise, this all seems doable.

The second thing coming up is a vacation to Sedona. Of all the places we vacationed when I was growing up, this was one of my favorites, and my husband has never been. He loved Moab, and I feel like Sedona is Moab, but with a bit more up and down geology, cooler temps, and actual trees. We’re driving (Vanagon road trip!), so I’ll have a couple of days each direction to think about some project, talk out loud about it (lucky husband!), and jot down any ideas. Then, in Sedona, we’ll do our usual–split up for a few hours each day; my husband gets out on his bike, and I get into my writing.

I could save this for more revision, or for making big progress on the fourth picture book, but I think I want something looser, with more room for play. So I’ll be working on an idea for a chapter book. If you follow me on Facebook, you may know that I’ve been inspired by reading Debbi Michiko Florence’s Jasmine Toguchi books. One of the things I absolutely love about picture books is how the short form and the young audience create constraints for me to work within, and it seems like chapter books have their own set of “specs.” I have one idea that’s been tickling my brain a bit, so the Arizona trip is for that. I may play with an opening scene; I may take a stab at an outline; I may decide the idea is not workable and brainstorm a few others. I may find out that I am totally wrong about chapter books and that it is not a genre I want to get into. But I don’t think so.

It feels so good to be solidly back on the writing path, even if I still (and always!) don’t know where it’s going to lead. Writing steadily and seeing my manuscripts and my crafts get stronger, having the energy and courage to dig into something new…this is my happy place. Fall is always my favorite season and, this year, I think it’s definitely going to be a good one.