PiBoIdMo was a piece of cake!

A three layer, double dutch chocolate cake with creamy vanilla icing on top.  Not just any kind of cake, but the kind of savory flavors that linger long after the crumbs are gone.


That is what I felt like when December 1st came along.  I can't even tell you where I heard of PiBoIdMo.  Probably some friend's blog I was following.  But the more I read about it, the more I was intrigued with the idea.  Could I challenge myself to come up with at least 30 Picture Book ideas in 30 days?


Don't get me wrong...I live an extremely hectic life.  I run a martial arts training academy that demands a lot of my time, but even there I can't stop little nuggets of stories from bouncing around in my head while I practice my forms.  So I took the plunge.  I signed up November 1st for PiBoIdMo and held on for the coolest ride of my life!


Writers will sometimes doubt themselves...their ability to write a strong, compelling story...especially writers like myself who has written lots of material over the years, but never considered actively pursuing having any of it published.  Until now.  To my great relief, I never once doubted my ability to meet this particular challenge.


Maybe it was the fact that Tara Lazar did such a FABULOUS job of organizing this event.  Maybe it was the fact that there was an INCREDIBLE lineup of published authors, editors, illustrators, etc. to keep all of us motivated and energized as we scrambled to fill up our PiBoIdMo notebooks with new picture book ideas.


Or maybe it was simply that someone gave me permission to be child-like again and see the wonder in the world around me.  To have faith in myself that whatever ideas I might come up with might be nurtured into a gift that I can give back to the world some day as my way of saying thanks for allowing me to be a part of this amazing experience.


Whatever the reason, I feel blessed for the many new friends I have made through PiBoIdMo, and look forward to the 12X12 in 2012 challenge I have signed up for in the coming year.  The daily posts, the new friendships, and great prizes might have made up the cake layers, but it is the new, more confident writer I see when I look in the mirror that is the icing on the cake!


PS...Thanks Beth Stilborn and Denise Maclennan Bruce for helping me link this blog to PiBoIdMo.  Apparently it DOES take a village to raise a blog!