Daisy Chains
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Coming up with the story
Kids often ask me about where Daisy Dreamer story ideas come from, and I tell them the truth: I have a hard time coming up with stories. I can sit and stare at the computer screen for hours, trying to spin out ideas.
The only thing that ever really works is to just start writing -- even if I don't know what I'm going to write. I start with some basic idea (something like "Daisy will be visiting the world's tallest building") and then go from there, trying to figure out what is going to happen next.
Just this week, I learned again how coming up with a plot can be easy and hard at the same time. I needed to suggest a plot for the September Daisy Dreamer comic. I knew where it was going to be set, then spent all morning trying to figure out a story that made sense in that setting.
Finally, I finished writing the plot synopsis. I wrote in my email to Chickadee that I thought there must be a better story out there, but this was the best one I could come up with.
And as I wrote those words, suddenly I realized how to make the story work better. Ten minutes later I had a new plot outline.
Was the first few hours working on the story wasted? It felt like it. But it probably wasn't. I imagine my brain had to work through those bad ideas until I hit a good one.
Look for it next September.
The only thing that ever really works is to just start writing -- even if I don't know what I'm going to write. I start with some basic idea (something like "Daisy will be visiting the world's tallest building") and then go from there, trying to figure out what is going to happen next.
Just this week, I learned again how coming up with a plot can be easy and hard at the same time. I needed to suggest a plot for the September Daisy Dreamer comic. I knew where it was going to be set, then spent all morning trying to figure out a story that made sense in that setting.
Finally, I finished writing the plot synopsis. I wrote in my email to Chickadee that I thought there must be a better story out there, but this was the best one I could come up with.
And as I wrote those words, suddenly I realized how to make the story work better. Ten minutes later I had a new plot outline.
Was the first few hours working on the story wasted? It felt like it. But it probably wasn't. I imagine my brain had to work through those bad ideas until I hit a good one.
Look for it next September.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Writing Comics
¶ 12:44 PM 0 comments
Friday, October 19, 2007
Halloween
Sometimes, when I write a Daisy Dreamer script, the small things are the hardest.
I'm often asked where I get ideas for stories. That can be difficult, but sometimes even when you have the story, there are small details that can be hard to figure out.
Take the Halloween story in the October issue this year. (Actually, there's a Halloween story in every October issue.) The kids are going to be in costume. So what do they dress up as?
I like the traditional kinds of costumes -- ghost, witch, vampire, that kind of thing. But I also know that many, many kids do not wear these kinds of costumes. At the same time, I don't like to have everyone dressed like someone from the movies. So you need a balance. Something realistic, something that fits the characters, and something that goes well with the story.
So what are the kids wearing this year? Ravi is Spider-Man. Kids have loved Spider-Man for years. I loved Spider-Man. Ravi is an active kind of guy. I can easily imagine him as Spider-Man.
Daisy doesn't have to be an animal, I don't think. She can turn into real animals, so even though she loves animals, she doesn't have to dress up as one on Halloween. This year, she's a vampire. In the original drafts of the story, she was going to be a vampire bat, so the costume was linked to that. And Annie? She's a rock star with crazy hair. Ravi thinks she's even scarier-looking than Daisy. Annie's got a really outgoing personality, so I think this fits her well.
Next year, maybe I will ask the readers for suggestions and see what ideas are out there.
I'm often asked where I get ideas for stories. That can be difficult, but sometimes even when you have the story, there are small details that can be hard to figure out.
Take the Halloween story in the October issue this year. (Actually, there's a Halloween story in every October issue.) The kids are going to be in costume. So what do they dress up as?
I like the traditional kinds of costumes -- ghost, witch, vampire, that kind of thing. But I also know that many, many kids do not wear these kinds of costumes. At the same time, I don't like to have everyone dressed like someone from the movies. So you need a balance. Something realistic, something that fits the characters, and something that goes well with the story.
So what are the kids wearing this year? Ravi is Spider-Man. Kids have loved Spider-Man for years. I loved Spider-Man. Ravi is an active kind of guy. I can easily imagine him as Spider-Man.
Daisy doesn't have to be an animal, I don't think. She can turn into real animals, so even though she loves animals, she doesn't have to dress up as one on Halloween. This year, she's a vampire. In the original drafts of the story, she was going to be a vampire bat, so the costume was linked to that. And Annie? She's a rock star with crazy hair. Ravi thinks she's even scarier-looking than Daisy. Annie's got a really outgoing personality, so I think this fits her well.
Next year, maybe I will ask the readers for suggestions and see what ideas are out there.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Writing Comics
¶ 9:06 AM 0 comments
Friday, September 28, 2007
Bats!
The October Chickadee magazine is out, and the Daisy Dreamer story of the month features a house decorated super-creepy for Halloween, and our heroine turning into a bat.
I was going to have her turn into a vampire bat, because, you know, they suck blood and stuff. And because Daisy was dressed up as a vampire for Halloween. But vampire bats really aren't very scary (they suck tiny amounts of blood) and they are really, really small. So we just had her turn into a bat instead -- we don't say what kind.
Cool bat story: This summer, my family was camping at Five Islands Provincial Park in Nova Scotia. Sometimes at night you can see thousands of bats flying there. They come up out of holes in the cliffs, where they sleep.
Well, one little bat had decided to sleep clinging to the brick wall of the bathroom building instead. There he was, hanging upside down, little head visible below the wings wrapped around him. Everyone would stop and look on the way into the bathroom. He stayed there for two days, and then he was gone. I've never had a chance to see a bat up-close like that before, and it was wonderful.
I was going to have her turn into a vampire bat, because, you know, they suck blood and stuff. And because Daisy was dressed up as a vampire for Halloween. But vampire bats really aren't very scary (they suck tiny amounts of blood) and they are really, really small. So we just had her turn into a bat instead -- we don't say what kind.
Cool bat story: This summer, my family was camping at Five Islands Provincial Park in Nova Scotia. Sometimes at night you can see thousands of bats flying there. They come up out of holes in the cliffs, where they sleep.
Well, one little bat had decided to sleep clinging to the brick wall of the bathroom building instead. There he was, hanging upside down, little head visible below the wings wrapped around him. Everyone would stop and look on the way into the bathroom. He stayed there for two days, and then he was gone. I've never had a chance to see a bat up-close like that before, and it was wonderful.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Neat stuff
¶ 11:55 AM 0 comments
Friday, September 07, 2007
Wolf Howling in Algonquin Park
The September Daisy Dreamer story in Chickadee magazine has Daisy and her pals in Algonquin Park (that's in Ontario) howling like wolves!
Algonquin Park has a wolf howling program. People meet up, learn how to howl, then howl as loud as they can. The wolves will often howl back. Pretty neat, I think.
Sometimes Daisy Dreamer stories take place in locations that aren't real. It's just a town, or a beach. But I like it when we can put her in a real place -- like when she was at the Ryoanji Garden in Japan, or on a whale cruise near Brier Island, in Nova Scotia, or at Mystery Creek Cave, in Tasmania.
The trouble with real places is that you have to make sure the story matches the place. Or you should try to. It doesn't always. In the Algonquin Park story, Daisy is in a small group of friends walking through the woods and howling like wolves. In reality, hundreds of people turn up for wolf howls in the park, and they don't go walking through the woods at night. Sometimes you have to change reality for the sake of a good story.
Algonquin Park has a wolf howling program. People meet up, learn how to howl, then howl as loud as they can. The wolves will often howl back. Pretty neat, I think.
Sometimes Daisy Dreamer stories take place in locations that aren't real. It's just a town, or a beach. But I like it when we can put her in a real place -- like when she was at the Ryoanji Garden in Japan, or on a whale cruise near Brier Island, in Nova Scotia, or at Mystery Creek Cave, in Tasmania.
The trouble with real places is that you have to make sure the story matches the place. Or you should try to. It doesn't always. In the Algonquin Park story, Daisy is in a small group of friends walking through the woods and howling like wolves. In reality, hundreds of people turn up for wolf howls in the park, and they don't go walking through the woods at night. Sometimes you have to change reality for the sake of a good story.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer
¶ 11:01 AM 1 comments
Friday, July 27, 2007
Down time
It's quiet time here in the Daisy writing lab. The weather's hot, it's not easy to sit at a desk, and there are some changes brewing at Chickadee, which I can write more about later.
Soon enough, it will be time to put the finishing touches on the December story, and start working on the January to March issues.
I'm not even reading too many comics, though I may head out to the Simpsons movie and write about that. I've been wanting to post about Simpsons comics for a while anyway.
Soon enough, it will be time to put the finishing touches on the December story, and start working on the January to March issues.
I'm not even reading too many comics, though I may head out to the Simpsons movie and write about that. I've been wanting to post about Simpsons comics for a while anyway.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer
¶ 10:06 AM 0 comments
Monday, June 25, 2007
Daisy Dreamer in Mystery Creek Cave
The summer digest issue of Chickadee Magazine is out. That's the fun one that's about the size of an Archie comic -- perfect for sticking in your back pocket or taking with you on a camping trip.
One of the fun things about the summer issue for me is that the Daisy Dreamer comic is freed from its usual two-page format. I get to write a longer story, which is always good.
This summer, Daisy turns into a tasmanian devil during a trip into the Mystery Creek Cave in Tasmania.
When I first heard the name Mystery Creek Cave I thought it was too good to be true. You couldn't make up a better name for a place to set a story. When it came to writing the story though, the trouble was exactly that Mystery Creek and its cave are a real place. I felt like I couldn't just make everything up. So instead, I spent way too much time looking at maps of the Mystery Creek trail, and trying to figure out how Daisy and her friends would make their way through the cave.
In the end, I realized that it really wasn't all that important to accurately show the route through the Mystery Creek Cave. After all, the story is an adventure about Daisy rescuing some trapped hikers, not a travel guide to Tasmania.
But still, most of the drawings in the final comic are based on photos of the cave. So even though the route might be wrong, the cave really does have glow worms, and its rooms look a lot like the ones you see in the comic.
One of the fun things about the summer issue for me is that the Daisy Dreamer comic is freed from its usual two-page format. I get to write a longer story, which is always good.
This summer, Daisy turns into a tasmanian devil during a trip into the Mystery Creek Cave in Tasmania.
When I first heard the name Mystery Creek Cave I thought it was too good to be true. You couldn't make up a better name for a place to set a story. When it came to writing the story though, the trouble was exactly that Mystery Creek and its cave are a real place. I felt like I couldn't just make everything up. So instead, I spent way too much time looking at maps of the Mystery Creek trail, and trying to figure out how Daisy and her friends would make their way through the cave.
In the end, I realized that it really wasn't all that important to accurately show the route through the Mystery Creek Cave. After all, the story is an adventure about Daisy rescuing some trapped hikers, not a travel guide to Tasmania.
But still, most of the drawings in the final comic are based on photos of the cave. So even though the route might be wrong, the cave really does have glow worms, and its rooms look a lot like the ones you see in the comic.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Summer digest
¶ 11:58 AM 0 comments
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Animal facts
One of the trickiest parts about writing Daisy Dreamer is figuring out what animal facts to include, and how to include them.
In every comic, Daisy turns into an animal. She stays as the animal for maybe 4 or 5 panels, and then she turns back into herself before the end of the comic.
It's tricky for a couple of reasons. The first one is that you don't want the comic to sound teach-y. Like "Now I am teaching you something about this animal." The second one is that the animal facts have to fit with the story. If Daisy is a right whale and she's swimming towards another whale, then the fact should probably be about how right whales swim. Not about something like where they go when they migrate.
The last thing is that the facts should be important. Sometimes I get sidetracked. Instead of picking something obvious, I go for something really cool (dolphins have split brains and only half the brain sleeps at a time!). Unfortunately, these things are really hard to work into the story, and sometimes too complicated for one sentence in a comic.
Oh well. That's what editors are for. I am getting used to hearing Mary Vincent tell me that we need more meaty animal facts that fit better with the story. I am still working on it.
In every comic, Daisy turns into an animal. She stays as the animal for maybe 4 or 5 panels, and then she turns back into herself before the end of the comic.
It's tricky for a couple of reasons. The first one is that you don't want the comic to sound teach-y. Like "Now I am teaching you something about this animal." The second one is that the animal facts have to fit with the story. If Daisy is a right whale and she's swimming towards another whale, then the fact should probably be about how right whales swim. Not about something like where they go when they migrate.
The last thing is that the facts should be important. Sometimes I get sidetracked. Instead of picking something obvious, I go for something really cool (dolphins have split brains and only half the brain sleeps at a time!). Unfortunately, these things are really hard to work into the story, and sometimes too complicated for one sentence in a comic.
Oh well. That's what editors are for. I am getting used to hearing Mary Vincent tell me that we need more meaty animal facts that fit better with the story. I am still working on it.
Labels: Chickadee, Comics, Daisy Dreamer
¶ 11:01 AM 0 comments
Monday, June 18, 2007
Mr. Herman, George and the kids at Thorburn
OK. This is very cool.
A few weeks ago I visited Thorburn School, near New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. In a Grade 5 class, we brainstormed about characters, and the kids came up with some excellent ones -- including George, who has a nasty habit of smashing cars.
Well, it looks like after I left the kids went ahead and created their own comics based on the characters. And teacher Shelley MacDonald was kind enough to mail me a two-part comic in which the bad guys come along to smash up the town. My favourite bit of dialogue:
1) It's great to see kids using the amazing ideas they've come up with during a workshop.
2) Humour and action together. A winning combination!
3) I thought it was very interesting how the comics included original drawings, but also some computer art.
I hope these kids come up with lots more comics.
A few weeks ago I visited Thorburn School, near New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. In a Grade 5 class, we brainstormed about characters, and the kids came up with some excellent ones -- including George, who has a nasty habit of smashing cars.
Well, it looks like after I left the kids went ahead and created their own comics based on the characters. And teacher Shelley MacDonald was kind enough to mail me a two-part comic in which the bad guys come along to smash up the town. My favourite bit of dialogue:
Ya this is our town.I loved these comics for a couple of reasons.
I don't see your name on it.
I carved mine on the side of the bank [and in the drawing you can see "Mr. Herman's town and friends on the side of the building].
1) It's great to see kids using the amazing ideas they've come up with during a workshop.
2) Humour and action together. A winning combination!
3) I thought it was very interesting how the comics included original drawings, but also some computer art.
I hope these kids come up with lots more comics.
Labels: Chickadee, Comics, Comics by Kids, Writers in Schools
¶ 10:00 AM 0 comments
Monday, June 04, 2007
Daisy Dreamer: Right Whale
In the June issue of Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer transforms into a North Atlantic Right Whale. These are amazing animals that spend their summers in the Bay of Fundy, here in Nova Scotia.
There are very few right whales left in the world -- probably only about 350. Right whales got their name because they are slow swimmers, and during the age of whaling, many of them were slaughtered. They were the right whale to kill, because they provided valuable oil and baleen, and were easy to capture.
In Chickadee, Daisy goes out on a boat with whale researchers. She learns about right whales and takes some very quick action to save one from danger.
When I can, I send links with photos to Gabriel Morrissette, the artist who does such a great job of drawing Daisy Dreamer. For this story, I sent a link to a company on Brier Island that does whale-watching tours. Gabriel drew his inspiration for the boat Daisy and Ravi are on from the website.
Then, about a month ago, when I was visiting Brier Island, I gave the kids an advance peek at the June comic (it hadn't been published yet). One of them put his hand right up in the air, and said, "That's my grandfather's boat!"
I thought that was pretty cool. When we come up with a story idea for Daisy, I sometimes forget that these are real places that she visits. I just think of them as somewhere to set a story. It was great to get a very real reminder that her adventures can sometimes be very close to home and real.
There are very few right whales left in the world -- probably only about 350. Right whales got their name because they are slow swimmers, and during the age of whaling, many of them were slaughtered. They were the right whale to kill, because they provided valuable oil and baleen, and were easy to capture.
In Chickadee, Daisy goes out on a boat with whale researchers. She learns about right whales and takes some very quick action to save one from danger.
When I can, I send links with photos to Gabriel Morrissette, the artist who does such a great job of drawing Daisy Dreamer. For this story, I sent a link to a company on Brier Island that does whale-watching tours. Gabriel drew his inspiration for the boat Daisy and Ravi are on from the website.
Then, about a month ago, when I was visiting Brier Island, I gave the kids an advance peek at the June comic (it hadn't been published yet). One of them put his hand right up in the air, and said, "That's my grandfather's boat!"
I thought that was pretty cool. When we come up with a story idea for Daisy, I sometimes forget that these are real places that she visits. I just think of them as somewhere to set a story. It was great to get a very real reminder that her adventures can sometimes be very close to home and real.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Writers in Schools
¶ 9:15 AM 0 comments
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Lockeport
More travelling! I'm looking forward to a visit to Lockeport Elementary on Nova Scotia's South Shore on Friday. Lately, every school I visit, I meet kids with tons of amazing ideas for new stories. I wonder if Lockeport will be the same.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Writers in Schools
¶ 4:15 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
A great idea from Valley Elementary
Last week I visited Valley Elementary in Truro, Nova Scotia, where they know how to treat writers well.
There were five of us, and we each got to visit three classrooms. There was a lovely goodbye at the end of the day, with one of the most awesome elementary school choirs I have ever heard.
During the day, lots of kids asked about different animals that Daisy Dreamer has turned into. Has she been a wolf? Has she been a giraffe? Has she been a chameleon?
I used to be able to answer these questions easily. But now that I've written more than 60 Daisy stories, it's not so easy anymore.
One of the kids asked me how I keep track of the animals she's been, and I realized that I don't. I asked at Chickadee. They don't either. So I took the suggestion to Mary Vincent, the editor, and it looks like they'll start a small database. That way we can easily see what animals Daisy's turned into with her magic ballcap and decide which ones we want her to be in the future more easily.
Great idea! Thank you.
There were five of us, and we each got to visit three classrooms. There was a lovely goodbye at the end of the day, with one of the most awesome elementary school choirs I have ever heard.
During the day, lots of kids asked about different animals that Daisy Dreamer has turned into. Has she been a wolf? Has she been a giraffe? Has she been a chameleon?
I used to be able to answer these questions easily. But now that I've written more than 60 Daisy stories, it's not so easy anymore.
One of the kids asked me how I keep track of the animals she's been, and I realized that I don't. I asked at Chickadee. They don't either. So I took the suggestion to Mary Vincent, the editor, and it looks like they'll start a small database. That way we can easily see what animals Daisy's turned into with her magic ballcap and decide which ones we want her to be in the future more easily.
Great idea! Thank you.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Writers in Schools
¶ 8:00 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Visit to Le Marchant St. Thomas
What a super visit today to Le Marchant St. Thomas School in Halifax.
I spent time with two Grade 4 classes, and they are lucky to have teachers who are super-enthusiastic about writing.
If I'm ever stuck for ideas for Daisy Dreamer, all I've got to do is think about some of the great suggestions I got today for animals she should turn into.
Here are some of my favourites:
Wallabee
Stinkpot turtle
Skink
Koala
Red Panda
Yeti
And there were lots more, but I can't remember them all!
Also, thank you to the very sharp young man who pointed out to me that I kept saying unicorn, when what I really meant was winged horse. Oops!
What animals would you like to see Daisy become? Use the link over to your right to email me, of click the Comments button right under here to let me know.
What a super visit today to Le Marchant St. Thomas School in Halifax.
I spent time with two Grade 4 classes, and they are lucky to have teachers who are super-enthusiastic about writing.
If I'm ever stuck for ideas for Daisy Dreamer, all I've got to do is think about some of the great suggestions I got today for animals she should turn into.
Here are some of my favourites:
Wallabee
Stinkpot turtle
Skink
Koala
Red Panda
Yeti
And there were lots more, but I can't remember them all!
Also, thank you to the very sharp young man who pointed out to me that I kept saying unicorn, when what I really meant was winged horse. Oops!
What animals would you like to see Daisy become? Use the link over to your right to email me, of click the Comments button right under here to let me know.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Writers in Schools
¶ 2:49 PM 0 comments
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Ashrita Furman
A friend of mine told me I loved people who do interesting but useless things. He's right!
One of those people is Ashrita Furman. He holds 54 Guinness world records. That's more than anyone else in the world. The April issue of Chickadee has a drawing of one of the records: Ashrita going up the stairs of the CN Tower on a pogo stick. The magazine doesn't give his name (I'm not sure why). It just says he is an American man.
You can find out all about Ashrita's records on his website. One of the site's pages has comics that artists have drawn showing Ashrita doing some of his strange record-setting. Click here to see the page.
One of those people is Ashrita Furman. He holds 54 Guinness world records. That's more than anyone else in the world. The April issue of Chickadee has a drawing of one of the records: Ashrita going up the stairs of the CN Tower on a pogo stick. The magazine doesn't give his name (I'm not sure why). It just says he is an American man.
You can find out all about Ashrita's records on his website. One of the site's pages has comics that artists have drawn showing Ashrita doing some of his strange record-setting. Click here to see the page.
Labels: Chickadee, Comics, Neat stuff
¶ 9:36 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Summer digest
You've got to love that Chickadee summer digest. Nice little magazine, fits right in your pocket, perfect to take to the beach or the pool. One of the nice things about the summer digest is that Daisy Dreamer gets more pages -- and that means bigger artwork!
Last summer, Daisy, Ravi and Annie had a pirate adventure. The year before Daisy had to rescue her parents from the magic of a Maya temple. I just finished writing the first draft of my script for this summer's adventure, and it's in a very cool, far-off location. It's a place with a great, great name -- and it's real. I couldn't have made up a better name if I tried.
Now it's time to start thinking about stories for fall.
Last summer, Daisy, Ravi and Annie had a pirate adventure. The year before Daisy had to rescue her parents from the magic of a Maya temple. I just finished writing the first draft of my script for this summer's adventure, and it's in a very cool, far-off location. It's a place with a great, great name -- and it's real. I couldn't have made up a better name if I tried.
Now it's time to start thinking about stories for fall.
Labels: Chickadee, Daisy Dreamer, Summer digest
¶ 9:57 AM 0 comments