Books and other thangs

[gategrrl]

This summer, when I was back in Massachusetts visiting with family, my mother took the kids and me to The Eric Carle Museum. If you don't know who Eric Carle is, he's the guy who wrote and/or illustrated The Very Hungry Catepillar, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See (and its sequels),  and TONS of other books. He's one of those rare children's book writer/illustrators who is absolutely rich - and he built the museum that I mentioned. It tends to have *fabulous* exhibits (like the Alan Say exhibit). 

The museum has, of course, an outstanding gift shop for such a small museum. One of the books sitting around in the crafts room for inspiration is one called You Are Here, and like the museum, is fabulous, too. I spent a good hour or so flipping through the detailed colored pictures inside. It shows maps taken to areas that, if you don't think about maps very much, is likely to blow your mind off the map. It's on my wish list right now. I think that, if you're having a hard time developing a character, or trying to think of what the heck motivates one, or where that character lives - not only place, but in their head and in other's perceptions - this is a terrific way to break through one of those slumps. Besides, it's just plain fun to look through, just like that small Mini-Ref book I recced a few posts down.

Also... I realize that scrapbooking and writing don't always go hand-in-hand, but really, they're very similar, putting aside the graphic angle of placing photographs on a page with precision, with "journaling" (writing) to go with it, explaining the photograph/event/person.  Club Scrap has a forum with a thread or two devoted to The Book of Me. One of the forum members posts questions you ask yourself (or your SO or child, or whomever) that are excellent and get you thinking about things. If those questions are applied (again) to characters, it's another good way to break oneself out of a character designing funk. Here's the link to the thread. Let me know it if works or not!

Comments

[happybydefault.livejournal.com]

I love Eric Carle so very much. I've actually bought the soft "Brown Bear" block for the last few baby showers I've attended.

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

My littlest one LOVED Brown Bear Brown Bear when he was a toddler. It was the first book he could "read" because of the repetition. Unfortunately, he was bored, or claimed to be, at the Carle Museum.