Welcome to

Pre-RhyPiBoMo 2015

Dawn Young

Dawn is another close friend of mine who I met last year while preparing for RhyPiBoMo. She joined the Facebook group and we soon found out how much we both love to rhyme. She offered to help with the event and at first I declined her help but soon realized this beast of an event could use another pair of hands.

So, Dawn is our Admin for RhyPiBoMo and Critique Group Coordinator.

(There will be more info about rhyming critique groups coming soon!)

She is so organized, so supportive and really a great friend and I must add…an amazing writer as well!

We are now critique partners and have since met and hugged in person at the SCBWI Conference in Los Angeles last summer. We shortly thereafter rode in an ambulance to the hospital together so I could have emergency hand surgery as I needed she and Tanja both to hold my uninjured hand! Needless to say, we three are bonded in literal blood as we experienced true friendship.

Dawn has worked incredibly hard on what we are about to unveil to you! This was her brainchild and I was more than happy to participate in this rhyming surprise that she has been working on for months!

I know that you will absolutely LOVE it as much as I do!

Thank you Dawn for your friendship and all your dedication to RhyPiBoMo!

So now,

without further ado…

I present Dawn Young’s

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Rhyming Surprise!

As writers, we know we’ve chosen a tough business to break into, and unfortunately, we know it’s even tougher to break into if you write in rhyme. No matter how good your rhyme is, and how perfect your meter reads, we know that many editors and agents refrain from rhyme, making those seemingly insurmountable publishing hurdles even higher for rhymers.
And even though I enjoy writing in prose, deep down inside I’m a rhymer, rhymer;) I am determined to scale those extra inches, feet or miles because …

I’m All About That Rhyme!

Dawn Young

Follow this link to your RHYMING SURPRISE!

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http://youtu.be/vV9OEi0UpTc

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About Dawn:

Dawn Young has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. Analytical and mathematically-minded, Dawn worked for years at a large aerospace company, where she read and wrote hundreds of corporate documents, none of which were titled The Little Engineer That Could or Don’t Let The Pigeon Fly the Airbus. After leaving the corporate world, Dawn’s creative spirit called her to a career in writing. When she isn’t doing parodies, she is busy writing, tutoring math and assisting Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen with her KidLit Writing Picture Books A-Z’s courses. You can visit Dawn’s blog at http://pbookcrazy.com/

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt

This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

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Now, you get to write your own parody about writing in rhyme to the song Yankee Doodle…Here’s a YouTube link to a karaoke version of Yankee Doodle.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTT2R7k_iN0

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I want you to have fun and feel the rhythm! Writing poetry and rhyming picture books requires you to be able to find the rhythm in the pacing and stress of the sounds and syllables of your words. Yankee Doodle has an obvious beat so tap your foot when singing your parody. If your writing has rhythm you should be able to tap your foot along when reading it out loud as well.

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RhyPiBoMo Mission Statement

My goal is to guide those aspiring to write rhyme and poetry through the process of learning the craft and offering resources, lessons, writing prompts and the wisdom of experienced folks in the business to improve the reputation and quality of rhyme and poetry for children.

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Join the RhyPiBoMo Facebook Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173920209485707/

Type RhyPiBoMo in the search field and request to join.

Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!

Welcome to

Pre-RhyPiBoMo 2015

Tanja Bauerle

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Starting things off for this year is my friend, illustrator and children’s writer Tanja Bauerle. She is the talented artist who created the beautiful banner, pledge, badges and all the art you see here. I asked her to create a banner with a young Maya Angelou on it and art relating to her work. I think she nailed it! I could not love it more!

Please join me in welcoming her to get us started and

thank you Tanja for your gorgeous artwork for RhyPiBOMo 2015!

RAINBOW IN YOUR CLOUD
By Tanja Bauerle

Oh, the butterflies! What a daunting task to be the opening guest blogger for Angie Karcher’s RhyPiBoMo this year! Ann Whitford Paul, Kwame Alexander, and my dear friend Diane White, are but a few of the authors that will share their wisdom and talents with us this April. We are in for some delectable treats in the coming weeks.
Angie and I met a few years ago while taking some online writing classes together. Of course, we became fast friends. Last year, at the SCBWI LA Conference, Dawn Young, my fellow AZ buddy, and I shared an ambulance ride to the emergency room with Angie, after she skewered her hand with a wine glass. We had quite the adventurous evening and I still have some interesting photos of the inside of Angie’s hand. Needless to say, after such a traumatic time together we will be sisters for life.

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I am a writer and illustrator of picture books. My illustrations have been published in several books but I cannot call myself an author yet, seeing that I am still journeying down the path of having my writing published. During one of our chats, Angie told me that her poet of choice for RhyPiBoMo this year is the magnificent Maya Angelou. When she asked me to create the logo for RhyPiBoMo this year, of course I jumped at the chance.

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Selecting only one of Maya Angelou’s inspirational quotes to guide the visuals would prove quite the challenge. In researching her extensive body of work, one can’t help but be awed by Mrs. Angelou’s philosophy of life. In addition to being a phenomenal writer, Maya Angelou was an even more exceptional person.
Strangely, Angie and I independently favored the same quote even before we talked about it.

We both chose:

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
– Maya Angelou

This quote spoke to us because it is so apt for writers. Writers write because they simply need to write. Freeing your inner writer and letting your writing soar is what this month is all about.

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RhiPiBoMo will shower you with inspiration; it will open up the world of rhyme and poetry to you; but most of all it will introduce you to a community of fellow writers and rhymers that share a similar journey.

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Another one of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes is:
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
– Maya Angelou

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This quote touched me because I have always been a cheerleader to my fellow illustrators and writers. During last year’s RhyPiBoMo, participants were divided into critique groups. I was assigned to my group at random. Today, a year later, our critique group is still actively critiquing and supporting each other. These ladies have truly been a rainbow on my cloud as I journey though the evolution of my various manuscripts. Thank you RhiPiBoMo for this incredible support system for not only my writing but also life’s other ups and downs. Thank you to my fellow moonies for your wisdom, love and support over this past year. It is so refreshing to find other cheerleaders in this industry that can be riddled with rejection.

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As RhyPiBoMo motivates you this month through various articles and posts, I encourage you to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. In addition to honoring Maya Angleou’s writing, I endeavor to take this opportunity to mirror the person that Maya was. Her humility, compassion and honesty are truly humbling. If more people lived by her convictions the world would be a much better place. I will leave you with some of my favorite pearls to live by from Maya Angleou and hope that they will touch you the same way that they did me.

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I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.
– Maya Angelou

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I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
– Maya Angelou

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I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.
– Maya Angelou

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I’ve learned that People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but People will never forget how you made them feel.
– Maya Angelou

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You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.
– Maya Angelou

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Happy creating to you all.

Tanja Bauerle

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About Tanja:

Tanja Bauerle, an award-winning children’s book illustrator, escaped many years in the corporate arena of design to pursue her love for children’s book illustration. Originally from Germany, Tanja grew up outside Melbourne, Australia, and now lives near Phoenix, Arizona, with her family and her menagerie of cats, chickens, a horse and two alpacas. To date she has illustrated three picture books and is continuing to illustrate the “Wright on Time” middle grade series. Tanja is currently focusing on writing and illustrating her own picture books. She is an SCBWI member is actively involved in several online writing and illustrating communities.

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You can connect with Tanja through:

Website: http://www. tanjabauerle.com/

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RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt:

This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an optional writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a personal journal of your writing this month.

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Write a Haiku poem titled : A Rainbow in the Cloud

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A Haiku is a short poem that uses sensory language to capture a feeling or an image. The syllables of each line follow a strict pattern

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First line: 5 syllables
Second line: 7 syllables
Third line: 5 syllables

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For example:

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Fluffy islands float
Vacation from the raindrops
A bridge to sunshine

 © 2015 Angie Karcher

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Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!