Welcome to
RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 1
Tim McCanna
^
I am happy to introduce Tim McCanna as the perfect guest blogger to kick off this crazy month of rhyming fun! He is another musically talented author and comedian. His humorous video clips and picture book trailers are amazing! Tim’s unencumbered style of teaching is contagious and just plain fun so we are fortunate to have him share his rhyming wisdom!
*
First, please watch this short clip on rhyme by Tim:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_-V6H-x0jQ
^
^
A RHYMER PRIMER
by Tim McCanna
Woo-hoo! It’s April 1st, DAY ONE of Rhyming Picture Book Month 2015! I’m totally honored to help kick things off for this rhymetacular celebration. And let me first promise you that I will not use the word rhymetacular ever again. Big thanks to Angie for all of her hard work. This is exciting! Ready to rhyme? Ok, it’s time!
8
STOP.
Are you sure you belong here? The only reason you could possibly be reading this post right now is that you A) enjoy reading rhymes, B) enjoy writing rhymes, C) you’re my mother, or D) you’re a misinformed pastry chef who thinks RhyPiBoMo is some sort of Rye Pie Baking Month. Mmmm… Rye Pie. Well, whoever you are, welcome aboard.
y
SO… WHY EXACTLY ARE YOU RHYMING? SOME SUGGESTED ANSWERS:
*
1. “It’s fun!” Writing in rhyme is like solving a puzzle. When you fit two pieces together, it’s sooo satisfying! Rhyming should be an enjoyable challenge, and if you’re not enjoying it, then don’t do it!
^
2. “I can’t help myself,” is also an acceptable answer. If your brain just wants to go there, don’t fight it.
7
3. “It’s simply the highest form of writing ever.” Seriously! Whether you’re writing a picture book, a novel, a poem, or a song, rhyming is like word MAGIC. The fact that we humans have language at all is astounding, but that we can weave amazing stories that also rhyme kinda blows my mind.
7
4. “It’s all about the kids.” Am I right, folks? If you haven’t read a rhyming book to a group of wide-eyed kindergarteners yet, then put it on your bucket list. It’s the best. Now, I’m no scientist. I can’t tell you how rhymes help develop kids’ brains or teach them how to read using “word families” and such. But I do know that rhyme gets their attention like nothing else. They can’t wait to help you end the sentence. It brings them into the story, and delights them with rhythm and alliteration and all the other tools we use as writers.
^
WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER, EVER WRITE IN RHYME
*
1. For money. Unless someone is willing to pay you for it, then go ahead. Rhyme for money.
2. For political gain. I don’t think rhyme works that way.
3. Peer pressure. Come on, everyone’s doing it.
4. Because rhyming is easy. News Flash: it’s not.
^
WHY METER IS WAY, WAY, WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN RHYME
%
Anybody can stick two sentences together with words at the end that sound alike. It’s really not that hard. What’s hard about writing a rhyming picture book or poem is finding a fresh, natural rhythm to the words that make reading them aloud effortless. Rhymes are twice as impactful when they trip off the tongue in crafty ways. So don’t choose your meter arbitrarily. Make very specific choices about the shapes of your stanzas. Sometimes, you can let the natural stresses of your key words or phrases inform the scan. And while you’re at it, strive for word economy. Keep your sentences clean, short, and punchy. If you find yourself writing in long, rambling phrases just to achieve a rhyme, see if you can’t break up the same idea into tidier constructions. Your readers (and editors) will thank you.
WHY STORY IS WAY, WAY, WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN RHYME AND METER
Your rhyme will only be as strong as the story it’s helping to tell. Rhyming words are the dressing, the decoration, the flash that hooks the ear. As rhymers, a lot of times we fall into the pattern of lists. That’s ok. Everyone does it. Some authors do it very well with great success. But if you have a rich story with a unique main character in an interesting conflict that ends in a surprising twist, that sturdy framework will lend itself to more engaging language giving you opportunities to use interesting rhymes to punctuate and propel your story!
^
YOU CAN REVISE WITHOUT RHYMING, BUT YOU CAN’T RHYME WITHOUT REVISING.
*
A perfect rhyming picture book doesn’t happen on the first go. Ever. I wrote 17 drafts of my upcoming picture book, Bitty Bot!, before signing with my agent. And that’s just 17 known file versions. I made hundreds of micro-edits over the course of three years. The title changed, the characters evolved, lines got flip-flopped, words got tweaked, whole stanzas were cut and replaced. The manuscript received a letter of commendation from SCBWI, and I STILL kept revising it. When I signed with my agent, SHE asked for revisions. Before the publishers bought the manuscript, THEY asked for a completely different ending. Then I sold the book, and they asked for MORE revisions! Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. (Okay, maybe a little.) But without fail, after every revision, the work became stronger and better. The trick is, you have to be willing to listen to critiques and trust that change is good.
^
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T LISTEN TO ME (or anyone else for that matter)
I’m just one dude. A dude who writes in rhyme now and then. I have my own tastes and I know what works for me. You love writing limericks? Do it. You want to use imperfect rhymes? Go for it. You want to write in loose, free-form, percussive phrases? Try it. Make your own rules. Then break them. Practice. Experiment. Stick to your guns. And now that you are not listening to me, here are…
*
TIM’s TOP TWO TIPS
Okay, there will be THREE tips, but I like the alliteration in the title, so sue me.
*
1. You’ve got a fantastic story idea and you think it absolutely MUST be written in rhyme? Try writing it in prose FIRST. It allows you to focus on plot and character without trying to rhyme, which is tough enough. Then, once you have that overwritten prose version down and you’re still positive that rhyming is the best storytelling format, circle the key words and phrases that pop. Make a list of all the richest, most colorful story-driven words and then find rhymes for those. You’ll wind up with more interesting rhymes that lend a spicier flavor to the world of your story.
*
2. Write the garbage. Write the really, really bad stanzas. Do not judge your words before they’ve been written. Get them on paper. THEN judge them mercilessly.
*
3. Read lots of rhymers. We must learn by example. Have you been to a book store lately? How about an indie book store that only sells children’s books? They still exist! Go find one! Gobble up all their rhyming books.
*
YOU’RE STILL READING THIS?
Man, that’s dedication. Well, it takes dedication to be a rhymer, so you clearly belong here. Now, get rhyming! Make those words dance! Enjoy the challenges! Oh, and have yourself a rhymetacular RhyPiBoMo. I know, I know. I promised I wouldn’t use that word ever again. April Fools.
*
About Tim:
Tim McCanna is the author of the rhyming picture books, Teeny Tiny Trucks (Little Bahalia Publishing, 2013), and Bitty Bot! (Paula Wiseman Books, Simon & Schuster, 2016). He has also produced music and narration for award-winning story apps, picture book trailers, and the opening theme song for Katie Davis’s popular “Brain Burps About Books” kid lit podcast. Tim serves as Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI’s San Francisco/South chapter, and he holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing for Musical Theatre from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Find Tim online at http://www.timmccanna.com.
&
http://www.amazon.com/Teeny-Tiny-Trucks-Tim-McCanna/dp/0989668819
Thank you so much Tim!
*
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.
*
Make a list of all the words that rhyme with Tim.
*
Now create a short, silly poem using some of your new words. They can be used as internal rhymes or ending rhymes.
*
*Bonus points if you can rhyme any word in the poem with McCanna.
*
For example:
Today’s honored blogger is Tim.
His message is shiny, not dim.
Our Mr. McCanna wears hats with bananas.
There’s only one author like him!
© 2015 Angie Karcher
= )
*
RhyPiBoMo’s Happy Birthday Maya Angelou Webinar
Hosted by Jackie Wellington – Saturday, April 4th 7:00 pm Central Time
Link coming soon.
Saturday, April 4th we are celebrating Maya Angelou’s birthday with a tribute to her life. You won’t want to miss Jackie Wellington’s heartfelt hour of adoration for Maya with her own powerful poetry. We will read some of Maya’s works and some of our own. It’s a time to celebrate poetry and diversity, so I hope you can stop by.
*
*
Angie Karcher 
Thanks to Tim and Angie, Judy Rubin is settling into a day of rhyme time. Thank you both for a gentle April Fool’s surprise.
Judy, I moved your comment here because I accidently had the wrong link when It went live! Sorry for the confusion! Thanks for being here!
Thank you, Judy! Enjoy that rhyme time!
I like that Tim is very whim-sical.
Thanks, I try, Stephanie. I was never too good at being serious.
Al Lane – thanks for a great post, Tim! I started writing rhyming picture book texts nearly two years ago, and one thing people rarely believe me on is just how hard it is, and how many revisions are needed. But… When it works, it REALLY works!
Agreed, Al. Our job is to make it seem easy!
Loved Tim’s you tube sing song – I’m a bit worried though, I think I’m not a rhymer, but I plan to come along with you all and find some gems that will help my writing.
Thanks Kaye! I’m glad you’ve jumped in despite your worries!
Elaine Hillson – A great post Tim. I agree with you that rhyming is no easy task. But as my favourite picture books are all rhymers this is hopefully the beginning of my journey towards writing in rhyme.
That’s great, Elaine! Good luck and have fun!
Melinda Kinsman – Thanks Angie and Tim – Another very entertaining post, that has started my day off on a high note! I’ll certainly be subscribing to Tim’s YouTube channel from now on. 😊❤️
Thanks Melinda! Glad we could kick things off in a positive way. Now I gotta post some new videos to my channel! I’m way behind…
Thanks, Tim! A rhymetacular start to what is sure to be a rhymetacular month! I’m afraid that new word is just as catchy as Dawn’s lyrics yesterday. I can’t get either out of my head now.
Thanks Rebecca! I almost went with rhyme-o-licious.
I know this is about rhyme, but I love lists. And I found your lists hilarious! Great post.
I’m a list guy too! Thanks!
Rebecca Trembula–Loved the video (had no idea I was in for so many fun, high quality videos when I signed up for this).
Thanks Rebecca! It’s all about video these days. Great way to get your message to the masses.
what a great start to RhyPiBoMo. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
And thanks for letting me us know about Jackie’s Webinar. That’s 1 am my time but I hope I can stay up to take part.
Thank you Linda. I’m excited for tomorrow, too!
Thanks, Tim for a fun and fruitful post!
From tip #1: “Make a list of all the richest, most colorful story-driven words and then find rhymes for those.” Fabulous tip! I’d never heard that before. It will be fun to see how a story evolves from prose to rhyme utilizing this brilliance!
Oh I’m so glad, Lori. It has worked for me, and I hope it works for you. Cheers!
This is already fun and stirring my creativity. Thanks
I couldn’t ask for a better result. Thanks, Muriel! Good luck!
Thanks Tim – some great tips I can’t wait to start using….and now I know who to blame for the Brain Burps theme song that just goes round and round and round in my head for days – Well done!
Ha! Thanks Clark. Or sorry, I suppose!
Meter is challenging, but I do agree the challenge of writing the perfect rhyme is addicting.
You’re right. It is addicting, Elsa! But I can think of worse things to be addicted to. Don’t fight it!
Well that certainly made my morning. Ready. Set. Go. It’s PhiPiBoMO! – Marianne Gage
Yeah! Thanks Marianne.
Great advice about writing the story in prose first, then looking for the words and phrases that will be strong for the rhyme. Thanks, Tim. from Val McCammon
I appreciate that Val! Hope that technique results in some prime rhymes for you!
Pj McIlvaine
There once was a writer named Tim,
Who was full of rhymetacular vim,
He also had a Nana
By the name of McCanna,
Who loved doing cartwheels in gym!
Okay, beat me with a two-by four.
Awesome Pj!!! Love it. We even have a Nana in the family, though her cartwheel days are well behind her. Thanks for the poem!
Nancy Mindo here!!!! Tim that was great advice. It made me think about the manuscript i have already completed which is actually one of my favorite holiday books, also i am thinking of looking over it and keeping your notes in mind. It will also help me in my new picture book for military families…. Thank you So much! Rhyme on!
That’s great, Nancy! Glad you found some good advice despite all my nonsense. Good luck with your books!
Manju Howard – Pj, Great comment! I enjoyed Tim’s video on rhyme. I’m eager to hit the right notes in my writing.
That’s a great way of putting it, Manju. We’re all striving to hit those “right notes.” Thanks!
Caroline Twomey. Great tips Tim, especially the first point-I’m definitely going to use these on my next rhyming PB!!
I’m glad, Caroline! Good luck with it!
Pat Haapaniemi – Loved Tim’s video, got me laughing out loud! And really enjoyed the blog. I love the idea of writing the story in prose, circling the key words and finding rhymes for them – very helpful!
Thank you Pat! Hope that prose first method works for you. Enjoy!
Great idea about writing in prose first and then doing the rhyme! Thanks Tim!
Absolutely, Lindsay! Thank you!
Going to have to check out Tim’s YouTube channel, I wanted to just keep watching!!
Kimberly Cowger
Oh Kimberly. Beware of my YouTube channel. It’s full of shameless self promotion. 🙂
Perfect way to kick off RhyPiBoMo!!! Thanks Tim 🙂 LOVED the video, too!
Thanks Karen! You’re right, this has been a really fun way to kick off April. Enjoy the rest of the RhyPiBoMo festivities!
That was just… rhymetactular. I don’t think I’ll be able to rest until I find a rhyme for that word, thanks Tim! – Nadine Cranenburgh
Thanks Nadine! After consulting my rhyming dictionary, it looks like your options are limited. But hey, at least there’s “vernacular.”
Great post. Yes, rhyming does take a lot of revision. I’ve got a few PBs I might try changing to rhyme.
Nice! Good luck, Janet! Who knows? There may be a rhymer secretly hiding in your prose manuscripts…
Linda Schueler: Thank you very much, Tim, for some great advice peppered with laugh out loud humour.
You are so welcome, Linda! Glad I got at least one laugh!
Tim. Is. Hilarious! Wonderful, fun video and spot-on advice.
Thanks! Could you tell my kids? They don’t find me hilarious at all!
Rosemary Basham
Thanks TIM for not being GRIM. (Don’t rhyming words have to be in all CAPS?) THANKS for no PRANKS on April Fool’s Day. Just great advice!
What a great way to start the month!
Great! Thanks!
MaDonna Maurer – Thanks so much Tim for your time and tips. I will need to go back and reread this post with my notebook in hand. I just wanted to comment that I really liked your first tip about writing the story in prose first and highlighting all the strong words from it.
I am doing this challenge because I have found I really enjoy reading rhyming picture books and want to challenge myself to write one (at least) as well.
That’s great, MaDonna! You’re taking all the right steps! Glad you’re on board. Enjoy!
Rita Allmon– Fun post. Thanks Tim for sharing your wise words of experience and “extra” tips! Love your videos.
Thanks Rita! You are most welcome!
Our first blogger is Tim who’s really quite slim
But his lesson is really quite fat
His rhyming cabana holds manifold manna
Provided by Mister McCanna
~ Rene` Diane Aube
Thank you, Tim and Angie, for a fabulous lesson 🙂
Bev Baird Loved this post by Tim! Great advice in a fun way. Great start to the month!
Thanks Bev! I’m so glad Angie created RhyPiBoMo!
Joanne Sher was totally charmed and delighted by Tim’s video – and his tips (especially the first one). I had often heard that you should write a story in prose first and then switch to rhyme, but his explanation and suggestions made the reasoning TOTALLY make sense to me. AND he made me laugh. ALWAYS a winner. Thanks a TON, Tim (and Angie).
And cabana, hosanna, and, of course, banana rhyme with McCanna.
Thanks Joanne! Your note warms my heart! Oh, and don’t forget bandanna, savannah, and Hannah Montana.
Lori Laniewski~
Terrific video, Tim! Thanks for your post!
Sure thing! Thank you, Lori!
Annie Bailey
A great post for day 1 Tim! I’m with you on the revision. I have one manuscript I think I’m up to 20+ drafts on!
That’s awesome Annie! You get a gold star for every draft!
Vicki Wilke
I am more than excited for this month! Tim really hit on the rhyme challenge. I have always written in rhyme – but his good pointers have given me some new perspectives! Thank you Tim – I’m filled to the brim!
Great post Tim. I love rhyming books but they are hard to write. Write, edit, revise, write, edit, revise…..
Rachel Hamby
Great video, Tim, and the tip about less is more–something I’m learning with my own work. Thx!
Thank you, Rachel! Oh, yeah, that less-is-more thing. With today’s picture book word counts, those are words to live by. Good luck!
Tim said to write the plot first,
before you start to jot verse.
It will help your great story
achieve its true glory.
Your book will be better, not worse.
Whoa! That is superb! Well done I8k8! Thank you!
Thanks Tim, I did read all the way to the end! I’m off to read my books and poetry for the day. Great start!
You’re a trooper, Mary! Thanks for hanging in there! Cheers
Terry Pierce–Very creative video and a great post to start everyone off on a strong rhyming foot. Thanks, Tim and Angie!
Charlotte Dixon What a delightful read, Tim. Thank you for your humor and honesty.
Jackie, I look forward to your webinar.
Thanks Charlotte! Glad you enjoyed.
Sara Green
Well what a way to start, with a rhyming post from Tim
I’d like to say I think it hit the spot
A fun, frank and friendly way to get us in the swim
Looking forward to the next post a whole lot!
Pat Likins
More good lessons in a fun way – Thanks Tim!
You’re welcome, Pat! Thank you!
Tim, you’re so funny. What a great start to my day. Laughing, smiling, and learning. Perfect.
Thanks Sandy! Glad we could kick things off right!
Kristi Veitenheimer – Thanks, Tim, for an entertaining post and video. You have a great sense of humor; I know we’d get along fabulously! I had wondered recently about your Tip #1 – write it in prose first. I actually did that recently, and am now ready to take the plunge and see if I can work some magic and transform it into a rhyming story! Thanks for the kick start I needed!
I loved the youtube video and all the helpful tips in this post.Thank you Tim.
Thanks Zainab! Have fun this month!
I’m better at alliteration than rhyme, so I humbly submit that Tim’s Top Tip Triad would be less misleading (but also less fun -especially on April Fool’s Day.) Having grown up with a younger brother named Tim, I feel I have an unfair (and somewhat slanted) grasp of Tim-rhymes, so I shall work on finding things to rhyme with McCanna for awhile. Thanks for a great post!