Hello World! Author Journey Begins

Hi! I’m Mae Shell and writing is my superpower. I’m starting a new journey, to become a picture book author. Come along and I’ll explain why!

I composed my first poem at age five and my mom transcribed it for me:

Rabbit hopped from left to right
Rabbit hopped from here to there
Rabbit hopped all day and night

Once I learned to write on my own, I found a new and powerful way to communicate that has proven integral to my life ever since.

I’ve often found verbal communication to be inefficient. When I say something out loud, it’s usually just the first draft. But, others hear it as a polished final. Misunderstandings ensue. At a young age, I discovered that writing allows me to revise and revise again until the underlying truth emerges and is clear.

The power of revision led me to another discovery: a love for short-form storytelling. What do I mean by that? Any writing that conveys an experience or truth, and is constrained by length in some way. Whether limited by the number of characters (think tweet), syllables (think haiku) or pages (think picture book)... count me in!

Short form is my favorite format for writing and consuming stories, because it focuses the writer and the reader on the essentials. It distills a truth or experience down to its most powerful core.

Picture books fit nicely into the short-form storytelling category, and have a bonus power: they can be meaningful and accessible to people of all ages. Great picture books tell stories about the human experience relevant for toddlers, teens, adults, and seniors alike.

Those are the kinds of stories I’m setting out to write.

In my next blog post, I’ll explore why the picture book niche I’ve chosen might earn me some haters, and why I’m forging ahead anyway.