Writer’s Block

For the first time, I experienced writer’s block from November 2025 through January 2026.

It was so depressing!  When I tried to write a picture book text, it was forced. It didn’t have the pep of my earlier books. I used the time, however, to experiment with other genres and wrote a bunch of haikus about trees. Much to my surprise, it received first prize after I entered it in a contest. But still, I had no ideas for a children’s book.

I wrote an article on AI and creativity, and it was published in a local magazine, but again, no new ideas for a children’s story lit up my imagination.

I talked to other writers who said that something must be going on deep down in my unconscious. They were encouraging; they said an idea would eventually tap me on the shoulder. Well, sure enough, about a month ago, I got tapped. An idea came to me while I was taking a walk, and I wrote the manuscript in just one day. It slid out of my imagination like syrup from a jar. It was a poem that could work as a picture book. I’m still polishing it but in a few days, I’ll send it to my agent and see what she has to say. Both authors and other professionals in the children’s book field have told me that times are tough. Printing costs are high. Picture books, with some exceptions, of course, aren’t selling as well as they used to.

Libraries are squeezed for funds, bookstores are far apart and don’t always have a children’s book section (although there are some great stores, like Labyrinth in Princeton and Politics and Prose in Washington DC that enthusiastically  support their children’s collections), and books have to compete with video games, etc. for a child’s attention. Still, I’m happy my writer’s block lifted and even if my agent can’t place the story I’ve mentioned above, I feel that storytelling is beginning to flow again.

I think it’s interesting that my most recent effort is a poem and not story-oriented like my earlier work. I’m still a huge advocate of “story” to engage a child, however, so maybe I’ll get back to story writing next time I have a spark of inspiration.