Day 28 of the Golden Coffee Cup: Christopher Cheng

Hi folks, whew, two more days until the Golden Coffee Cup ends. Yee haw! Get cracking, folks. Sands are slipping through the hour glass!

No clue what a Golden Coffee Cup is? Click here.

Today's Down Under high five comes from Austrailian (Oz) author Christopher Cheng. He's holding up a 5 1b. Christmas cake too, in case you are an inquiring mind who wants to know. I bet that goes good with coffee.



Here Chris offers some inspiration to create master works.

I keep a note book filled with ideas -- okay I have about 10 notebooks at the moment. They range from the crazy things I see; like

* kids picking their noses on buses and wiping the extracted clump of fluid under the seat (true it really did happen); to

* kids complaining about their parents; to

* spooky noises that I heard one night (this is now a picture book that is coming out with Random House in 2011); to

* kids saying that they can't do anything to improve the environment (after teaching an education class at the zoo which became my first picture book One child,

I use them as record keeping. I use them as inspiration. They are there to store the inner thoughts of the 9-12 year old me!

... I love just writing. I write something EVERY day!

AND you can't be a writer if you don't write. so ... grab those pens (and not the keyboard ... the physical pen on paper jot down those ideas what am I thinking thing!)

Write something.
Write a letter.
Write to Molly.
Write to Me.

Just write. and with Christmas approaching why not write cards this year ... yes physically write. What do you put on that card? Why not simply tell your wife/husband/kids/grandparents/best friends how much you love them - and WHY you love them, or the funniest things about them, or the craziest thing they did this year or .....!!! Go on put pen to paper.

And what are you thinking right now!

This guy is writing twaddle? Then write it down ... but also write down words the you would write better.

If this guy is writing some words of wisdom ... then improve those words of wisdom and write down your words of wisdom too.
If you want to read Chris's blog, want to head to an SCBWI Australia/NZ event, or check out new Aussie kids books, click away.

I think the upshot is clear here, folks. You better get busy. For the artists, I have noticed that all the artists I know do this notebook thing too, but they draw pictures instead of writing. Perhaps you need to create your own Christmas cards this year.

Well, that's the hot java for today. I hope you brew some of your own today. :) See ya manana.


I write journals and would recommend journal writing to anyone who wishes to pursue a writing career. You learn a lot. You also remember a lot... and memory is important.
Judy Collins


Remember: If you reach your goal from Nov 23 to Nov 30, and post on the blog, you will be receive your Golden Coffee Cup picture. There is no verification process, I believe you. Send in your email address to molly@mollyblaisdell.com and your Golden Coffee Cup picture will be emailed to you. Display it proudly as wallpaper, post it on your blog, print it out and tack it on your bulletin board for year-long motivation. Goal reached or not, write a great post and you might win the real coffee!