Lara D. Elliott - Inspirations

Below is another entry for Susanna Leonard Hill's Holiday Writing Contest . Enjoy! Photo by StockSnap from Pixabay The Scrumptious Tale of an Allergic Kid 146 words Mom rings the doorbell and I tug at my itchy collar. The door opens and we are greeted by the noise of Christmas music and grown-ups chatting. “Matthew, this is my coworker, Mrs. Archer.” I wave. “Welcome!” Mrs. Archer smiles at me. “Follow me to the kitchen. I want to show you all the goodies.” “No thanks,” I say. “I’m not hungry.”  “Oh, but a little elf told me that you could only eat special things, so several of Santa’s little helpers whipped up a bunch of treats that were allergen free.” My ears perk up. The door to the kitchen opens and there’s a full array of glittering cookies and scrumptious looking snacks. Mrs. Archer gestures to the table. “I double and triple checked. Everything here is okay for you to eat.” I look at Mom. She nods. I lick my lips. “I’m starving!” ...

Below is my entry for  Susanna Leonard Hill's Holiday Writing Contest . The challenge is to write a children's holiday story about a holiday treat in 250 words or less. This story was inspired by my family's love for gingerbread cookies (super special delicious family recipe). Enjoy! Photo by annca from Pixabay Gingerbread Family 227 words The warm scent of ginger and cloves tickled Isabel’s nose. “Mami, the timer’s going off!” “Okay, stand back, Isa. It’s hot.” Mami pulled the pan out. “Oh no!”  “What’s wrong?” Isa climbed up on a stool to get a closer look. The cookie dough had spread! All the little gingerbread men were plump and lopsided. Mami put her hand on her hip. “They’re ruined. We can’t serve these.” “Why not?” Isa licked her lips. They still looked yummy. “Christmastime with family is special. I want everything to be perfect.” “Can we make new ones?” Isa asked. Mami shook her head. “We don’t have enough ingredients.” “Can w...

I had high hopes for this year's NaNoWriMo. That's National Novel Writing Month. Draft a novel (or at least 50,000 words of it) in the 30 days of November. But towards the end, I decided I needed to lose this year. A few years ago, I lost NaNoWriMo with a book about a crush. I didn't even get halfway through the 50k words needed to win. It took over six months to hit 50k. But the book meandered and really had no way to end properly. Over the next couple of years, I tried reworking the story with some beta reader feedback. I rewrote the beginning at least five times. But still, it wasn't coming together. This year, I decided I needed professional help and hired a writing coach (it was sort of by accident, but a happy accident). My coach helped me work on outlining a rewrite of the crush book. She helped me understand concepts like motivation and stakes and helped me define them in my outline. I wrote yet another first chapter and got her feedback and encouragement...

This is my first time entering the Halloweensie Contest and I am so excited! The Halloweensie Contest is a writing contest run by Susanna Leonard Hil. The challenge is to write a children's Halloween story in 100 words or less using the words potion, cobweb, and trick. Enjoy! Maggie Mermaid’s Halloween Bash by Lara Elliott Photo by Mysticartdesign on Pixabay For Maggie Mermaid’s turn to host The Halloween Big Monster Bash,  She didn’t know just how to make  Her underwater bash a smash.  Jack-o-lanterns wouldn’t light, Candy melted in a lump, Her costume of a spooky ghost Became a saggy, soggy frump. “Instead of pumpkins, happy clams Will surely work much better here. Seaweed, just like cobwebs, draped To make a spooky atmosphere. “Ocean potion ‘stead of punch; A pirate’s patch for me to wear; Instead of candy, pearls and shells Become the trick-or-treaters’ fare.” The friends swam in and had a blast At Maggie’s...

Here's my submission for the Kidlit Fall Writing Frenzy. It's a short story inspired by the photo below. Don't know what I'm talking about? Find out more  here ! UNICORN CANDY  This is the bestest time of the year when the unicorns come out to play! If we’re lucky, we might get to see one. The best way to do it? Unicorn candy! Unicorns love unicorn candy. You mean you’ve never heard of unicorn candy? Unicorns only love the sparkliest, most purpliest candies. Look at these that I got. See how the sugar sparkles! And so many different shades of purple. I’m sure to attract a unicorn this year. I just know it! Once we have our unicorn candy, we have to put it outside so they can see it. There has to be sun so the candy really glitters. And there has to be white puffy clouds that look like cotton candy. Unicorns love cotton candy too. And now we sit and wait.  Shh. Don’t scare them away. Be patient. Keep an eye out. Wooooow!  ...

I'm so excited to share with you that I have a new picture book blog! The past several months, I have been focusing on my picture book writing and have learned a lot and written a lot. I even started querying! On my new blog, I hope to help writers and readers of picture books with bringing a wonderful experience to children. Check it out here:  https://larissaelliottbooks.blogspot.com After a long break from noveling, I have also returned to a big rewrite of my "Uncrushed" idea (see my WIPs page for more info). Cross your fingers that this is the version that finally sticks. I've worked really hard on the outline and I really want this story to come to life! And lastly, a mental health check in. How are you? Are you surviving? I've had many ups and downs lately. More recently because of my busy work schedule, sleepless nights with my 1 year old daughter, general stress of everything at once, and the attempt to "make it" with my picture books...

I haven't posted in a while, so here's a quick update on what's going on. I tried revising my novels. Several of them. Nothing was really feeling like "the one." I even tried going back to an old manuscript to transpose it from 3rd person to 1st. I stalled on all my attempts to do anything novel related. So I stopped. I read a book. And another. I took a break. I stayed active on Twitter in the writing community. I chatted with my critique group. I did some beta reading for a friend. I think it was the beginning of May that an announcement was made for a picture book mentorship contest. It had been a while since I'd worked on any picture books, but it sounded like a good opportunity. Maybe I could write some more picture book manuscripts so I had some to choose from if I wanted to apply. Holy cow was I in for a ride! Over the next few days I wrote four drafts of new picture books! I tried rhyming. I tried unconventional composition. I was on a roll! ...