Insider Ink Splat:
December 2023
What’s Up At SYI this Month?
INK SPLAT
Jolene Gutiérrez
This month, we welcomed author/illustrator Jolene Gutiérrez to our Ink Splat author interview.
During the interview, Jolene shared with us about her experience writing and publishing with her own kids, her love of animals, what both inspires her and moves her to tears, her drive to be an activist, and her most recent published work, Too Much! An Overwhelming Day.
Here’s a peek:
“Just explore, experiment, play. You’re going to grow your skills. You might find something that you didn’t know you loved. You might find a superpower you didn’t know you had.”
-Jolene Gutiérrez
WRITING CHALLENGE
“Sensory Sensitivities”
My book Too Much! An Overwhelming Day is based on my own sensory sensitivities. I often felt misunderstood and judged because I’m overly sensitive to a lot of things. Think about a time in your life when you felt misunderstood. Journal about that time and think about what you needed from others to feel supported. Did you get the understanding and support you needed? If so, reflect on how that made you feel. If you didn’t get the understanding and support you needed, reflect on what you wish would’ve been done differently. Then, write a fictionalized short story, a picture book, or a poem exploring that situation and your feelings. Feel free to change information as needed to preserve your privacy.
Submit your response HERE and you might be published on our website!
Get Ready for the Contest!
The Inklings Book Contest is almost here! Try out our free prep course to get your story or poem ready to submit.
INKLINGS CONNECT
Summer Camps
Join us for a writing camp this summer. We can't wait to see what you create!
Keep your creativity flowing with our upcoming community events:
Q: Does writing poetry about your emotions help you to shift how you’re feeling? Does it help to relieve sadness, for instance, when you’re able to express that feeling on the page?
A: “Sometimes it’s the best therapy, honestly. Like sometimes when not so great stuff has happened in the world or in my life, I think: I can’t hold this in my brain anymore. It makes me think: Okay, this is on paper. This is not me anymore. I don’t need to worry or think about this. It is what it is and I understand it now.”
–Danica Richey,
Inklings Book 2022
We want to read your work!
Don’t forget to submit your writing challenge, and you might be published on our blog!
P.S. We’re here for you! You can always email with ideas or questions: info@younginklings.org.
