Recycling Research and Words – Kidlit Zombie Week Guest Post by Laura K. Zimmermann

Hi Wonderful Readers,

I hope you’re already enjoying Kidlit Zombie Week – a week of collaboration, connection, and revision – because today we have another fantastic treat to inspire you! One of my amazing clients, who can make any STEAM subject lyrical, the amazing Laura K. Zimmermann! Once you’re done reading this inspiring post about revision, head to our 6 Ladies and a MANuscript Twitter account for a great discussion about recycling.

Recycling Research and Words

by Laura K. Zimmermann

As an academic researcher who writes nonfiction picture books, I spend a lot of my time down research rabbit holes of one kind or another.

Most of my children’s manuscripts come with pages of references from online sources, books, and information provided by experts. When I dump stories into my computer’s digital landfill, that research goes with them. Such a waste. And I hate waste. So, what’s to be done? Recycling.

Fun fact: Did you know that the computer that houses your dead and zombie kidlit is built using precious metals like gold? It takes time and effort to recycle, but like your old manuscripts the result can be worth it. Scraps of ideas, research, and even words can be recycled into something shiny and new.

In my digital landfill there is a mound of picture book biographies. I loved the information, the stories, the topics, but for one reason or another they never found a home. Take my book on Maria Sibylla Merian. She had a fascinating life. She was a skilled artist, teacher, naturalist, entomologist, embroiderer, engraver, publisher, divorced single mother, entrepreneur, and adventurer—an amazing woman for any time period. But after some failed R&Rs and many attempted unique hooks, her story and the research that went with it found its way to the landfill. But it hasn’t all stayed there. Kernels from that work have made it into the world in other forms. They have found their way into a poem for a children’s magazine, a workshop I did with children on science and art, and now, this blog post :).

Words can be harder to recycle. So many little darlings dead, but not all. Remember the magazine article on Maria’s work? Some of my darlings found their way there. And Mushroom Rain has a few phrases from my original Beatrix Potter biography—”…a hidden form reaches out, sheltered and secretly wandering” was there from the beginning. Others are there in spirit, building a path to what finally worked for those stories.

So, go back to the place where your “dead” manuscripts live and start sorting. Look for pieces you love and recycle them into picture book gold.

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Laura K. Zimmermann is a college professor by day and children’s writer by night. She has a PhD in developmental psychology and has published numerous academic articles as well as nonfiction stories in children’s magazines. MUSHROOM RAIN is her first picture book. When she’s not writing, Laura can be found teaching and conducting research at Shenandoah University or wandering through nature with her Goldendoodle, Tivy. You can find Laura online at laurakzimmermann.com and on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest at @LauraK_PBwriter.

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Wasn’t that wonderful?

Check out all the events for #KidLitZombieWeek July 3-7, 2023 here.

There are prizes for pitches and pledges! 🤩And be sure to follow 6 Ladies and a MANuscript on Twitter for more great tips and discussions: @6and_MANuscript, head over to Twitter now and tell us about the projects you’re excited about mining or ones you’ve already mined for picture book gold!