{"id":6639,"date":"2017-12-03T04:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-12-03T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/?p=6639"},"modified":"2017-12-02T17:39:49","modified_gmt":"2017-12-03T01:39:49","slug":"6639","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/writing\/6639\/","title":{"rendered":"Stories to Go with My Paintings"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Ah Chew with goats<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Three weeks after we moved to the Philippines I started taking Chinese brush painting classes from Professor Chen Bing Sun. Four years later, I could pretty well handle the basics. I\u2019d learned to paint bamboo and plum blossoms, chrysanthemums and orchids. \"\"<\/a>I\u2019d moved on to animals, people, and landscapes. I \u2018d done sketches of my kids and painted other non-traditional subjects.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Maybe, I thought, I could use what I’d learned to try something different. Maybe I could write and illustrate a children\u2019s book. How hard could that be?<\/p>\n

But, just in case writing children\u2019s literature turned out to be more difficult than I imagined, I signed up for a correspondence course from The Institute of Children\u2019s Literature in Connecticut.<\/p>\n

My timing was great. Rents in Makati where we lived had skyrocketed, and we’d moved to BF Homes, a new development far from every place we needed to go. We arranged semi-adequate transportation to the International School for our two older daughters. But we couldn\u2019t find anything for our youngest who was about to start half-day kindergarten. It looked like I\u2019d have to drive her there and back.<\/p>\n

Having two-and-a-half hours to kill when she was in school, I came up with the perfect solution. I could go to the Metro Club, swim a few laps, and then sit at one of the poolside tables and work on my course from the Institute of Children\u2019s Literature. It was lovely. Palm trees, a calamansi soda, a book, and a pen and paper … five days a week.<\/p>\n

It was a fun course. I earned my certificate. And R moved on to first grade.<\/p>\n

In a nutshell, here\u2019s what I learned:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Writing good children\u2019s literature isn\u2019t as easy as I thought.<\/li>\n
  2. I enjoy the challenge of writing fiction.<\/li>\n
  3. You still have to get your book published, though. And …<\/li>\n
  4. Publishers prefer to choose their own illustrators.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"<\/a>It was those last two items that discouraged me. I experimented with a story or two. Then I forgot about writing and moved on to a range of other activities.<\/p>\n

    Eleven years later finally I returned to writing. The time was right. Our two older daughters were in college and the third would be leaving soon. I signed up for a low-residency MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts.<\/p>\n

    It was a challenging, fun course. And … since we’d moved to the South Pacific by then, I was able to draft my stories in a variety of beautiful spots.<\/p>\n

    As a result:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. I graduated.<\/li>\n
    2. I developed a passion for writing fiction.<\/li>\n
    3. But I still find publishing a lot of effort.<\/li>\n
    4. And I no longer aspire to illustrate my own stories.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Although I\u2019ve never published a book for children, that course from the Institute of Children\u2019s Literature was how I got my start.<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      \u00a0Three weeks after we moved to the Philippines I started taking Chinese brush painting classes from Professor Chen Bing Sun. Four years later, I could pretty well handle the basics. I\u2019d learned to paint bamboo and plum blossoms, chrysanthemums and orchids. I\u2019d moved on to animals, people, and landscapes. I \u2018d done sketches of my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1655,1340,148,717,4],"tags":[45,1657,1656,730,341,491],"class_list":["post-6639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chinese-brush-painting","category-expatriate-life","category-philippines","category-vanuatu","category-writing","tag-chinese-brush-painting","tag-institute-of-chindrens-literature","tag-porfessor-chen-bing-sun","tag-vanuatu","tag-vermont-college-of-fine-arts","tag-writing-fiction"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s3Kn1e-6639","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":248,"url":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/china\/attaxarty\/","url_meta":{"origin":6639,"position":0},"title":"Chinese Brush Painting","author":"Nicki Chen","date":"October 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m a writer now, but once upon a time I was a painter. And before that I was the kid who hurried through my multiplication tables so I could draw paper dolls for my friends. We lived in the Philippines when I took up Chinese brush painting. My teacher, Professor\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chinese brush painting, me 001","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Chinese-brush-painting-me-001-e1376436289931-983x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Chinese-brush-painting-me-001-e1376436289931-983x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Chinese-brush-painting-me-001-e1376436289931-983x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4551,"url":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/vanuatu\/vanuatu-vanuatu\/mystery-of-the-translators\/","url_meta":{"origin":6639,"position":1},"title":"My Translators Live in China.","author":"Nicki Chen","date":"January 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0They show up on my computer screen every day or two with a question or a series of questions, and I answer them. But I\u2019ve never met my translators. I picture them as three young Chinese men, but I could be wrong. In Ethan\u2019s profile picture, small as it is,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "books"","block_context":{"text":"books","link":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chinese brush painting by Nicki Chen","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/kung-fu-painting-by-Nicki-Chen-e1397269721787.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/kung-fu-painting-by-Nicki-Chen-e1397269721787.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/kung-fu-painting-by-Nicki-Chen-e1397269721787.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9599,"url":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/art\/youthful-dreams-do-they-remain\/","url_meta":{"origin":6639,"position":2},"title":"Youthful Dreams, Do They Remain?","author":"Nicki Chen","date":"July 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"painted by my mom What did you want to be when you grew up? My mom's dream was to become an artist. I don't know when that dream began for her, but by the time she was in high school, she was filling scrapbooks with her drawings. He stylish fashion\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/IMG_2855-2-e1626986515489.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1090,"url":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/china\/discovering-a-whole-new-world-with-my-chinese-husband-a-guest-post\/","url_meta":{"origin":6639,"position":3},"title":"Discovering a Whole New World with my Chinese Husband, a guest post","author":"Nicki Chen","date":"January 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I'm doing a guest post on Jocelyn Eikenburg's blog, Speaking of China. It's one of my favorite blogs. Most of her articles deal with the here and now: \"Giving Gifts to your Chinese Family,\" \"The Troubling Chinese Mother-in-law Relationship,\" \"Chinese Men Are Sexy.\" She describes Speaking of China as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "China"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/category\/china\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"painting by Nicki Chen","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/kung-fu-painting-by-Nicki-Chen-1024x535.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/kung-fu-painting-by-Nicki-Chen-1024x535.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/kung-fu-painting-by-Nicki-Chen-1024x535.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2613,"url":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/vanuatu\/vanuatu-vanuatu\/jocelyn-eikenburg-interviews-me-on-speaking-of-china\/","url_meta":{"origin":6639,"position":4},"title":"Jocelyn Eikenburg Interviews Me on Her Blog, Speaking of China","author":"Nicki Chen","date":"September 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In 2009, when Jocelyn Eikenburg started her blog, she said that she \"felt alone in being married to a Chinese man and ... wanted to find other people to connect with.\u201d Now, five years later, interracial marriage in China is still rare, but Jocelyn's blog, Speaking of China, a blog\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Vanuatu"","block_context":{"text":"Vanuatu","link":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/category\/vanuatu\/vanuatu-vanuatu\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"016_16","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/016_16-e1411107598878.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9752,"url":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/writing\/fictional-characters-and-the-food-they-eat\/","url_meta":{"origin":6639,"position":5},"title":"Fictional Characters and the Food They Eat","author":"Nicki Chen","date":"December 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Writers eat too. (Maureen, Paddy, Emily, me, and Gretchen, 2014) I like to eat as much as the next person. I put blueberries on my oatmeal and bananas in my breakfast smoothy. I eat soups and salads for lunch, stews and stir fries for dinner, yogurt, cookies, and chocolate candy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "books"","block_context":{"text":"books","link":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/001_1-e1636585334285.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/001_1-e1636585334285.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/001_1-e1636585334285.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/001_1-e1636585334285.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6639"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6650,"href":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6639\/revisions\/6650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}