by Jaime Zollars

Happy New Year!

I hope you all ended up on the nice list and took some time to rest and reflect before diving into goals for a new year. Have you made a list of resolutions?

I’ve always been quite a fan of lists. They hold so much promise. To-do lists, goal lists, recipe lists, gift lists, idea lists, bucket lists, reading lists—the list goes on. While I must admit that I’ve been known to transfer the unchecked items off any given list to its next incarnation (sometimes indefinitely), the simple practice of writing them can spark growth and creativity.

In the spirit of new ideas for the new year, here are four fun list-making exercises that may jump-start your creative streak in 2025:

1. THE MORE/LESS LIST

My favorite spin on New Year’s Resolutions is a More/Less list, which has gone viral over the past several years after Illustrator Julia Rothman coined it in 2021. You simply find a piece of paper and draw a line down the center. Write “MORE” on the top of the left side and “LESS” on the right. Think of the things you want to channel more of in 2025 and those things you’d prefer to let go. Write (or draw!) them in. Hang or keep the paper in a place where you can see it. A More/Less list is a way to channel mindfulness in your actions and intentions throughout the year without subjecting yourself to the failures of ambitiously rigid rules. This year I’d like more laughter, more writing, and more eclairs—how about you? AND defining the things you want less of can help free up time for the things that matter most, like achieving your creative goals. You can find the lists of others for ideas if you search online. Here’s a link to Julia’s explanation in the New York Times.

2. The “100 THINGS I LOVE TO DRAW” LIST

Illustrator John Hendrix suggests that making a list of 100 things you love to draw can be a secret weapon when you find yourself in a creative slump. (Writers can try making a list of 100 things they love or love to write about.) Can’t figure out where your book character should live? Consult your list for favorite places. Need to add more personality to a character? Check your list for your own unique interests. When you are drawing and creating stories around what you know and love, it shows, and that wonder is infectious. Some of my favorite things to draw include elaborate hair, gothic patterns, taxidermy, swarms, desserts, mazes, and fantasy landscapes. Capture your personality in a list and imagine the possibilities. Pick combinations of three to five list items and see if you can craft stories or characters from your interests. This exercise (and others!) can be found in the book Drawing is Magic by John Hendrix. 

3. A MONTH-LONG LIST OF BOOK TITLES

You may have heard of Tara Lazar’s Picture Book Idea Month, which is now called Storystorm. It is a free challenge every January where participants imagine a story idea each day for a picture book. I have found that while participating I get better at opening my eyes daily to the stories happening around me. Occasionally these ideas are not terrible. That said, I often run out of time in the day and fail in consistently coming up with ideas. When I don’t have the time to dream up a full concept, I instead brainstorm a simple title for a book that doesn’t exist, but that I might like to read. It is a quick and less daunting exercise. By the end of the month, I have a list of 30 book titles that don’t (yet) exist. Once the month is up, I allow my subconscious to work through them, sometimes hitting a workable concept. My first authored picture book, The Truth About Dragons, published by Little, Brown in 2020, was born of this exercise. The title sat on my list for a year or two before I asked myself: “What IS the truth about dragons?” I was able to follow that brainstorm all the way to publication!

4. IL-LIST-RATION

My creative brainstorming book, Illistration: Improvisational Lists and Drawing Assists to Spark Creativity, published by Quarry Books in 2016, is a title based on one simple exercise: creative list writing. It talks about the basics of improvisation and its applications in writing and art. Just as improv actors create something from nothing, artists and writers must do the same. Improvisers start with a suggestion from the audience to narrow down their thinking and cultivate ideas from a surprise source. Illustrators and authors can adopt the same habit. Instead of starting with a blank page, begin with a prompt of your own. Brainstorm creative list titles and then write down as many entries for each as you can. For example, if my list title is “Eclectic Homes,” I might jot down “Pencil Penthouse, Calder Condo, Botanical Bungalow, Turtle Trullo, Crystal Cave, Regal Rowhome, and Canine Casa.” Force yourself to come up with at least 10–15. NOW you can start drawing or writing about these ideas. Once you have something you like, you might begin to wonder who lives there. Once you figure out who lives there, a story may begin to emerge. You can do the same with nearly any creative list. Ask questions about your list items until stories begin to form.

There are no wrong answers! See what unfolds as you come up with your most creative lists and list items and see where they lead.

Here are a few to start:

• Missing Pieces
• Predecessors to Wonka
• Brand New Holidays
• Magical Places
• Unusual Pies
• Evil Cat Names
• Other Wizard Sports
• Remarkable Bodies of Water
• Strange Items in a Purse

I hope you all make time for a little creative play in 2025. Here’s to a creative year of fruitful lists!

For information on SCBWI CenCal events (open to all SCBWI members), go to the CenCal website.

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Jaime Zollars is the Illustrator Coordinator for the SCBWI Central-Coastal California Region. Jaime has been a member of SCBWI since 2002. Formerly on faculty at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and VP of the Society Illustrators of Los Angeles, Jaime is the author/illustrator of several books, including The Truth About Dragons. For more about Jaime’s background, her books and other projects, check out her website: www.jaimezollars.com.

Images provided by the SCBWI Central-Coastal California Region, Jaime Zollars, and Pexels.