Moving / 搬家

去年參加佳怡的喪禮之後，從主持人身上得到了靈感，想要好好地重寫阿嬤的故事。這次還請了同事如慧家的小亮和小佑來合作畫插圖，雖然實際準備的時間不長，但因為是一直在腦海中的故事，所以寫起來很順暢。

Last year I was inspired by something said by the host of Chai-y's funeral, which prompted me to rewrite my granny's story. Because of the story's narrative, I even invited the sons of my colleague Emily, Liang and Yo, to illustrate the story together with me. I didn't spend much time making the book since it had been a story that I wanted to tell all these years. 

        這是我第一次和別人合作做繪本，剛開始並不確定自己的想法是否有辦法成真，對於不能讓小亮自由發揮想法，我覺得很過意不去，但因為如慧的決心和堅持，慢慢地我們找到了合作的方法。，以前都是自己一個人埋頭苦幹，有了伙伴之後，我得到意想不到的力量，例如說，如果我進度快，把當天的進展拍給小朋友看時，他們也會加緊腳步，這之間我們互相鼓勵，產生很美好的能量。

     This was a very special experience because it was my first time doing collaborative work. In the beginning, I wasn't sure if the plan was feasible. I hesitated at first for I felt a great sense of guilt in not being able to let Liang exert his creativity. However, thanks to Emily's determination and persistence, we gradually found ways to collaborate. In the process, I gained much strength from my partners, and this was what I couldn't imagine when I worked all by myself. For example, we would share what we had done with each other on a regular basis. Our mutual encouragement made me feel that I could go on and finish the project with ease. 

        孩子們在過程中同樣的稿必須畫很多次，我非常感謝他們的耐心，而能看到這本書的讀者，翻開的時候都感到很驚喜。

     Liang and Yo had to redraw the same pictures several times before the final version. My thanks to them are really beyond description. The design and arrangement of the images also surprise readers when they open the book. 

        雖然今年我沒有入圍信誼的繪本獎，儘管之前有些沮喪，不過因為常常失敗，對於輸贏想得很開了，同時也趕緊自我檢討，我想應該是我的故事要從小朋友的觀點來說，必須把死亡的議題更具像化，不過我也能更寬闊地想，寫故事要回到開心做的初衷，然後不要忘記問問小讀者的意見。

     Though I wasn't even shortlisted this year in the picture book award of the picture book competition held by Hsin-y Publisher, I bounced back soon after taking my time to get over the frustration. I guess  constant failures have turned me into a very powerful person. Fortunately, friends gave me great feedback regarding how to revise the story. The best advice is that I should try to tell the story from a child's perspective and give concrete imagery especially when it comes to a difficult issue like death. Meanwhile, I remind myself that I should write out of joy and constantly consult my young readers. 

        這個星期終於拿到印出來的書，只印了三本，我想我之後一定又會把這個故事做華麗大變身，到時候這個故事各時期的樣貌排在一起來看時，就會很驚人！ 

     This week I finally got the printed version of the book, and there are only three copies in the world. I will definitely transform the story into another one when I feel ready. Then, the books I have written along the way will be amazing when they are juxtaposed together!