picture books
Literature for the Youngest
Last week, after welcoming my new grandson into the world, I brought my 22 month old grand-daughter back to our house for a couple days. Of course – of course! – I took her to story time at our local library.
Baby – Toddler Story Time
If you want to write literature for the youngest, every so [...]
Animals Stand in for Kids
I’m currently revising a picture book and finding it to be a bit tricky because I created animal characters. Of course, in a fiction picture book, animal characters are often just stand-ins for kids.
Why Use an Animal Character in a Fictional Picture Book?
Get Rid of Adults. I wanted to have two characters playing on a [...]
Revise: Remember the 4 Sources of Conflict
Conflict, the type that motivates and moves a plot, comes from four sources.
Yesterday, an editor asked for revisions on a very short piece which was meant for a kindergarten or first grade audience. The editor didn’t like the competitiveness between siblings. But when she contemplated taking out that conflict, she correctly understood that the story [...]
Keeping Current: Read Newly Released Books
Take a Reading Day
Standard advice: read what you want to write.
If you want to write a novel, then read mysteries or thrillers or teen or easy readers or whatever genre you want to write.
Last week, I took a reading day and had great fun. I often advise people to read
Simple Narrative Arcs, 2
Narrative Arc in Less Than 100 Words: Example 2
Very simple picture books still have a narrative arc, even though the word count is extremely small. Yesterday, we looked at an example of a great simple narrative in My Friend, Rabbit. Today, here’s a look at a narrative arc in 80 words (with the help of [...]
Simple Narrative Arcs, 1
Narrative Arc in Less Than 100 Words: Example 1
Very simple picture books still have a narrative arc, even though the word count is extremely small. Here’s a look at a narrative arc in 80 words (with the help of some illustrations), as it appears in My Friend, Rabbit, by Eric Rohmann, winner of the 2003 [...]
How to Write a Children’s Picture Book
Ebook: How to Write a Children’s Picture Book
It started out as 30 Days to a Stronger Picture Book. But now, (drum roll, please), it’s an Ebook. Expanded from it’s original format, it now includes new sections on
Research Competition
I am researching competition for a picture book idea. I know there are topics with very stiff competition and I want to avoid anything similar to what has already been done.
But this time, I am also researching how
33 pages
The 33 page picture book
No, there are no 33-page picture books. Not yet.
At a recent conference, though, I had a discussion about why picture books are usually 32 pages. One person suggested
Major Changes
The picture book I’m working on has had three major revisions.
What to Keep
When I realize a story needs a major overhaul, I try to figure out what I want to keep. In this case, I loved
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