Resources for Picture Book Writers

Today, I thought writers of picture books would like to take a look at some awesome resources.  This list is reproduced from:  http://www.kidlit411.com/2014/01/picture-books.html#more

SCBWI - the Society for Children's Book Writers & Ilustrators, an organization that every children's writer and illustrator must join

LINDA ASHMAN author of The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books

CHILDREN'S BOOK HUB - a paid subscription service with information about children's books, led by Emma Walton Hamilton  

CHILDREN'S BOOK INSIDER - a paid subscription monthly newsletter with tips about publishers and agents, writing courses, and more 

MEM FOX and her fabulous list of 20 DO'S AND DON'TS OF PICTURE BOOK WRITING. Learn tips on how to read a story out loud: READ ALOUD LESSON 

DARCY PATTISON How to Write a Picture Book Resources

THE PURPLE CRAYON -  the website by Harold Underdown, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books.  His site has resources and information, including an introductory article on the BASICS OF CHILDREN'S PUBLISHING

SUSAN UHLIG's link is full of resources from books to blog posts 

Writing Character

I wasn’t looking to create a character to use in my writing, but he came into my life unexpectedly.

While I was at the grocery store standing in line to check out, I waited behind a woman with a full cart of soft drinks, Tidy Cat Litter, and cans of Fancy Feast.  Ahead of her was a woman paying for a bouquet of yellow-orange sunflowers.  It was going to be a while before it would be my turn.  I politely asked a grocery store employee if she could find someone to open another register.  In less than two minutes, she found someone to open the adjacent register. 

The man in line behind me rushed to the register.  You would have thought it was a race and he was going to win a prize.  Wow—how can anybody be that impatient and rude?  

As he began to unload his cart, I noticed that he was a bald, thirty-something kind of guy who wore a white-shirt, plaid shorts, flip flops and black glasses.  He never offered or insisted to go before him.  No, as I reached to place a separator behind his groceries he snapped at me.  “I have a large order.”  Translation:  I’m first therefore, you must wait until I empty my entire cart.  Translation:  You are impinging on my space on the conveyor belt.  Translation:  It's my conveyer belt.

Nervy.  

I ignored his comment and pushed his items forward (taking care not to roll his watermelon onto the loaf of bread) so I could unload my basket.  I did not make eye contact.  I did not tell him what I thought of him.  But oh, how I wanted to.   (Past experiences have taught me not to open my mouth).  The checker commented on his behavior, which made me feel better. 

So obviously, this guy ruffled my feathers.  But I decided to take this negative encounter and turn it into something positive, something good for my writing:

He showed me how to create a setting with conflict.
He showed me what a discourteous character might physically look like.  
He showed me how one acts and what one might say.  
He showed me exactly how to portray a totally inconsiderate dude. 

Enrich Your Stories

Do you ever have trouble coming up with new descriptions for your story?  Here's an idea.  The next time you attend any event like a ball game, an art fair, or a concert take note of your surroundings.  When you return home, make a list.  Keep it handy if you want to add a description to your story.  You can enrich your stories by using the five senses. 

I recently attended the Western Southern Tennis Open with my family.  It was a damp, overcast evening with several rain delays.  

Here are the five senses at the Open. 

I See:  the sky streaked with dark-gray rain clouds, a rainbow piercing a cloud, a brightly lit tennis court and stadium, fans wearing ponchos, women in wedges and rain boots, a booth selling plastic cups of Moët & Chandon champagne, ponds of mud in the grass parking lot

I Feel:  raindrops sprinkling my face, damp metal bleacher seats puddled with water, beads of moisture on seat backs, damp tennis shoes

I Smell: the air scented with summer rain, fried food from food court, the grass parking lot reeking of barnyard odor

I Taste:  cold mint ice cream in a waffle cone, spicy Skyline chili topped with cheddar cheese, salty oyster crackers, warm bottled water

I Hear:  feet trudging through muddy muck, music blasting from a loud speaker, boisterous applause from audience, tennis balls whacked across the net, yawns as we pile into the car to head home late at night

A Writing Challenge

We are busy people.  Day in, day out—we've got so much to do.  At times, we can be self-absorbed.  We dwell on our own lives and problems.  And we forget about others. But I challenge you to put the things you need to do aside and do something nice for someone else.  Carve out a brief period of time for others and do what you do best: write.  
Compose a note to a friend, a neighbor, or a relative.  Email is okay, but stationary or a card is even better. Tell someone that you’ve been thinking about them. Send a thank you note to someone if they have sent you a gift or if they have done something nice for you. Wish someone good health if they’ve been ill.  Write as much as you like.  Even one line would suffice.  

Believe it or not, your words will have a huge impact.  It will brighten someone else’s day. And you won't have to sacrifice much time to write a note.  So, what do you think?  Are you up to the writing challenge? Are you up to spreading a little kindness?

Let's Talk about Dialogue

In a story, dialogue can be defined as a conversation of two or more people.  The words spoken aloud by characters are indicated by quotation marks.  Sometimes, a character is alone and talks to himself.  This can be expressed in italics.

When you create dialogue you get to climb inside characters’ heads and express what they are thinking.  In turn, your audience then gets to know the characters’ personalities.

But there are some writers who overdo dialogue. Too much dialogue robs stories of narrative—the descriptions, actions, and setting needed to create an intriguing atmosphere.  Though dialogue is an essential part of telling a fictional story for kids, non-stop conversation can be annoying.

Dialogue should be balanced with narrative.  A narrative is the story that you write with detail.  It can explain something, describe a place, or convey the way a person looks or behaves.  It can express an action significant to the story.  

So look at your story objectively.  Do you have too much dialogue?  If so, break it up with description and action.  Describe some details of the setting.  Explain what the characters are doing.  Your job as a writer is to find the right balance between dialogue and narrative.  There is no rule to the percentage of dialogue to narrative because every genre is different; however, a 50 -50 ratio of dialogue to narrative is something you can aim for.  

So You Think You Can Write

A lot of people think it’s easy to write for kids.  For example, a good friend of mine wrote a picture book, even though she has no experience in writing fiction.  A few weeks ago we spent an hour going over her manuscript line by line. 

These were my suggestions:      

Do not paginate. Instead, double-space the entire manuscript. 

Avoid fancy fonts. Use Times New Roman, twelve point font. 

Type the title in caps, not it large, bold font.

Use age-appropriate words, but do not dummy down the language.

Keep the verb tense consistent.

Create a goal or something that the main character wants.  

Create a conflict or dilemmas which will make the goal more difficult to attain.

Keep the word count well under 1000 words. 

Make the story unique so that it will stand out and not get lost in the slush pile.

Have a satisfying ending.  Add a twist if possible or a tie-in to the beginning.

Though the manuscript had some problems, there were many good things about the story.  The descriptions were colorful and the main character could be relatable to young kids.  The story also had great illustration potential. 

I told my friend she was off to a good start.  She thanked me for helping her and asked if she could have my notes.  She knew she would have to spend more time editing her work, especially since she planned on submitting it for publication.  She realized that there is a lot to consider when writing for kids.  

Write

Two weeks ago, I lost my sister-in-law Barb to cancer.  She had been diagnosed in February, and then four months later she passed away.  This was crazy fast.

Her untimely death sent me reeling.  She was relatively young by today’s standards, only 60, much younger than me.  So…it’s made me think about life more, what I want to do and to achieve.  For me, I’ve always wanted to publish a picture book, and now, I am more determined. 

Writing is my passion and I hope it is yours, too.  So my advice to you is to write every day.  No excuses.  Just put a few words down daily even if you don’t feel like it (you can always edit later.)  Create new fiction.  Edit older projects.  Or, get started on a topic that you’ve always wanted to research and write about it. 

Submit your work continuously, non-stop.  If your dream is to get published in a children’s magazine, then study the markets, submit and submit and persevere until your work is accepted.  If you want to get a book published, polish it until it is perfect, have a second reader review it, edit it again, and then search the directories for agents.  Don't give up.

I urge you know to think about your writing dreams and pursue them.  We never know what the future will hold.  Life is short.  Live it.  Live it well.  And write.